New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-06-22
THE NEGRO IN THE SOUTH
BISHOP GRANT TALKS OF THE FUTURE
OF THE RACE.
NOT A lazy CLASS or MEN-AdRIcCLTCHAA
PRODUCTS DEPEND UPON THEM"
THEIR SCHOOLS AND coll
LEdEs HAVE DONE.

PRODUCTS DEPEND UPON lnC'A
THEIR SCHOOLS AND coll
IEdEs HAVE DONE
You, man are better able to speak OF ana TOT inc
neqro race In America than Bishop Aoia'" N''
the pres.dng officer OF the New-fo r~ o'a'o W.,
sercrce Of the African Methodist Ep!sc"p".
now in session IN Brooklyn. and VINO mas Jun"
assigned to this tho First district OF ~" C".'
B,shop Grant, In rising from slavery to tho 10Y
looa be now holds has exempfied the poss'D''i-
,,os that lie before men OF his race He mas 'fuv
sllad and labored extensively among MS leio"s 40
the South and Is able to Judge them' d. ui"
IN speaking TO a Tribune reporter. made the io''"-
ing observations the race question: ~
1--WE are a people with history, ne SAID Wv
are q people with big hopes and some OF the hop''
ore fairly well backed up by our progress s'hce
Ilncoln's proclamation. I'd like to look OH '"e
bright side OF things altogether, but there 10 10
doubt that we waste great deal IN or'iH A'
ideness and other vices, which We o"'' S'''
from our masters Yet we able to show at
tbe Cotton States Exposition IN Atlanta that we
had not been freemen for thirty years for nothing
"ft has been charged against US that we are
law as n race. Look at the facts. Were II pos
sible to take the negroes out OF the oou'"' INC
country could hardly exist It's agriculture 10 a.
most entirely in their hands; all It's corn sugar
and cotton industries are peculiarly theirs W :"
sort OF natural right. Even where the white race
"a engaged I'm manufacture, It is Indebted 10 us Tor
,,s raw material In 1850 the South had l6l cotton
mills working G57 So spnd es. Ten years later 'ie
number had risen 265 mills with l756So5 sphdie'
In 1894 there we're 405 mills. with 2Hi.OS' sphdies'
That increase made possible only by the III
dustrious habits OF the negroes. - o,io
"Anothe~ Indication of the progress OF my Pc sop. 20
Is shown hy THEN domestic habits or me lziosy oI
homes and farms which there were III ~, W sra
States according 10 the last census. llSli were
occupied by pure blacks ana .z4'osz ~ @ M ~. =
the negroes; 1850 owned '"eii o''" "
"Rellgousy We the most deyout people rn noe
heaven and the more religious we are tne ~
progress W. make. Thank God our reHgioh ~ tne
cause of our freedom ana the source OF our pios-
AS further evidence Of the ADVANCE OF the race
will point TO the fact that We nay 49,
the Unled States who are under me Irer-Icnoo no.,
system All were examined by the state ana n.u
nicpal authorities before they We're ensaf pre- we
cisely the same as white teachers are. M
have our academies. semnares ana hlSh schoo.a
We have go newspaper, ealed oS yy nave several
medical associations State teachers assoclatiots.
school Established a, Wiiberforce College by the
United States Government - ,,,,to,,
AS we grow IN Intelligence we value our polIIicaI
and citizen rights more and more highly, d.Vdlns
our votes between the parties accordlms 10 e, o.
In both parties. although the great majority hahs
together with the Republicans. -, 49,,
ut IL hard 70 realize the sacr,hce or Lhe di.u
money that our people have put into their instiu-
tons since the emancipation. We are not a. eco.
We have not studied the Of applied economies
which Wall Street and elsewhere creates we S,,h
out Of nothing. Yet we have merchants OF hish
standing in every state. -. 49,.
Il am more fully convinced than ever that the
South il the proper home % the negro. ana can
sec no rducoment which should attract him away
from the southern States. There are some things
that look discouraginS on thu surface but no race
ever 10 a higher civlllZaoOn WITHOUT h"Fl'b
many discouragornents and impedimerts. \ people
should always De- Judged by rs representatives, o.,
one must 20 20 our institutions In Jacksonville. 10
the five colleges IN Atlanta. TO the FISK niNeisity
Tho Central Tennessee College, the NeH -brledns
University South University and strait University
i'm New-Orleans and others that ! might name
The Interests of the white and colorei races IN
IN. south are irscparahlc Tho tNo races must I've
In peac, for tho good OF all concerned FOR Whatever
Is detrimental 70 one is equally for the other