Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-09-24
ARGUMENTS FOR BOTH SIDES
Mr.. Lee Might Have Been Elected
President.
SOME OF THE SPEECHES

of election would nave been elected presi-
dent of the national Baptist convention.
now In session in st. Louis, for the ensuing
year. The reports of the scenes attending
the election of a president, as published in
the ST. Louis papers, show that the dele
gates were worked up to a high state of
excitement, and that the mention of Dr.
Lees name was received with the widest
enthusiasm. He, however, refused to allow
| the delegates to vote for him, and the re-
firing president was then reelected. The st.
| Louis papers state that DIR. Lees speech
| in declining to lie considered as a candi-
date for the Office for which he was named
| was a model Of eloouence and unique
humor, and at its conclusion he was re-
| quested by delegates In every part Of the
hall to reconsider his withdrawal. This
however, he declined to do.
Publication Society.
The convention is composed of leading
colored Baptist preachers and laymen. from
| twenty-five of the states, and the acts
performed by them since they met in an
nual session last week are certain to be-
come matters of history. Among tine i'm
| portant questions decided upon were to
| break loose from the American Baptist
| Publication Society: steps were taken to
establish a negro publication house: the
Woman's Auxiliary Society was absorbed
| and other matters of vital Importance to
| the race were transacted. The effect on
the business interests of the American
| Baptist Publication Society can hardly be
| estimated at this time. and the act of with
drawal was the result largely Of speeches
! by Rev. DR.. E. X. Love. DID,. of Savan-
nah. Ga. Rev. DIR. George w. Lee and w.
| Bishop Johnson of Washington, and other
! ministers representing nearly every sec
ton Of the country. Probably the most
| important speech was that delivered by
| DR.. Love. who is quoted as having said:
l w nv no icf-
| of the United States should not be able.
| under wise and courageous leaders. to do
| anything they desire to do. Is there a need
| of a national Baptist publication house? In
| der circumstances that we hopdkpnce ex-
| listed. the proper answer to thisp question
| would be, No. Under the wise, able and
almost equitable administration of the late
| salnted DIR. Il. Griffith We had hoped that
| the efforts of the American Baptist Publ
| cation Society would ripen into the fruit
age of full recognition and exact justice
to our people and denomina tions
while DR.. Griffith lived L never gave my
| vote in favor Of the establishment of a ma
| tional publication house, because my hope
for all We needed in the American Baptist
| Publication Society lived as long as he lived.
| He is dead and my hopes buried. As
closely connected and as affectionately at
| tached l am to the American Baptist
| Publication Society, could not be so dis
| loyal to my race after the national Baptist
convention at it's meeting last year had de-
cided by a vote to establish house of its
| own as to rebel against the movement. /
am loyal Baptist and a loyal negro. l will
| stand or fall live or die. with my race and
| denomination. There is strong an argu-
ment in favor OF a negro publishing house
as there is in favor Of negro churches.
schools and families. 1t is just as fair for
negroes to want these things as it is for
white men to want them for themselves.
If one is necessary and right the other is
equally SO.
1T never was true anywhere, and per-
haps will never be true, that negro can
enjoy every right in an institution controlled
by white men that white man can enjoy.
There is not as bright and glorious future
I before a negro in white institution as
there is for him in one of his own. peo-
pie who have no enterprise show that they
have no spirit of progress in them. A peo-
pie without this cannot command the recog-
milton of nations and the respect of dhe
world
Negro brains should shape and control
negro enterprises and negro thought. In
white publications all the pictures and
thought intended. and. indeed. calcu-
lated, to show the superiority of the white
race. The idea of negro greatness is not
dreamed of. There must be a concentration
of our great Baptist forces for the main
ter ance of something that is distinctively
ours With our boosted numerical strength
and vast resources only need system
and executive ability to achieve a mos,
glorious success in this great enterprise
The motion to form distinctively negro
publication society was opposed by Rev 5
| N. VasS, the District secretary of the
American Baptist Publication Society, who
said
THE American Baptist Publication Socie
| ty is seventy-two years old and mum
hers have increased in that time from I5O
600 to 100000 Its work for colored Baptist!
began at emancipation. Its missionaries
have directly or indirectly organized mos
of the Sunday schools among colored Bap
lists, assisted the schools with books ant
other help. 1t has also made grants o.
, | books to 5000 colored ministers and a:
nany churches. 1t also published all tn,
literature needed for Baptists. The society
is anxious that our people should continue
to support 1t. 1t is not society for white:
!; only, but for all American Baptists; coloret
} | men write for it's literature and are ap
/ pointed to important positions in its work
, 1t has honored our race by appointing on
! of our men to exercise an oversight of al
) its work in the south among our people
\ v hich recognizes negro manhood. 1t doe
) not consider the negro a ward to be com
\ miserated. but a man to be encouraged ant
, recognized. If colored people will Withdraw
! We may cause the whites to grow NOR
4 estranged from us. We cannot afford t.
draw such line. Whites are our friends
and, instead of planning to go further from
them we ought to propose to come close
3 to them.
8 1.-The society, after many years of see,
I | sowing is Just beginning to get some re
5 turns from colored Baptists Is it fair t
1 draw away the people from such help
3 especially at a time when the society i
2 under embarrassment? l do not see tina
6 colored Baptists can serve God to any NOR
1 advantage do better work by with
0 drawing from this society. There is tn
4 appearance of ingratitude, whatever We ma
| mean"
Despite the earnest speech of Dr. Vass tn
motion to establish the publishing hous
+ | was adopted by an almost unanimous vote.
. Australian Cricketers Far Ahead.
: The International game of cricket, whic
n began yesterday between the New Jerse
u Athletic Club at Bayonne, n. j., and tn
+ Australian team can scarcely be called
e ! match. The Australians swamped thei
: adversaries completely by score of Is
: to % runs in the first innings. This mate
!, will only last two days, and then the Aus
tralians will go back to Philadelphia I
tackle the Philadelphi2us in two matche:
the first one at Belmont and the second a
| Haverford.
= Wrecked on the Coast.
: The Clyde lire passenger steamer FREQ
l. er;ck De Barry. from New York to jackson
:. vile, was wrecked yesterday at Kilt
Hawk, NJ C. The crew of seventeen me
were taken off by the life savers M mas