Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-04-30
SHADES OF COLOR
Complaint Made at a Mass Meeting
Against School Trustees.
YELLOW" FOLKS SAID TO BE FAVORED
Black Men Claim There is Dis
elimination.
WHAT TRU STEES SAY

Nearly 100 persons responded to call
for a meeting of cole red citizens, held last
night at Vermont Avenue Baptist Church,
to record a protest against what the pl o.
jectors of the meeting termed unjust dis
elimination On the part of the colored men,
bers of the board of school trustees and
many teachers, in favor of mulatto as
against black children. Most of the
speeches were marked with intense earn
estness.
Several United States Senator's among
them Mr.. Marion Butler of North Caroiir a,
had, it was stated. promised to attend the
meeting, but at the last moment found
themselves unable to be present.
The meeting was called to order by Mr..
Oliver c. Black. who stated the object of
the gathering. Mr.. Black had hardly got
ten well under way before he was inter-
rupted by a friend, who said he desired to
remind him that the meeting had not been
opened with prayer.
That is all right" replied Mr. Black,
we will go ahead with the meeting now
and have the prayer afterwards"
Resuming his address, Mr.. Black charged
mat through The connivance of some lead
ing colored people here the treasury of the
United States has been greatly overcharged
for lots which have been sold to the gov
eminent for school purposes, and that the
tIne mad come for a change i'll the board of
school trustee In fact, said he, the time
10 10 thlS arrived some tlme ago, and We
made an appeal to the District Commits
slonerS TO come to our relief, but they did
not do So.
MIR; Black said that not until the lot was
purchased for the erection of a public
school on p street had ground in that
square sold for more than 30 cents foot
BUT when the bill reached the Treasury
department 1t was found to have been APP
proved Tor Sl.lO square foot. and the re-
suit was that the government had TO pay
several thousand dollars more for ii than
was necessary. a similar state of affairs
he asserted, existed at Ivy City when the
District wanted to buy a lot for school DUR
poses there The owners of the property
would have willingly sold it for 500 be fore
IT was desired to put a school building upon
bill was $685.
Another case was that of the lot for a
scrooi building in Southeast Washington
It's actual value, Mr.. Block claimed was
Lot over 30 cents & square foot, but it cost
the government 20 cents. Who, he asked
got all this money?
Mr. Black maintained, and he instanced
many cases. in which he declared mulatto
chiicren IN the schools were given advan-
taSes over black children, and he urged
tnat thls conGlfion OF affairs should not be
submitted TO any longer w:tLout making
All appeal to Congress for relief
The chair appointed Messrs A w Brink
ley, W. j. Tyler and J. NJ. Foster a com
mlttee to prepare a preamble :nd resoIu-
IONS expressive of the views of those Tres
ent IN relation to the question before the
body.
Resolutions Adopted.
Mr.. Brinkley, chairman of the committee
on resolutions. reported the following paper
which was adopted by unanimous vote:
-" hereas the object of civilized govern
ment should be to secure the greatest good
to the greatest number, TO promote the gen.
eril welfare and to secure the blessings of
H6erty~to people andits posterity; and
nereas the Christian and well-disposed
white people of this country, realizing the
great injustice imposed upon the coIored
people by holding them in slavery for more
thdh 40 years, and wishing, as near as
pc ssible, to repair said injury BY relieving
said people in lis depraved condition on
assuming the duties of freemen and citi-
zens by private donations and liberal gov
eInmental appropriations in money to
secure the needed object of those who have
been placed in charge, and whose duty it
Is, and has been, to administer the func-
tens OF trustees, supervising principals of
the colored schools OF the District of Co
lUmhia having failed to administer their
offices to the interests of all the people,
therefore, be it resolved
That il is the sense and deliberate judg-
ment of this meeting that the conduct and
administr of said officers be INQUIRED
INTO by committee OF Congress-
Mr.. MOore's Protest.
Mississippi legislature. but who said he had
lived in Washington for eleven years,
made speech which deeply stirred his
audience and started one or two of the old
women in the audience singing one of the
plantation melodies, such as were SO popu-
lar in tie south before the war Mr.
Moore is a very black man. In part he
said: Il have no prejudice against any man
If b,t
there is rot the slightest doubt that the
black child.e en- in the public schools of the
District CT Columbia are Disseminated
against by tie colo-ed teachers | have
gone Into some of the schools quietly and
taken a seat where / vas not likely to be
observed, and l have seen the yellow teach
ers treat the yellow pupil in the most affec-
Tomato manner, while they would not let
the black child come near them.
IF We draw the line ourselves what can
we expect from the white people, who have
been In the ascendancy for almost two
thousand years? These yellow people to
whom L nave referred should remember
that two hundred years ago there were no
mulattoes; the colored people in those days
were all black and somebody is respons-
bic TO- the many varieties Of the race there
are at present.
Things have prCgres sed to that state
with the colored race that there is broad
avenue between its members, and when one
of our own people wants to be leader and
w SoiiietHihS " pioliiole inc Wcilafe OF MS
fellows al once there is hue and cry AID
an attempt to put him down. and it is
generally successful
The black man who carries the nod
does not want his 10y or his girl discrimi-
mated against in school because their hair
curls. L have fri, nd who has a daughte r
in school, and she is as smart as YOU find
them. She has been expecting to graduate
fer three years past, but because she is
black her teachers put her back every
year"
Mr.. Moore remarked that he must be
careful about what he said in reference to
color, as he did not know but what he
might have some octoroon, cataroon or
mus haroon relations.
In speaking about the cases of discrim-
ination, Mr.. Moore said that a few weeks
ago the major commanding one of the
High School battalons, young man who
mad worked his way up from the ranks be-
cause he had been able to demonstrates his