Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-07-20
FORTUNE ADVISES REVOLT
Fiery Political Speech at Meeting Of Ep-
worth League.
Advice by a ColOrcd Editor to Mem
bers OF HIS Race-Forner Re-
cOrder Taylor Presides.

The red hae of political revolt was Wig
orously Haunted last evening by Mr.. Thos.
7. Fortune, the well-known colored orator
and newspaper man of New York, at q
meeting held under the auspices OF the Ep-
worth League of the Metropolitan N. E.
Church on ID street southwest. MIR. Fer
tuiIe delivered the principal address. He
drew the color line sharply. and scored the
present administration. while white poll
ticians generally came In for a full share
of condemnation.
Ex-Recorder of Deeds c. H. ]. Taylor
acted as chairman in place of former Sena-
tor Blanche X. Bruce, who was unavoid-
ABLY prevented from attending, and prior
to the introduction Of Mr.. Fortune, Will
ian, .S., rieager leader of the colored wing of
the Republicans in Georgia was presented
an ms remarks Mr.. Taylor said:
some one has pleasantly referred to me
as an honest coloreo democrat. do thank
God that stranger, in. meeting me can
not judge my politics by the color Of NV
SKIN or the kink OF my hair Thank God
700. mat 1 have manhood enough to choose
my politics, and not let others do IT. We
must think and act for ourselves. Now i
want to Introduce to you an honest colarel
Iepupncan, man who. IL the people an
precfated his real worth, would be roI,
e e al any time he would accept the Of
nee No Drawer negro lives I'm any mart Of
the United States than William A. PleSper
vi georgia Brave, rot to talk from a dis
tahce, but to beard the lion In his den ana
uaIe nun TO battle. That's the kind of a
want .O Va i"en we
Responds to the Call.
1t was evident that the call for p,.d,.r
was not only unexpected 10 him. but to The
large audience. and after the ,pnI.,,.o
which greeted him subsidized he arose and
SAID that he had not understood that ha
vas to be called upon. and that he b.a
oniy attended for the purpose of listening
~ the eloquent words which were to fail
from the lips of the bravest man in Amer.
ica ana the equal Of any as a literary
Mr. Fortune" said the speaker. .wfrl
tax TO US on a subject in which we are
or should be deeply interested. He knows
what ne Is TO talk about, and IL We listen
as We should We will go away from this
temple of God greatly benefited. / regret
mat In late years the church has driftcd
INTO pchticS to the neglect of the higher
Gaining Tor which 1t was founded. The
auxiliaries are the great feeders of the
church. and they should be encouraged
anC fostered. In redeeming and reciaim-
ing men the church and its auxiliaries
would do more than all political parties
and all elections"
When Mr. Fortune began his address he
poked fun at Messrs. Taylor and Pledeer
who occupied seats in the pulpit, the form
er democrat and the latter an intense re-
publican. He referred to them as the lion
and the lamb, and said it did seem tina; the
race was making some advancement, and
that there was hope for the future
lie then took up his theme. 1t was not
the past 1or which his people should be SO
deeply Interested, he said, but the present
and the future. The past could not be re-
called nor the mistakes remedied and all
should bear in mind that, as a great labor
asltator mad said: The injury of one IS the
n al
"a black man or a yellow man in this au-
oiehce or in this city by the Potomac i'm
AGNES that he is not interested and partly
responsible for the outrages committed on
MS race in the states, then his bed is one
made for fools to lie upon. 1 say ii there
be one who is thinking that way he is
simply thinking the hat off his head 1t
is the concern of every true man, let him
1--WE IN whichever section of the country he
NAV.
The Negroes Future.
Our future in politics. Great Lord, I
fail to see any, so long as we bow down
and yield to the white man every position
of influence, trust and honor, when we are
entitled to some of them"
The speaker said that the white man
had been getting everything in sight and
making fearful grabs i'm the dark for any
thing which might accidentally he left in
the Shuttle. The future of the colored man
in politics depended entirely upon some
man or men who would never go to sleep;
who would keep an ever-watchful eye. He
said he loved his race and was willing to
make any sacrifice for it, but he was sat
istied that a race which would not trus;
itself would never succeed.
There was absolutely no future in poll
tics for the colored man, unless he would
deal with the white man exactly as he
dealt with him. The Bible taught IAN eye
for an eye" and that was what it meant.
Mr.. Fortune asked if his audience
thought he vas in politics for his health
and then answered the question.
Not this summer. my friends" he said.
My children are not loaiing around boil
ing New York for the fun of it, while
white politicians are enjoying themselves.
can create many white mer's parties
as he wishes, but in the next election in
New York, II he needs 1853 votes, Mr..
Fortune will be on deck to see that he does
not get them. Mr.. Blaine needed /, 40 once
upon a time in that state and he didn't get
them.
hut Four Plums.
Now, think Of it, four colored appoint
ments by Mr.. Mckinley! Our future in
politics! I am real sick. Why not a color
ed man in the cabinet? Are We not entitled
to it with 1,Je0,O99 votes? 1t strikes me
that we are. Fred Douglass was made mar
shall of the District when he was suited to
be in the cabinet. My friends, l don't want
an office. but L have come to the conclusion
that if the republican party has outgrown
the need of the colored mans vote it Is
time for US TO let them get along without
u.s."
At the close Of the address there was a
storm OF applause. The evenings enter
tainment was interspersed with some ex-
celicut music.