The Washington bee., 1897-03-13
THE AFRO-AMERICAN PRESS

On last Saturday noon the members
of the Afro-American Press AssocIa
ton of the United States met at the of.
hce OF the WASHINGTON BEE, W I'll
President w. Steward of the Louis
vile, XIV Baptist, presiding, and Mr
E. E. Cooper Of the Colored America,
acting as secretary. There were full,
iv editors present, representa-
every State in the Union.
ArIer discussing some minor affairs
Editor Chase informed the members
tndt he had arranged with the Presi
dent to meet the members of the asso
ciation between the hours of 4 and :
o'clock.
Editor Lawson suggested the propri
ETY. of presenting the President with ar
address as the sentiment of the Afro
American Press Association of the
United States
Editor Chase thought that the com
mlttce should einbody in that address
the sentiment that representatives ot
the Caucasian press of America had
| been recognized to some extent, and il
was about time for republican PreSi.
dents to recognize the Afro American
press.
President Stewart appointed on the
committee Editors E. E Cooper Of the
CoLored american, Chris. ]. Perry,
Philadelphia Tribune, and Mat Lewis,
| Norfolk Recorder.
| Editor Chase, on motion of Editor
Cooper, was appointed committee to
engage the necessary number of hacks.
The association took a recess till q
| o'clock, at which time ten double-horSe
team carriages lined up in front of THE
BEE office.
Everybody was ready to go to the
President except the committee that
mad been appointed to draft the ad-
dress. The party waited until 4:35,
and no committee showed up unIIl
after the return of the association from
the Executive Mansion. 1t was Subse-
| q Iently ascertained that Editor Cooper
nad invited the committee to the B. &
o depot for lunch, and then to his Of.
| fce, to enable him to wait until he had
made out his payroll.
AT THE PRESIDENTS.
AT 20 minutes Of O'Clock the asso.
citation, headed by Editor Chase and
President w. H. Steward, arrived al
! the Executive Mansion. Lieut. c.
Gilmore of the Fourth Artillery di-
| rected Mr.. Cha &c to request the aSSo-
| citation TO repair TO the east parlor for
Il few minutes, after which the editors
repaired to Secretary POrter's private
office, and the chief messenger Of the
secretary, Mr.. Arthur Simmons, one
OF the oldest and most efficient at
taches OF the Executive Mansion, in
! formed the association that the Presi-
| dent would be at leisure soon.
Fifteen minutes ofhve Lieut.. Gilmore
informed the association that the
President was ready to receive the
Afro-American Press Association OF
the United States.
Editor w. Calvin Chase, who had
been designated to present the presi'
dent of the association to President
VI ,Kinley, did SO, as follows:
president Mckinley, l have the
honor to present to you Mr.. ". H
Steward, editor of the American Bap.
tist, Louisville, KY, and president oI
the Afro-American Press Associa'
ton"
Editor Steward then delivered the
| following address:
"MR. PREsIDENT-Prior to the Ma
tional Convention held in ST. Louis,
the two hundred colored papers of this
country, with peculiar unanimity. ad'
vocated your nomination, and after the
convention, almost without a single
exception, urged your election to the
elevated position you now occupy.
"In common with thousands OF patrl
otic citizsnS, representatives OF this
press have gathered in this city from
all parts OF lhe country to join in the
inaugural ceremonies and to witness
your induction into Office. They are
deeply and sincerely interested in the
success of the principles which yCu
represent. and have called in this in
formal manner to tender their best
wishes and bid you Godspeed.
The country has shown its conf
! dence in you personally, as well as in
| the principles which you represent, and
now look forward with the brighteSi
anticipationS for a revival of business
and a return of good and prosperous
times. This is not formal meeting oi
our association, but simply an informal
gathering of its representatives, but
we are certain that we express the sen
timents of its entire membership in the
call we have made, and in their names
thank you most heartily for the honor
done US, and again wish you long and
happy life and a successful administra
| ton"
President Mckinley made a brief re-
ply bv thanking the members of the
| Afro Ame ican Press Association fol
! their visit, and assuring them that he
has alwtys held them in high esteem
AT the conclusion Of the President
remarks, President Stew ard introduced
each member to tn, President, as fol
! lows:
&c. Dancy, Capt. J. McHenry, w
H. Noble, NJ B Morton, DR.. ]. w
Prather, c. F. Holmes, H. A. Linsey
DR. S. E. Courtney, Horace Talbert
Prof Greener, Mr. Wimberley, Mr. S
B. Davis, B w Wylie, A. w. Scott, !
j. Durham, Rev. Nixon, c. c. Win
biSh. J. H. Hagler, Lawyer Haye:
Scurloch, Pelham, ]. Lawson, c H
Parish. Wilson, S, James, S. NJ. Hill
and others.