The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-05-26
ACREDIT TO OUR NEGROES.
THEIR GREAT SHOWING AT THE
TENyESSEE CENTENNIAL.

witsout Funds and In the Face or UnRenerous
Treatment They Have Erceiied the EHhibit
OF Their vbits Isrethren from ThIs state
and Arc Highly Pieased with Their Success.
-. p. Thompson. ono of tho colored Commits
s.oners from New York to the Tennessee Cen.
tennial, has just returned from Nashville, and
he reports that the New York exhibit in the me-
gro building is tho finest there. He says that
the Centennial officials compliment IL very
highly, and say that not only Is II the best in tho
negro building. but that there are few State eN-
hibits in tho whole exposition that excel 1t. This
news has stirred up the colorcd population up
town, and tho colorcd folks nro SO pleased that
they can hardly contain themselves. What
plenses them particularly is that they have sur
pissed their white brethren who started out 10
excel them.
When the State was asked TO take part in the
celebration Gov. Morton appointed eleven Com
missioners. They were all whites. Later the
Tennessee officials asked that commissioners DO
appointed for the colored department, too. and
tho Governor appointed seven colored mon.
while nothing was said about 1t publicly, 1t was
Intended by tho Governor that all the Commits
pioners should be on an equal footing, and that
they should all work together to the end that
the State exhibit should be an imposing one.
Things went along smoothly enough for a while
and there wasn't any talk of q color limo. or
course 1t was necessary that the State should
appropriate some money for the commission,
and o bill authorizing the expenditure OF
$4,000 was passed. Tho moment the appro-
~priation was available the friction in the COM
mission began.
The white Commissioners insisted on retaining
all Of It to pay the expenses of their part of the
exhibition. Tho colored Commissioner asked
for $4,000 of the $4,000 and were met
with the statement that they were not en-
titled to any oft and that the appropriation was
Intended exclusively for the whites exhibit. 1t
was pointed out that the amount was too small
anyway. and that no sort of a show could be
made with It. Tho colored Commissioners ad-
mitted that the appropriation was too small, but
insisted that that was not their fault and that
they were entitled to a share. They asked what
they had been appointed, for anyway, II it was
mot to get up an exhibit, and how could they do
It without money! Then the white Commits
sioners retorted that the colored men were not
Commissioners to the Centennial anyway, that
they had been appointed Commissioners to only
pne department and were not the EQUALS Of the
w ,he @o 0Sm anSsonriated i Il for SHt the p eEoenses ~
the Commissioners to the Centennial and not to
the Commissioners to the negro department,
This raised the dander Of the eolored folks.
They appealed to Gov. Black and to the mem
bers of the Legislature that passed the bill.
additionally appropriated for the use Of the
"hOlO oub "
As the whites. were In 3 majority, it looked blue
Anderson, the coiored statesman, who was one
Of the. colored Commissioners, drew up, a
t saF ant Il directed has ID } &hIssG 1880 % Of the the s sfs'eoo
be given to the colored Commissioners. The
there wss war; IN esrneSt. They appealed d to the
Legislature and did everything they could to
sanE On p to hhs mOp snyd hut hut saaeeedea Is in a s sts {
the bill through In spite of all opposition. The
Believed in doing good for evil. petitioned to
have the So, 900 restored to the white Commits
s sioneE;si ,d that in Is; shsy q ISL a. t S6 have T the t9 36Sb aPI
Just as hard to get that through the tegislsture
as they had done to get money none, for themselves
This made the white Commissioners feel
ashamed of themselves. and the. warmed up
II they could do anything at all to make the
eolored end Of the show a fine one they would be
that II the whites devoted their time TO making
their own part of thu, show a success they
settled it. The coiored Imsn went to work, de.
termined with their % 900 to beat the, whites
colored man Interested in the work, and in.
stead of a commission Of seven workers there
Early and SniiSSii e. The Women ' bee%ms inter:
Not a penny Of the. So, 900 got away. None Of It
stuck ssrslt,b to t aSn;ySod ys,s ti Gnffsci.d An T manner nsri Of IN In
the way from steam ensines to needieworE and
sheet music. A library of books written by
negroes was collected. There was an art gallery
full Of pictures by colored artists. There were a
hundred or more mechanical inventions by col
ored men. There was the finest kind Of needle
work by colored women. The whole collection
was shipped to Nashville and was arranged I'M
der the direction of the colored commissioners
But they didn't stop hustling even then. They
have been at 1t ever since, and new exhibits are be-
ing shipped almost daily. In the whole collection
there Is nothing in the way of advertising any
body, while the white exhibit from New York Is
made up almost exclusively of merchandise and
things labelled with the name of the business
house that has them to sell. One of the. most
interesting exhibits the colored Commissioners
have obtained Is a collection of songs and music
written by negroes. There are nearly 200 of
them, and they include many of the popular airs
Of the day, which most people suppose were
written by white men. This collection will be
sent in a day or two.
Hrrr FRoM uurr