The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-12-23
NEGROES IND0RSE DEVEAUX.
THEIR PROTEST AGAINST COTTON
EXCHANGE RESOLUTIONS.

Office by COIOred Men, They Say, Is
Past the Stage of Superintendent
other Explanation of Bryan's Com
parative Small Majority in Geor-
Ein-Rev. l.. ID. Maxwell Thinks
Preiudices and Sentiments Should
Not he Set Up Against the PriviI-
eyes and Justice Due the COIOred
Rnce-A White Man Named Dayton
Caused the Only Disturbance.
About $50 colored citizens gathered at
the Harris street hall last night to pro-
test against the protest of the cotton ex-
change and board of trade in which OBJ
| lection was made to the appointment of a
negro to federal office in Savannah.
The meeting was a quiet and orderly one
throughout. remarkable fact is that the
only slight disturbance that occurred was
! caused by a white man named Dayton,
| known as a populist. Dayton was one of
the three white men present. When Rev.
L. D. Maxwell was nominated for chair
man, Dayton got up and said:
Il protest against the meeting being put
in charge of minister"
put him out" was the cry on all Sides
and the suggestion was carried into effect
in short order firmly, but not roughly.
The meeting was opened about S:45
| O'Clock by II. N. Walton. 1t was to have
begun at O'Clock, but few had gathered
at that hour, and shortly afterward
brass band appeared. This attracted the
| crowd which soon began to gather, and
when the meeting began, the hall was
pretty well filed.
| Walton said one side of the picture had
been presented at the cotton exchange
meeting, and the negroes had gathered
to present the other. Though negroes, he
said, they had certain rights which GER
tain people were bound to respect. He
| spoke of Deveaux as true and honorable
man. saying he had held government office,
and when he went out left not one cent
of shortage behind. He ventured the as.
sertion that there was not a white man
who could show similar record.
He declared the meeting open, and Rev.
L. d. Maxwell was elected chairman. I'VE
are here for two reasons" he said, Ito
! indorse Col. j. II. Deveaux, not because
! he is a negro, but because he is a man,
and we believe competent man, and we
are here to protest against protest which
/ gu are an ldlllilldt Will, WHICH was a
direct attack upon our race. not only here,
! but throughout the state and throughout
! the country"
Fhe man who took the leading part in
| the cotton exchange meeting, he said,
was compelled to confess he could say
nothing against Deveaux as man. He
failed 10 see that the protest was strong
! protest or a ring protest as had been
stated.
There were three things in the cotton
! exchange resolutions to which he wanted
to call attention. 1t had been stated that
/ DeVeauX's appointment would be against
the business interests of the city. As to
/ that he said he did not know, because no
/ colOred man had ever held the position,
and for the same reason unless gifted
| with prophecy, he did not see how Mr..
/ Minis could tell that such would be the
| case.
In the second place, he said, it was
strange that in the latter part of the nine
teenth century the appointment of a man
against whose character nothing could be
| brought should be against the wishes, de
/ sires and prejudices of the people of the
| community. He did not consider a protest
! a strong one which asked the President
TO give in to the prejudices of one class
as against the privileges and justice due
| another class. President Mckinley, he
said, was not the President of one class;
so when the black man asks for represen-
! tation he asks it on that ground that he
| is a citizen.
AS against the statement that there was
| nothing in DeveauX's life to qualify him
| him for the collectorshp of the port, he
| gave an account of the positions that De
VeauX has held, saying that among them
was the training received for this very
work as a clerk in the custom house in
| Savannah, and as collector of the port of
Brunswick. The fact that many Savan-
| nahians indorsed Deveaux for the colec-
.rl,fr .rf1,l-
If they are going to protest against him
here, the speaker said, they must first
withdraw their Endorsements given at that
time. If Deveaux was worthy then, he
sald, there is no reason why he should
have become so suddenly unworthy
He failed to see, he said, how the ap-
pointment of Deveaux would put one of
an inferior race in authority over SUI
! perior race. MIR. T. f. Johnson, he said
was collector for years, and yet it was
never considered that he ruled the people
of Savannah. Why would Deveaux. he
asked, be in authority any more than was
Mr.. Johnson?
we have not met here to make any in
cendiary speeches." he said. nor to stir
anybody's blood, but to make respectful
protest against this protest against our
race, and to ask the President of the Uni
ted States to appoint a man who is in
every way worthy of the position"
There was frequent applause throughout
Maxwell's speech. c. McKane was elected
secretary. and after making brief
speech, in which he said the insult should
be resented, and that he was proud TO
know that there was still manhood and
patriotism among the colored people. the
business of the meeting was proceeded
with
The following resolutions were intro
duced by r. w. White, as chairman of
the committee appointed to draw them up
and read by Secretary McKane:
Whereas, it has been Brought to our at
tention through the press of this city. that
a meeting was held at the cotton exchange
| Dec. 49, 1897, purpOrting TO have been com
| posed of the members of tho cotton ex-
| change and the board of trade claiming to
| represent the business interests of our city,
the object of which was to oppose the an
| pontment of a citizen of Savannah to the
| position of collector of customs at this port
or as postmaster, thereby DISCRIMINATING
against a large class of citizens which is
unfair and unjust; therefore be it,
Resolved by the colored citizens in this
| mass meeting assembled, That we un-
| ana lifiellV recommend fba apppfrtr,.,.4