The Twin-City American., 1899-05-18

Ndlue. DuL 10 IHOse VINO are not
familiar with our work, it is hoped
that they may be able to CLEAN
sufficientfrom what feeble thoughts
| herein attempt to express as will
be the means of establishing the
fact that there is at least a nucleus
of an organized effort to promote
the well-being and happiness of the
colored race.
THE LEAGUE AND WHY.
Realizing the great need of a
more united and concentrated
action on the part of the Afro
Americans of this country, in order
that we may be better enabled to
secure and maintain our moral and
legal rights of citizenship and
enjoy the pursuits of happiness, a
number Of gentlemen of the Twin
Cities came together on or about
March 25, 1898, and resolved to
call a mass meeting and invite all
members of the race, both male
and female, to cooperate with
them in the perfecting of an or
ganization which would have for
its object the enforcement of law,
the suppression of lawlessness, the
moral, intellectual, industrial and
economic uplifting of the Afro
Americans of the United States of
America. Our reason for naming
it the American, instead of Afro
American, was because we found
here in the Twin Cities quite a
number of the whites who are
deeply interested in all matters that
pertain to the elevation of the
race, and, as they express it, are
sincerely desirous of uniting with
us in any movement or enterprise
that has for its purpose our adj
vancement. Thus the name,
American Law Enforcement
League Of Minnesota, was Sc
lected so that anyone of any nation
ality who is in sympathy with the
foregoing declarations may feel free
to unite with us. to help a most
worthy cause.
ITS LOCAL AND NATIONAL INTEREST.
II will be impossible for me to
describe in detail all that is in
tended under the above outlines, or
at least all that we hope for. It
was first thought that there was
little or no local need foran organi-
zation such as ours, and that il
we were to accomplish any appar-
ent good it must be of a national
character and not local. This idea
was soon found to be at fault, for
scarcely were we organized before
we discovered problems of a local
nature almost innumerable, many
of which were aud are extremely
difficult TO solve; and what is true
in this locality is also true every
where. We are proud to say,
however, speaking of this particu-
lar community, that we have every
reason to be encouraged, If we are
to judge by past and present indi-
cations, for what we have thus far
undertaken has been a success.
We propose to prosecute our local
matters from a practical stand
point. always endeavoring to be
conservative, just and fair, in the
meantime, we hope to build up a
substantial treasury, for we find
that money is one of, if not the
essential, requisites necessary for
us to hayeif we hope to accomplish
any definite results. With this
object in view, We hope to enroll
at least all the members of our
race who have not known the work
of the league or have hitherto been
disinterested. Now as to what we
shall do nationally depends upon
what we do locally. Our work,
from national standpoint. win be
confined mainly to the legal prose-
cution of such eases as the League
deeidesto handle. This. of course,
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