The daily morning journal and courier., 1899-08-25
MR. PEAKER'S REMARKS
AT THE s SUlINER LEIGUE BANQUET
 YESTERDI
Bishop Grant Also Speaks and Is Round- ly Applauded-T The League Has Practi- calIy Realized Reorganization.

The Sumner League of Connecticut | which has been in session for the pas | two days, has had most busy con
 vention, which has practically resulted
 in reorganization, and Joseph F
 Peaker of this city, who has been pres | ident of the organization for the pas
 six years, has retired.
 The business meeting was held We'd
 nesday night, and it was reported that
 there would be a lively contest at the | meeting and that MT. Peaker would bI
 a candidate for president against lsaiat 1 Evans of Hartford who was the oppo- sition candidate Instead of that there was no contest at all, and MT. Evans was elected without opposition. George Jenkins of Bristol former
 New Haven man, presided at Wednes- day nights meeting. The officers who were elected were
 President-Isaiah Evans of Hart ford.
 First vice president-Dr. l. N. Porter
 of New Haven.
 Second vice president-Frank G.
 Steadman of East Hampton.
 Third vice president-Henry Van
 Mess of Rockville.
 Recording ecretary-William H. Ransom of New Haven.
 Corresponding secretary-Dennit Scott of Hartford.
 Treasurer-Freder Fitch of Water town.
 Chaplain-The Rev. A. P. Miller of New Haven.
 sergeant-at- -arm-George M. Bruce of Hartford
 MT. Peaker does not discuss the cleo tion His friends say that he willingly withdrew in the interests of harmony, because oths" sections of the state thought New Haven had had the pres- idency long enough.
 The session yesterday morning was opened at 11:30, with Captain Wilkins presiding. Prayer was offered by the Rev. Mr. Hagen, and Mir. Peaker, the retiring president, made brief address as follows;
 At the fifth annual meeting of the state Sumner league we find much in terest manifested by our people in the general unsettled condition of the coun- try. And our condition locally in mat ters of public cqncern are such that we are more than ever before impress ed with the necessity of united effort and independent and aggressive action. A fact that bespeaks the progress we have made alongkhis line is that, with one exception, every member of the State Sumner league has stood by the principles of our organization when it has been assailed by our enemies
 Tt is to be deplored that any Afro American would allow himself to be used as an instrument through which the progress of our institution might be and We anxiously look for ward to the time when such obstacles shall have passed into oblivion, and we shall not longer suffer from such mis- representation from, not only any mem- Der of the State Sumner league, but from any member of our race.
 Such action will create an incentive that will stimulate and encourage op- position to our every effort to obtain equal opportunity in the body polite. as is clearly proven by the disband- ment of the First Separate company of the C. N. G. Without provocation, so Ldf as dDDHdTS Ul ItcOfu, lTOlil llllS dG- ton of disbandng the company with put investigation, on ex-parte statement, hey have taken away from them any opportunity to make defense, which Is a consequence places them before the world in a position that is very refec- i've on the company in particular and he race in general. The fact that two lew companies may be organized does lot remove the stigma placed upon the First Separate company, and the order | )f disbandment under such circum- stances, in the absence of any evidence 0 the contrary, will generally be &C., epted as dishonorable discharge. Af- | CT more than twenty years service this | we consider very poor compensation for services rendered.
 Following this apparently unwar anted action, we find the leaders of the epublican party in the same frame of hind toward us. When upon appeal md petition we met them we were in- ormed through our delegation that to six them to allow us to name who we wanted to represent us was dictation, nd they would not be dictated to by s
 Tn this disbandonment we have
 cture that appeals to every Afro lmerican and calls forth a protest in- ividually and collectively
 The sore point mentioned in MT. Peak rs speech is based on a personal griev- nee. so it is said. MT. Peaker was andidate for the position in the jail to ,hich Captain Wilkins was appointed. committee of his friends, it is said, 'ated upon Sheriff Dunham and nam q him as the presentative of the Afro- merican element who should be recog- ized by appointment. It is stated, fur hermdre, that Sheriff Dunham had lade no promise to appoint MT. Peaker, ut did promise to appoint an Afro- merican. In selecting Captain Will ins, Sheriff Durham aroused MT Peak r's displeasure There is very little Oubt that the affair figured more or ss in the election of the leagues offi- ers, and the result of the election seems , warrant the belief that the league 1pports Captain Wilkins
 What really amounts to reorganiza- on of the state league was effected.
 was thought best by the members to ike the presidency of the league out of ew Haven, as there seemed to be some ssa tisfaction among the members in her sections of the state, so Hart rd man Wds chosen for the honor.