The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1899-07-16
THE Ex.SLAvES' REUNION
They viii Ask The Next Legislature for .
Home
AND WILL ASK THE GENERAL GOVERNMENT
Fer n Pensfon-The Annual Address
of President w. H. Melton--A
Practical Paper.


association Judge Norman G. kittrell was
selected to act us attorney for the organi-
zntion, which will petition the next legis-
lature to establish homo for its mem
bers.
Several reports and speeches were made
during the morning, aad. after discussion
OF the Mason BILL which provides for the
pensionlng Of ex-slaves. the following
resolutions were adopted;
Whereas, Or. w. H. Melton, president OF
this association, has delivered to us his
address on the plans of the Ex-3lave asso-
ciaticn
Resolved, That we concur with Or. Mel
ton in demanding that this government
pay us for our labor in slavery, not only
for the benefit of the ex-slaves themselves,
but that the National Disgrace may be
wiped out so that the Nation may be rec
ognized by foreign nations as ever ready
to do justice to its citizens.
Resolved That we, the members of the
Ex-Slave association, representing popu-
lation of nearly $4,000 believing, as we do.
that the work undertaken by DR.. Melton
Is one of justice and right, do hereby
pledge him our earnest cooperation with
our money and influence, and we hereby
brethren for whom Dr.. Melton has been
and is so phianthropically laboring.
Resolved, That all coored men released
from bondage are under personal cbliga-
lions to DR.. Melton for the manly position
taken by him for our right.
Resolved, That eternal honor is due DR..
Melton for the stand he has taken for us
and we recommend and call upon the col
ored people throughout the United States
n nj vii n N ha
II further
Resolved, That we will not support any
preacher teacher or any one who opposes
our movement. We tender a vote OF
thanks to the city papers for full and I'm
partial reports of our meetings, and to the
citizens for their liberal favors
special sermon will be preached for
the benefit of the eX-slaves today, and
collection for the benefit of the flood suf
ferers will be taken The reunion Will
close tonight.
Following is the annual address delivered
by President w H. Melton:
Ladies and Gentlemen. and Members of
the ex-Slave B. P. Association:
Today we meet in grand reunion for the
frst time in the history of our existence
TO strike glad hands, review the past and
consider he future. The veterans of the
cotton fields will meet in common those
who were their owners. We recognize
the fact that slavery was cruel, but there
were some slave owners VINO treated their
slaves with some degree of humanity. Tais
class We are always glad to respect and
under the shadow of this pavilion We sSv il
have a grand reunion.
The race problem seems to be one OF
the vexed questions of today, and at this
hour We need the counsel, the advice of
the ahlest statesmen What the people of
the Southland want to do is this: They
must cultivate friendly feeling between
the races. The white people Of the South
have larger opportunities. They were
born In the laps of morality, they have
had all advantages of civilization, while
the negro was born in Slavery; the only
heritage he received was ignorance and
work. admit the Southern white people
have done considerable toward the edtra
ton of the negroes; yet the time is too
short for him to compete with them The
white people must take a greater interest
in the negro ii they would reform him
The class OF negroes that are now giving
us SO much trouble belong 10 the Hitter
ale. Take trip through the black belt
of the South, note well the conditions and
you will find this to be true
| have been on large plantations where
these people work hard all the week, and
are generally paid off on Saturday nights
Just as quick as they get their money
away 10 the woods they 90 and gamble
all night and all day Sunday Tho off,
GERS would not even arrest them for such
What can you expect of them but criml-
nails? Between the best elements there is
no race trouble; it Is the vicious class
which stirs the strife.
In the negroes moral elevation the
Southern people should condemn and Gre
ate sentiment against white men cor
rupting negro women.
Professor Boughton gives an idea of the
indifference with which the Southern peo-
pie regard the unlawful alliance Of white
men with negro women. Says he: is
the man who can shamelessly and often
openly pass his leisure in the presence Of
his colored mistress too supreme a being
to be that woman's legal husband? Ia IL
more honorable for him to rear about him
a brood OF bastard offsprings than TO be
the husband of the woman of his choice
and the legal father OF his children"
These are some of the vital questions
that concern our people.
The whites must respect the negroes
and concede to them their rights. The
negroes will never be contented as long as
they are forced to ride in dirty Shaking
cars when they pay the same fare as the
whites. nor as long as they are excluded
from the jury box and prescribed in public
places. And II the education OF the me-
gro is to make him what 1t has made the
white man. II in becoming educated the
negroes will become more Independent.
more manful, more conscious OF their
rights, and more willing to die for them,
then there will be the most terrible con-
fict In the Southland some day that has
ever been heard or read OF Unless the
vicious class Of whites be educated out OF
their prejudice, educated UP to the mi
where they will readily concede to the
negroes their every right. this "irrepressi-
Bile conflict" is bound to come. For wien
the negroes become educated they will not
quietly submit as they now do to the
wrongs perpetrated upon them. There viii
be many negroes who will rise UP and cry
like Patrick Henry of old, Give me lib
erty or give me death!' Now is the time
to avoid this. And. again, negroes who
are making good salaries with those who
are wealthy will demand that they be
recognized, With reference to the white
press. We are glad to say that they are
our friends--the Dallas News, Houston
Post, the Herald Waco Telephone stand
up for the right. They may differ with us
on some things, but on the principles of
humanity We agree.
The. ex-slave should be pcnsioned by
the general government.
Today we have class OF people in our
midst who are unable to feed and cloths
thsmselves In their declining years. They
havs labored 10 make this country What
~ lae uyhen calle6 ,inou IN foiu Ifharn tt~xv