Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1900-10-25
WOODSON SPEAKS.
Delivers Address at Turner Hall
Monday Evening.
TALKS LARGELY ON EXPANSION.
Declares That the Republican Party is
the Only One Worthy of the Negro
vote--Discusses Issues From Col
ored Mans Standpoint.


ored Mans Standpoint.
From Tuesdays Daily.
Notwithstanding the most inclem.
ent weather conditions which prevail
ed last evening, a fairly large and ex-
ceedlngly appreciatiye audience was
present at the Turner hall for the pur-
pose OF listening to Hon. George
Woodson, the we'll known colored law
yer of Muchikinock, in an address on
the political issues of the day. Mr..
Woodson it an attorney, a graduate
OF Howard law school, and is well vers-
ed in the matter of the politics of the
nation. His talks are interesting
and he weaves into them several
stories illustrating his points.
Before the address of the evening,
| Rev. Boyd, of this city, delivered a
short address, and was followed by
Joseph Hopkins, also of Ottumwa, who
talked on the issues of the campaign
and ended by introducing Mr.. Wood
son. The latter was received with ap-
plause, and spoke Interestingly for
over an hour. He devoted most of
the time to the subject of expansion
or Imperialism, and how it affected the
colored man. He spoke in part as fol-
lows:
Synopsis of Address.
Il do not say that the people in the
democratic party are all bad. There
are several people in that party who
are all right, and the only trouble with
them is that they have gone wrong.
They have been led off by false prop
hecies. Now the object of the present
campaign is to get these good men
back into good party.
Il cannot see why any member of
my race should vote the democratic
ticket in the view of events which
have occurred in this country. The
very freedom of the negro is due to the
work of the republican party 1t orig
mated in the cause of the negro. The
democratic party fought the war and
! worked for the cause of slavery.
Nevertheless, altho never forget,
ting the great service the republican
party did for my race, also remember
the debt l owe to those democrats in
the north who took up the cause OF
liberty and fought side by side with
their republican neighbors for the eX
termination of slavery.
Slavery.
II have great deal to forgive those
who championed slavery. | am the
son of a slave. l can remember see
ing my mother and her mother whip
ped with the lash until their backs
were bleeding and full of gashes.
Fhave seen them chained and sold al
the block, separated from each othel
and from me. have all this to for
give, yet / am ready to forgive it al
if the promise be made that the par
ty which favored such proceedings viii
never countenance any thing more Of
the kind. This however, does moi
seem to be their object They are
now doing all in their power to de
prive the negro of his liberty.
In North Carolina, a strong demo
cratic state, Senator Tillman, who
read the declaration of independence
at the democratic national convention
this summer, is with his fellow demo
Gratis, doing everything they can te
disfranchise the negro. They not onl.
do 1t, but they admit it, and are PROUD
Of the fact that they stuffed the ballot
boxes and thus deprived the negro o.
his right to vote. Shall we vote fol
such a party? Does colored mar
have any excuse for being member
of such a party? If these things are
permitted, the black race will be
wiped from the country. But will Il
stop there? When the wheel of prog
ress once begins to turn backward
there is no one who knows where i
will stop. We can, however, see where
it will lead. When the colored race il
entirely wiped out and deprived o
their rights, then will come war be
tween the Anglo-Saxons, and think
see where the blow will fall next. The
foreign born citizen will be the mex
to suffer.
Object of the Go, eminent
"This gov eminent has but one rea
reason fer existing,-to do the mos
good for the most people. The demo
cratic party never has done anything
for anyone except for its own mem
bers. Another matter to be consider
, ed by every one at the present time i!
this: After four years of unparalleled
progress and prosperity, should WI
turn down the present administration
to put into power man whose success
we cannot prophesy with any degre,
of .c,ts'nty? Take the matter IL /;
personal way. Compare the countl,
!, during lie past eight gears to 4 store
/ Suppose you owned a store, and hat
: in charge q man WHO fallct tc NEE
expenses, and who had TIC call upol
you each Saturday night for a small
, amount, say IS or $40, to make boil
ends meet then after a thoro trial
during which he continually ran NOR
and more in debt, you would chang
/. and put the business in charg
of another manager. Suppos
you came to this man the frs
: Saturday night, and said Well, hoy
: are you getting along and We're me