The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-08-29

the minute they go back on the black
voter, that minute they Will strike down
one or the best friends In their own De-
half that this country ever knew" Gap
piause)-
T. T. Fortune spoke for the Independent
negroes. In the course OF his remarks ne
declared that the colored Republicans in
the South are only Republicans for what
they can get out of the black folks He
said the colored people In the South mad
put themselves i'm their present position
by giving the white people too much adj
vantage when they were in power. One
of Mr.. Fortunes choice utterances was.
II know the white man and i deal with
him and he likes me just as much as
/ like him.. He don't like me to Kill and
/ don't like him to Kill. The State or
Georgia is the only State where we have
any considerations shown us. and why?
Because we have held the white man in
check there" Mr.. Fortune declared that
there is a effort I'm all parts
OF this country to disfranchise the negro
and that neither Republicans nor Demo-
Gratis can be trusted. He urged his hear
ers TO watch both alike.
Ex-senator Alain said In part: 1T is easy
to appeal to passion and TO sentiment, but
you have got TO take this matter cody and
deliberately. You have got to reach the
feart and the conscience of the American
people. We should ask the Republican
PARTY in this ountry to reduce the thirty
nine votes in the American Congress and 10
reduce the thirty-nine votes In the Electoral
College of this Nation based upon the
thirteenth. fourteenth and fifteenth amend
ments. [Great .a%pplause.] Talk law and
| talk Constitution. You cannot win this night
with the bullet nor with bowie knives nor
with your sleeves rolled up In a pug1l1stic
manner. You have got to talk to our moral
and religious and respectable people"
Mr.. McGhee asked what the Republicans
present would say il the Democrats Were
asked TO cut down the representation Of
those Southern States In which have dis
franchised the negroes and they should
happen to do 1t. To this Mr.. Alain retorted:
al I@..I go, NI.N ~h4 hoI w4r
formed the first Christian act of their ca
Ieer." Mr.. McGhee became very intem-
perate in his remarks and was told by
Chairman Walters that more would be ac-
complished by moderation of speech. The
| speaker continued: eff to us belongs the
credit of keeping the business of this coun-
try straight, If to Us belongs the credit of
not having ffty-cent dollars, If to us be-
longs the glory of Mckinley and the White
House. why don't the Republican party
| pass the Crumpacker bill as thanks to us for
what we did? If We are the only loyal men,
If We have saved them, in Gods name Ii Is
necessary that we go TO them in our last
hour, as the sun sinks down and cry out:
oh, Republican party. for Gods sake save
US ere we perish Laughter and ap-
rlause.]
AN ELOQUENT ADDRESS.
Mr.. Crews, of Missouri. made one of the
most eloquent and forcible addresses of
the evening. He read extracts from the
FAMOUS speech Oh senator human IN WnlCn
he boosted that the Democrats of the
South had done everything in their power
to disfranchise the negroes. Mr.. Crews de-
clared that the best plan for the negro to
adopt was to stand by the Republican party
which has always befriended the race. His
speech provoked unbounded enthusiasm and
was vociferously applauded. Mr.. S. A. T.
Watkins. of Chicago. pleaded for. modera,
ton and indorsed the methods of Booker
Washington and others like him who are
trying to educate the negro to be able to
take care of himself.
Mr.. Crossthwait. in the course of his re-
marks, said: IT follow Mr.. Bryan. not be-
cause Mr.. Bryan love me. Mr.. Bryan does
not love me q particle better than 4 do. but
ii L can get my rights better by climbing on
to his shoulders, God help me TO climb on to
his shoulders"
Mr.. Manly deplored the lack of harmony
which seemed to prevail and some of the
recriminations which had been INDUCED by
several of the speakers. He denounced the
partisan in this fashion,: The man that
would try to sneak into an assemblage like
this and prostitute ii to his low, dirty ends.
1 loathe him as the dirtiest worm that
crawls the ground"
Mr.. Crews seemed to see some personal
reflection upon himself in Mr.. Manly's
speech, and declared that il came with
i'll grace from a man who had obtained
from the Republican party the right TO
free speech. to denounce one who saw fit
to say a word for that party.
j. Milton Turner made repeated efforts
to get the speech making time limit ex-
tended, but without success. When he
was recognized for an address, ii took him
so long to outline his position that time
was called before he had entered upon his
discourse, and he was compelled to yield
the floor reluctantly to the next speaker
and walk to his seat grumbling that .in
five minutes one cannot get to the ques-
ton"
pACr Hrr.cr Crrr rryr,rC -
TER.
Rev. Mr.. Ransom spoke for the INDIE
pendents. saying that the people of the
North are no more friendly to the colored
race than are those of the South. He said
the race would have to cultivate a char
acter which would command for il respect
and enable 1t TO enact into laws certain
things advantageous to itself. He conn
mended the work of Prof. Booker Wash
ington and Professor Councill. who. he
declared, are trying 10 educate in the ne
groes a manhood that cannot be intiroi-
dated.
Mr.. Henderson said in part: There is
nothing in the world in the Democratic
party that we can hope for or look to,
Every single law that has been placed upon
the statute books of this great country
or ours beneficial to our race has beer
placed there by the Republican party
LoANat Pi10 anu CTlCS OF You are
right.I Every time an attempt has been
made 10 strike those laws from the statuts
books IL has been done by the Democratic
party
DIR. Wood. of St. Louis. urged the dele.
gates TO lind out who is the friend of m,
negro: who put the fifteenth Amendment,
into the Constitution of the United States
who is trying To take il out; who enacted
the Him Crow car laws. Referring IN tn
latter. he said they were done by .Rrotba,
Turner's friends, by Mr.. McGhee' friends ;
daughter and applause.) Mr.. Wood said
w must have friends. and the hour fo,
us TO appeal To our friends is Tonight
Throw our shoulders back as men and an.
peal 10 those who have always stood by fhs
negro and have always been his friends
always placed themselves on record for the
colored people"
One of the most interesting speeches was
delivered by AIR. Rivers. n Southern col.
ored preacher of the old-fashioned camn.
meeting variety. Mr.. Rivers has seen 81
much OF the persecution of the negroes in
the South by the Democrats that he cannot
discuss the subject without getting highly
wrought up. He declares that fhrougt
Abraham Lincoln he obtained his freedom
and he was grateful for IL. II want 10 ash
this audience here tonight" he cried. SIR
what State IN what county. in what citx
has ever a law been placed upon the stat.
ute books for the benefit OF the negro race
by the Democratic party? Every law to.
day that we enjoy and every privilege wa,
given us by that grand old Republican
party. Who chased US yesterday al
through the Sou4a and bounded us like =
dog hounds a rabbit but the Democratic
party?