Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1900-05-17
How Shall the Negro Secure His
Right.
ADDRESS BY GEO. H. WooDsoN
The Watchword of the CoIored People
Should be ssWhat Are We Doing for
Our Country; What Are We Doing
for the Good of the Race.

attorney of Muchallinock, who was
elected by the republicans at the re-
cent convention in Des Moines as al
ternate delegate to the national repub-
lican convention in Philadelphia, last
month delivered the following address,
which will be read with special inter-
est, not only by members of his own
race, but by all good citizens. The
address was delivered before the con-
ference of Americans held at Des
NIoines in the last week of April. Mr..
Woodson said, in part:
AT NO time in the history of this
country and in the progress of the
world have we been more closely in
vestigated from the moral, intellectu-
al,N financial and industrial points of
view. At no time heretofore has the
world been more anxious and willing
to hear what we had to say along
those lines and to credit to our ac-
count whatever we had to present by
way of morality, intelligence, finance
and industry.
The call asks us first, How shall
we as race get our equal rights"
believe that question will be ably
discussed by some one duly appointed
to present it. AS for myself, briefly
speaking, l believe that our advance
ment with the other people of the
world will secure to us all that we can
ask in the natural order of things.
Some of the means that we may use
should come in conventions like this,
where we may talk over the different
things that interest US. and from these
gatherings we ought to be able to CO.
operate with each other in every line
of race work. A few suggestions at
this time may not be altogether out of
place. In the line of industry our
people must get right at the bottom
of things and produce something out
of as near nothing as the natural laws
will permit. To this end, we should
own land, and then we would be able
TO make use of the sunlight, the air
and the water in producing stock,
grain, and from it food and raiment,
| etc.
las soon as our people stop swarm
ing to the cities, and swarm out to
| rake up the broad acres, a turning
point will come in the condition of
the race. By this course we shall
soon be able to supply to ourselves
and our fellows the first needs of the
family. And with land as basis we
have a place upon which we may safe
| " stand to battle for the rights which
we have so long coveted, and which
have so long been partially withheld
from us. BY this course we would
soon have taxes to pay, grain to grow,
stock to raise, barns to build, fences
to look after when there was no cam
paign in sight. The subordinate minds
of the race could easily watch corn
and grass grow and receive more benz
eft from the lessons taught them di-
rectly 10y dame nature than they could
ever acquire from the tongues of our
famed and tire-spitting orators. Even
our silver-tongued orators are unable
to speak bread and meat into the stom-
ach Of poverty-strickens child or
spell-bind a poor people with clothes.
Our watchword, yes, our password,
should be, wherever we meet negro
brother, something like this: What
are we doing for the good of our coun-
try; what are we doing for the good
of the race?'
IF we can learn that litigation is
being discouraged, that farms are be-
ing acquired, taxes being paid, prop
erty accommodating, good sanitary
homes being established, that schools
are being kept up, that part of the
children are becoming skilled in the
trades, while part are Zealously
kguarding the integrity of our boys,
the virtue OF our girls, and the moral
lty OF our race in being honest with
our neighbors and dutiful to our God,
we should be willinr and ready to eN-
tend the right hand of fellowship and
part with words OF encouragement and
Hove. We need not bother anything
about the kind OF politics or the kind
OF religion that our brother prefers if
| he is sound on the confession of
faith and the practices of economy
and morality that have just indi-
| Gated.
10 the second question, why are
we republicans?' | might be expected
to say a great deal, and at another
time may be so inclined But here
and now deem it sufficient to say
that most of our people are republi-
cans because they are so classified by
all people, because we believe our lib
'Ierty best guarded by that party, be-
cause it has from the first taken the
advance steps in securing for us all
the law of our land and the constitu-
| ton of our country; because we be-
| lieve strongly in the principle of pro-
lection as that party has always en-
| forced it; because we believe that its
\ principles generally are best for the
interest of the country in which we
l live. Being true Americans, we are
anxious for the country's welfare and
/ general prosperity. We desire to see
our great nation advance to the first
place in the rank of nations, and we
believe the republican party better
| fitted to carry out that grand design
than any other political organization
now in our country. And being hon
est in that belief, our reasons for our
faith and our utilization are self appar-
ent, Right here 1 may add that we
have in our race some men who be-
lieye in the doctrine of free trade, who
| are firm on the question of state
rights, who have tendency toward
certain sides of capital, labor and so
Icialism, which, by principle, makes
| them democrats, populists and great
number of them prohibitionists. I do
II not consider THAI this difference on