Iowa state bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916, 1900-07-20
Bishop Abraham Grant.
Large Crowds Greets Him at all Meetings--an
was Enthusiastic in His Praise.
Below we Print His Address in part at the Recep-
ton, Monday Evening" July 10th,

Again. a mans labor there Is worth but
shilling day. Can man from this
country used to getting $3.50 a day COM
pete with man who wears no clothes
and knows none of the wants Of civilza-
ton? mention these things for the BEN
eft OF those Of our own race VINO @ are az az
of the senator's and farmers alliances:
| "Nho is going to send us?' Whenever
given mans chance and paid an honest
days wages, the negro is always ready
to work. Labor for $50 years in this coun-
try without compensation has given us
right and title to the soil and we have
come to stay (applause); indeed. to see
a diamond YOU must have dark back
ground. 04aughter) America is our home.
When every Chinaman returns to China,
and every German returns to Germany,
and every Englishman to England, and
every Frenchman to France. then you
may talk about the negro returning to
Africa. We've mbibed the aspirations of
civilizatio from our environment: The
white man is making the world his field
and the negro will be side by side with
him. The Chinaman is satisfied with
washing our clothes, and the Mexican
with selling tomales and Chill con carne,
but our people will never be satisfied with
field any narrower than that OF the
Anglo-saxOn What is good for the white
man is good for the black man, and what
Is good for the black man is good ior
the white man. We don't ask any special
laws, or special cars. or special scho9l
rooms We are too grateful for the ad-
yantages they have given us to put them
to so much trouble as that.
There are more Christians in this coun-
trv TODAY in proportion to the popula ton
than in any other land on earth. | had
the honor Of standing by the side or the
president of this country at the time OF
his Inauguration. Before entering upon
his duties he was compelled to make oath
unon the bible, the bible presented by our
church. Ours is a Christian country.
Do YOU know that we have in the
south 164 institutions or learning ae oea estap 2
lishcd for the negro? Ihere are %oIs SHvy co,c nc
America. We are paying taxes IN TINS
country on $500 100000 worth of property.
We own 100000 homes free from indebt-
edness. What man has the right to tell
US to 60? No, we W, nG5 for 90 kno kSoW that
the progress made in the last thirty-five
years is but an indication of what Will
take place In the future. ! have been IN
the Bermudas. in Sierra Leone, and In
other British and French possessions
where the negroes greatly outnumber me
whites Yet in those countries the out
RACES so often charged to negroes OF our
southern states are unheard of. Now,
how does it come that the American ne
gro, who IS the biggest negro in the
world, is so often accused of those awful
crimes? Why is it? l say the biggest
EeorO, because no other negro in the
world sustainS such important relations
with such government as ours. You talk
about the negro governments. why, our
church IN one year does more for our
race in an ducationa. way, and handles
more money, than any of the negro gov
crnmerts.
For every negro that has been lynched
during the past year. | think there were
l26, there are $4,000 honest, hard working
men and women. and SO | ask you of the
white race not to judge us by the low
est, but by the highest. and beg of YOU
when looking US up to consider where We
came from. Make the pest OF US LOT
there IS no se9aration
CiviliZa ton brings us nearer together.
and he's us to love each other as little
children The sun has for its atmosphere.
its ,iaht the rose has for its atmosphere
it's fragrance. and man has for MS at
mosHhere his influence. If 1t Is good II
is lifting; IL it is bad. it IS destructive.
What will your influence be? Ham, Shem
and Japheth separated at the fall of the
tower of B:.be,, and they never met
peaceably til: they did so on American
soil. Now, God intends them to under
stand each other just as they did before
the tower fell. Help Africa and send your
missionaries there, but make this your
homo
I have seen the Mississippi river 4
hundred miles wide and carrying on its
waves floating logs and carcasses. So
Righteousness and statesma rshlp Will
unite to form a great tidal wave which
will sweep away the old carcasses of
prejudice. Then. what will Ham and
Japheth do? They will hold funeral.
and they will bury deep the last special
car and last vestiges of bigotry and
meanness and will fasten them in the
coffin with screws forged on high. The
God of nations will lead US to victory.
At the close of Bishop Grants ad-