The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-08-29
Lively Scenes at the Session of n
AfrO-American Ounci Last
Night
MANY SPEECHES WERE MADE
AND THE REPUBLICAN AD~MINISTRA-
TION COMMENDED.
Mrs. Ida Wells Barnett Tells Col0red
People Some Plain Facts-PrO-
ceedings In Detail

A~fro-American Council began in the cham
Der of the Indiana State Senate yesterday
morning, with nearly one hundred accred-
tied delegates in attendance. There was a
very large number of visitors present. so
that the lower floor and the galleries were
well filed. There were many women pres
ent and they displayed an unmistakable
interest in all of the proceedings. A col
ored woman of note is chairman of the
committee on credentials. This is Mrs. Ida
Wells Barnett, of Chicago, whose husband
is assistant states attorney of Cook coun-
ty, Illinois. Mrs. Barnett is a remarkably
fine-looking woman and gives evidence of
possessing a well-cultivated mind. The
delegates are representative men OF the
colored race Ii nearly all of them hold
positions of prominence In the cities and
States from which they were sent TO the
council. Several of the state officers who
dropped in during the day to witness the
proceedings commented on the intelligent
and prepossessing appearance of both dele
gates and visitors. The opinion is general
that the Afro-American Council will take
rank with the best assemblages of the kind
held here during the past year. and the list
is known to be unusually large.
The council will hold three sessions daily
until the closing day. Friday. when adj
journment will be taken at the end OF the
afternoon meeting. An event of the con-
vention will be the banquet rendered the
delegates to the council by the local recep-
ton committee. This affair will take place
in Tomlinson Hall tomorrow night and is
expected to be highly enjoyable
THE ADDRESS OF WELCOME.
Governor Mount being absent from the
city, the formal address of welcome OH
behalf of the State was delivered to the
council by Attorney General w. L. Taylor.
Mr.. Taylor said in part: I'm your address
to the country you most fairly and ~candidly
consent to the proposition that you vii,
accept any educational or property qualif-
cation either to hold office. to vote. TO sit
on juries or to exercise any of the rights
of citizenship that is applied alike to all
citizens of the Republic. What you do
protest, and mos. Justly so, is thai what
ever bars are erected in front Of you shall
be erected in front of every other citizen
OF the Republic. You demand, and have a
right to demand, that If any barriers are
constructed between you and the ballos
box, the jury box, the witness box, the
schoolhouse. the railroad train or the
street car. shall, under like conditions, be
constructed to the same height in front
of every citizen of the Republic.
The progress of the colored race in the
last thirty years is the marvel of this age,
and would be the marvel of any age.
Think of il; men sitting before me were
born and reared as slaves. Yet, within
this little span of the years of freedom
you have sprung forward with giant
strides. To-day you have two hundred
colleges and universities with 5000 stu
dents and 1000 professors, $50 newspapers,
| hanks churches savings institutions -
industrial enterprises Inc the possession
OF millions of earned and not inherited
wealth. You have made more substantial
progress in thirty years than my race
made in its first three hundred. In the
great army of the worlds workers YOU
have hundreds of thousands of home and
farm owners, mechanics, skilled managers
and promoters, industrial enterprises, doc
tors, lawyers, ministers, members of leg
fsiatures and judges. Within this short
span OF years you have occupied seats of
honor in the State legislatures, in the
House OF Representatives and the Congress
of the United States. You are honored
here to-day with distinguished represent.
atives In the great departments of the gov
eminent.
There are more than $1,000 Afro-Ameri.
cans In the army of the United States
bravely sustaining the colors and bringing
renown to the American name Throughout
the civilized world. Another thousand
Afro-American citizens are holding respon.
sible official positions under the United
States government. And every one of the
5000 soldiers and civilians serving this
country of ours reflects credit upon his
race and position. The distinguishing char.
acteristic of the ~Afro-American is that he
is always and everywhere a patriot. He
is always for his country, its honor and its
nag. To-day, wherever Ii floats around
this world, there can be found the Afro
American soldier rallying to its standard. -
MAYOR TAGGART SPEAKS.
Mayor Taggart followed the attorney
general In a few gracious remarks, In the
course of which he said the federal govern.
ment and all citizens, regardless of color
should contribute in a %pecuniary way
toward the furthering of the objects of the
Afro-American Council. The closing ad,
dress of welcome was delivered by Georgs
l.. Knox, or behalf of the reception com
mittee and local members of the council
Responses were made by Representative
George II. White, of North Carolina; Fred,
erick l.. McGhee, of st. Paul. Mimi; Col
w. A Pledger, of Georgia, and DIR. c. b
Mason, secretary of the Freedmen's Socia
and Educational societies. The tenor of al
these responses was that the colored rae,
should be put on a plane of equality Will
any other race. The committee on creden
tails, composed of Prof. Jesse Lawson. A
f.. Manning, Ida Wells Barnett, w. Il
Henderson and John Z. Green, was appoint
ed and directed TO prepare its report fol
submission to the council in the afternoon
~