The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-02-03
COLORED BISHOPS HEARD
An Interesting Session of the In
dustrial Commission.
Surrounding the southern
Negro as Viewed by Diyines of the
A. VI. Il. Church-The "Jim Crow"
Car Law Condemned-Na1ue of the
blacks rs Cotton Will Operatives.

The Bishops of the African Methods
! the National Industrial Commission yes
terday afternoon for the purpose OF giving
testimony in regard to the industrial ant
| educational condition Of the American
negro. The Bishops have often expressed
a wish to have hearing on this subject
before the commission, with view to hav-
ing their testimony put on record and
! placed before Congress with the report OF
the commission. 1t was finally decided that
the Bishops should be invited to confer
with the commission. and yesterday was
fixed as the day for the hearing.
The commission, with Col. Albert Clark
presiding. met In the board room at
o'clock, and the Bishops were introduced
to the members Bishop w. J. Gaines, of
Atlanta, Ca, was called upon to give the
first testimony. He spoke OF the necessity
for the establishment of a higher school
system for negroes throughout the South,
and referred feelingly TO the race prejudice
existing In the Southern States, as shown
especially by the Jim Crow" car system
now in operation.
IL.
Philadelphia, who in the course of his re-
marks showed the value OF the negro In
the extension of industries throughout the
South. He spoke of the proposed plan of
deporting the negro to Africa, and said
that there were very few negroes WHO
would entertain such a proposition. He
said that they considered they had as much
right in this country as the white men, and
that any proposition 10 get rid of the
colored race was absolutely ridiculous. BY
way of illustrating the progress made by
the negro in late years, he pointed oft the
difference existing between the industrial
condition Of the negro at the end of the
war and at the present time.
Bishop NJ. II. Salter of Charleston. s. C.
was next called upon to speak. He spoke
OF the treatment OF the negroes through
out the South. and described the system OF
payment to the colored help on the plan
tations. He said that the great majority
OF planters paid the negroes by tickets or
checks. for which they could procure goods
from stores owned by the planters. In this
way the negro got no actual money and
was forced TO trade with the store Of the
planter hiring him.
Bishop Salter further endeavored TO show
that the negro, when given the opportu-
nifty, made as good a workman In factory
as white man. He cited the existence of
q cotton factory In South Carolina, in
which only negroes were employed, and OF
another owned and worked by negroes, also
in South Carolina. In both cases. he said
the work accomplished by the negroes was
Of as high class as that done In any fac |
tory run by white men.
Bishop ". II. Derrick. of Jackson. Miss, |
then made few remarks in regard to the |
value OF the negro TO the industrial life |
Of the South He gave some excellent |
practical testimony on the needs of the |
negroes In the extreme Southern States. /
He said that one OF the worst features was
he lack OF reform schools in these States.
The young malefactors he said, were sent
10 1ails ami penitentisries. where they as
ISOLATED with the worst forms OF criminals,
and when released they came out into the