The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-08-31

A Banquet at TomIinson Hall One of
the Features.

The banquet rendered the visiting men,
bers OF the National Afro-American Coun-
ell, by the Indiana delegates at Tominson
Hall last night, was largely attended, there
being more than two hundred and fifty
guests seated at the three long, beautifully
decorated tables, which were stretched the
full length OF the stage. The guests were
late in arriving and the grand march to
the tables, which was scheduled to- occur
at $3.50 p. m. was not begun until after IL
o'clock. The menu was very elaborate and IL
was after IL o'clock before DIR. ]. IL. Ward,
of this city, the POSTMASTER called on the
first of the after-dinner speakers. Owing
to the lateness of the hour the speeches
were limited TO two minutes, and as a
consequence they were devoted. to great
extent. to an exchange OF courtesies be-
tween the visiting and local delegates.
Those who responded to the call OF the
POSTMASTER were: George L. Knox, a. r..
Manning, and Mrs. Lillian j. Fox, OF In
dianapolis; Col. w. A. Pledger, of Georgia;
L. Thomas Fortune, of New York; Ida b.
Wells Barnett. of Chicago. and a number of
others.
The guests were welcomed on their ar
rival by a reception committee composed
OF ten ladies OF this city, of which Mrs.
Lillian Il. Fox was chairman. Previous to,
and during the banquet, number OF selec-
lions were played by the Montani orches-
ira. AT the conclusion of the banquet the
ministerial delegates. who were present,
departed and the younger people spent the
remainder OF the night in dancing.
Before the banquet short session of the
council was held in the Senate chamber at
the Statehouse. - Lillian Clayton Jew
EFT, who is known throughout the United
States as the friend of the negro, made q
the negroes TO form a better and closer or
ganization. She said the racial feeling was
just as strong in the North as in the South,
and that they had as much need to guard
their rights in the one place as In the other
Miss Jewett spoke of the laws of Massa-
chusetts, and said that such thing as a
lynching was unknown in that State. The
time has come, said Miss Jewett, when the
negro can no longer endure an unjust dis
elimination. She said il was q mans ma
ture to look up and not down, and she adj
vised her hearers to bear themselves ac-
cordingly. Miss Jewett referred to lynch
ing as an American insanity. She said that
in 1892 statistics showed that there were 1i7
people lynched during the year, and of
this number fifty-seven were charged with
crime against women. She said lynching
was national crime, and that 1t should be
made a national offense. Miss Jewett paid
q high tribute TO the memory of Harriet
Beecher Stowe and said that she herself
was following in her footsteps and that
she had taken up the negro cross. In con-
clusion Miss Jewett referred to the fact
that the negro had been enfranchised by a
political party. and she said the party
which gives a man the right to vote should
protect him in that right. At the conclu-
sion of her remarks Miss Jewett was given
the Chautauqua salute. Before adjourn
ment Mrs. Ida B. Wells Barnett, the secre-
tary of the council, presented her annual