The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1902-05-24

Wnleh was attended by 1000 negroes ana
700 white people, among whom were rep
resentatives of sixteen states and seven
of the counties of my district All these
were good men and all gave a cordial
welcome to my party. The most enthusi-
astic one in the lot was an old Confederr
ate soldier who wanted to hug the old
Union soldiers in the party.
Singing CornfieId Songs.
'I had 100 plows at work at the time
and the negroes were plowing and sing
ing their cornfield songs. Our visitors
were very much enthused at the sight
Many of them had never seen cotton
field before and none of them had seen
it plowed They stood in the broiling sun
for an hour watching the negroes plow
l also had a bale of cotton ginned and
packed, something which none of them
had ever seen.
Tuesday night we were entertained at
DR.. Massey's College for Young Ladies.
where concert was given and appro-
pirate speeches were made. The visitors
spoke in the highest and most friendly
terms of the south and especially of
Alabama, and many of them were proud
of the opportunity of mingling with the
southern speakers.
"On Wednesday we visited Booker
Washington's school, which we inspected.
and In the afternoon 1900 students as
sembled in the chapel and entertained us
with music. Congressman Littlefield said
1t was the most Inspiring singing he had
ever heard. All paid a high tribute to
Booker Washington's method of training
his race, and Congressman Barney of
Wisconsin advised the colored people that
If they would use their muscle with thrift
and economy they would always get
what they deserved in this world.
'5F,,.id sday night y. Ictt fo~ Mobile
and arrived there Thursday morning. We
were met at the station by large COM
mittee with 40 carriages and driven to
the Battle House After breakfast we
visited the schools. both white and col
ored A colored school that we visited
had 500 pupils, all of whom were being ex-
clusively educated by the state. The
principal of this school made an address
OF welcome and said that the white peo-
pie of Mobile had always been liberal
in their treatment of the negroes.
Attended Colored Church.
| I'VE went to a colored church, however,
whore Il negro preacher named McEwing
| took advantage of the occasion to make
a legal argument against the new consti-
| tuition which some one else had probably
| written for him. This church was a fine
| edifice and cost about $4,000 or $4,000.
Judge Fuller of Iowa replied to the ne
| gro preacher and made a very broad
and patriotic speech, saying that all the
| white people In the country came from
| the same Anglo-Saxon stock and that he
| himself was ready to vote for an educa-
tional qualification In his state. Collec-
| tor 1ibbetts of the port of Mobile, who
is nephew of Senator Frye of Maine,
also told me that he thought the fran
chise provision of the new constitution
| a very wise one.
Thursday evening we went down the
bay and returned to supper at the Battle
House. followed by a reception. At this
we met all the members of the Alabama
| Press Association and every editor pres
ent extended a most cordial welcome to
! the party and said to come again.
Friday morning we reached Montgom-
cry and were welcomed by a speech from
| Congressman Wiley to which Secretary
| Shaw responded. We visited the old
| White House and the schools and the
capitol. A profound impression was made
on every member of the party at seeing
the Jefferson Davis room at the capitol
filled with old relics and Confederate
battle-torn flags and old uniforms with
bullet holes In them.
Congressman S. s. Barney of Wis
consin, an old Union soldier. afterwards
in speech at the Industrial Association
in reference to this matter said:
While passing through your beautiful
capitol l saw where your fair women
had enclosed in glass cases the old battle
worn and shot-riddled flags which were
carried by your brave sons upon the
/ bloody fields of the great war. This Is
| cultivating a proper sentiment and 1t Is
right to preserve these silent but con-
vincing witnesses of the heroic valor of
/ he ma uuh nd iad
tattered folds.
1T called to my mind how I had seen
in the capitol of my state similar provi-
sions to preserve these silent witnesses
of the patriotism and heroic valor of the
sojis of the Badger state who had fought
| ard died beneath the stars and stripes for
the preservation of the union. All of
! these men fought for what they believed
was tight and their valor is entitled to
| this recognition.
mo government can hope to live long
| which does not cherish the memory of the
heroes. AS l now look into the faces of
| these loyal sons and daughters of the
| state of Alabama and see that starry
| banner above us and now floating over all
| the states, the thought comes to me that
sometime a temple will be built midway
| between the north and south and the
veterans of that war left will carry all
those flags and fold them together and
lay them tenderly away as a lasting
memento that we are once more firmly
united than ever before and are bound
together by ties of love and friendship
| light ar air but.as strong as links of
| steel.
'In the afternoon we went to bar
becue given by U. s. District Attorney
| Warren Reese where we were enter
tained by trained negro Ministries who
danced and sang and here we are tonight
| in Birmingham.
| II may say that our party which met
| in Washington several months ago as
| strangers but which left there as friends
| will return bound by ties of everlasting
| love and goodwill"
SECRETARY SHAW
SPEAKS OF THE SOUTH.
Montgomery, May 2s.-The party tour
| ing Alabama as guests of Charles Thomp-
son, representative from the Fifth Ala
| They were Joined here by Hon. Leslie M.
| Shaw, secretary of the treasury, who
| will accompany them ducing the rest of
| the trip.
| Upon the arrival of the visitors early
| this morning they were tended break
| fast by the citizens, after which the
| party entered carriages for a drive over
| the city. Among the places of interest
visited were the capitol building, where
| Jefferson Davis took the oath as Pres
ident of the Southern Confederacy and
| the residence occupied by Mr.. Davis dur
| ing his stay in Montgomery. Later visits
| were paid to white and colored schools.
Luncheon was served at tho rooms ~