The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-05-06
TWO SESSIONS OF oRGANIzA.
 TIoN YESTERDAY.
Jackson W. Giles and Other Speakers Urged Negroes to Subscribe to Fund to Conduct Litigation.
 Responses Not Numerous.

,'Dere's one mo -i5ber; dere's one mo ribber; dere's one mo ribber for to cross. This old tune was plaintfvely hummed by Jackson W. Giles yesterday at noon when he called to order about 15o negroes, members of the Colored Mems Suffrage Association of Alabama, in Dorsett Hall.
 We need the money" was the key note sounded more than once by the om- cials of the Association during the two sessions held yesterday.
 The meeting of the Asso.'ation was at- tended by about fifty negroes rom @ out side of Montgomery. and d3out no Mohes > Eomery negroes. While the raising Q. funds for which the Taeting was called did not materidlize every member or the Association expressed determination to push the fight for enfranchisement to the end, either through the courts or tnrossh iiH Congress. They appeared to be not dis couraged by the affirmance of the Ala. bama decision by the Supreme Court Of the United States.
 Before the meeting, speculation was rife among the white Republicans who have gathered in, Montgomery. as to whether the Suffrage Association would cause them any inconvenience at the con- ference today. Their minds, however, were set at rest. as the Republican State organization was mentioned only at rare intervals, the sole topic of conversation being the fight for franchise.
 Wlll WOIA Oh SOASASSos A Committee on Ways and Means of se- curing funds was appointed yesterday, and 1t is understood that this committee, although its report will not be made un- til tonight, has decided to have an active canvass made among the negroes of the State for funds to employ counsel to as sist Milford H. Smith, the negro con- ducting the case, organizers to awaken sentiment among the negroes of other States. and lobbyists to work on Con- gressmen.
 The failure of Milford H. Smith in con- ducting the case was commented upon by several of the speakers, but no blame was attached to him. the negroes all be- ing of the opinion that with few pos sible exceptions the case was slNillfully conducted. were on the scene, among them being Charles o. Harris, Jackson Giles and s. s. H.. Washington of Montgomery; A. N. Johnson and A. N. McEwin Of Harrison of Birmingham, business man ager of a negro paper, Truth, H. V. Cashin of Huntsville 1nd W. H. Black
 The Day Session.
 The meeting was called to order at noon by Jackson w. Giles, President of the Association, whose case against the Board of Registrars of Montgomery Coun- ty. the disfranchised negroes are now fighting in the courts.
 Prayer was offered by the Secretary, Rev. A. J. Rogers. On request of Giles. the secretary then read the call asking the members ot the Association to meet in Montgomery for the purpose or agreeing on plans for the raising of funds to further push the various cases of Giles before the federal courts.
 Giles then said that he supposed all or the members of the Association knew that their cases appealed from the Supreme Court of Alabama had been affirmed by the Supreme Court of the United States. The justice or injustice of the decision he said he would not discuss He said, however that the fight was not lost as there are three more cases on the dockets of various courts to test the con bama and he believed that on proper pre- sentation before the Supreme Court of the United States, they would succeed in having an opinion handed down that the Constitution Is Invalid. Then, in case the Supreme Court did not enj0in the registrars. Giles said Congress could be appealed to and with the Supreme Court opinion that the Constitution Is invalid before it, he saw no reason why Congress could declare that the consultation of Alabama was not in direct opposition to the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amend ments of the Federal Constitution.
 Giles Wants Money.
 But Giles said that money was required to fight the case. He advised that the best legal talent possible be employed to assist Milford H. Smith. the negro law
 
 court costs.
 Giles evidently remembered that Sheriff W. R. Waller of Montgomery County had been calling on him repeatedly during the last few days to collect the costs In the trial of the case of Jackson w. Giles vs. the Registrars of Montgomery County in the City Court of Montgomery. In fact Giles has promised Sheriff Waller to pay him $l19 80 costs tomorrow
 So Giles asked for contribution. With the request for a contribution as his climax Giles seated himself and announce ed the melting opened for business.
 The Secretary then read two letters from Milford H. Smith, the negro attor- ney, who conducted the cases of Giles in the lower and Supreme courts. The let ters both referred to the action of the United States Supreme Court as "a cowardly yielding to the powers of the South" Smith, however, said that he was still hopeful of the ultimate result of the other three cases If money was raised to push them. He told of friends of the Alabama negroes in the North and stated that popular sentiment there was decidedly in their favor.
 Johnson Talks Some Sense.
 At the conclusion of the reading of the letters of Smith, A. N. Johnson of Mobile editor of The Mobile Press arose and addressed the meeting. Johnson is a light mulatto with straight black hair and tocsin of negro doubt in the Repuwblican party and assured the members of the Association that Republican politicsinAla- bama was at present in their hands. He said that the Southern white man is worthy of emulation by the negro.
 'The best Southerner on earth" he said believes that the lowest white man is the peer of the best negro; that race pride is worthy of emulation and the negroes would do well to take lessons from them. ' Johnson has registration certificate, but he said that he was member of the As sociation because his race as a general thing has suffered wrong through the new constitution and where his race was, he was He believed that the fight of the Association Is a just one and he further believed that If the negroes would go about their fight in the right way, the Southern white men would realize 1t.
 He then spoke on the attitude of the Democrats to the negroes In reconstruc-