Iowa state bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916, 1903-09-25

mo. ~.
couraged until within the present year
| 1t has attended such proportions as
to excite the attention OF the nation
and the whole world. The &signs OF
the times point to the end OF mob
rule and mob spirit, and Its barbarity,
Napoleon BOnaparte once said that
he had rather have forty thousand
bayonets pointed at him than one
newspaper. The ten million OF people
OF African descent In this country
have suffered long from a peculiar
brand of American race prejudice. Gre
ated and supported by certain evil
spirits in the pulpit, on the rostrum.
and with the pen. But recently al
most the entire press of the country
have prostituteds its columns to the
encouragement of race hatred and mob
violence.
Nearly two thousand negro doctorc.
sixteen hundred lawyers, poets, painr
ers, artists, inventors and busines.
men in all parts Of our land and in
all classes of business, show that We
are rapidly taking our places in every
mart Of the business world. More
than seven hundred thousand farms
are, owned and operated by negfo
farmers; two hundred sixty-five thou
sand homee free from debt and nearly
as many more upon which partial pay
ments have been made; twenty-nile
million dollars in church property and
four million members and adherents.
According to the last census we ara
paying taxes on $47S, 900 900 worth of
property. With equal opp0rtunitic,
for all we shall be able to stand il
one mighty solid phalanx with the res.
of mankind. demonstrating the fatL.
erhOod of God, the brotherhood Of
man and the leadership OF Jesus
Christ
"An Avalanche Of Mob Violence"
The discussion of the report was led
by Rev. r. G. Ransom. He. said in
part:
There was no thought until recent
years that the constitutional amend
ments, secured through the blood CT
our forefathers, would be called into
question: but today the south has re-
gained, through legislative measures.
everything and more that she los:
through these amendments. There
has been an avalanche OF mob vio-
lence, but we should never surrender
our rights and should set our face
against any and all schemes Of com
promise. ,5 .
Or. chappeIIe's Views.
Mr.. Ransom was followed by DIR. ".
d. Chappelle. editor Of the A. NJ. E.
Sunday school periodicals, and lead
er among his people. Mr.. Chappells
said In part: 4.
The so-called race problem cannot
be solved by rhetoric and speechmak-
ing. The people Of the nor,h know
but little Of the conditions as they
exist In the south. The white AMI
cOlored people of this section are bu.
theorists. and in fact do many things
to injure the southern colored popula-
ton. The situation demands moral
ethics for it's betterment. The white
people Of the south have not, and prop
ably never will, accept the conditions
imposed by the civil war. They are
looking today for the type of unedu.
Gated negro they used to call Daddy
and Nanny" before the war, but
they will never find them.
''The negro of the south today is Of
two kinds. The one is indolent ami
useless; while the other type OF which
want to speak and which is fast
coming to the front in large numbers.
is thrifty, intelligent and q money
maker. The best class of southern
negro is not known to the people OF
the north. You need shed no tears fos
us. We are not towards, but might
as well state frankly, in reply to
Brother RansOm's argument, that the
southern negro cannot get his rights
to which he justly entitled under the
constitution.
"And why? will tell you. We
forged to the front following the war
and had representatives in our state
and national legislative bodies. Today
the situation is changed and we have
no Representatives of our race what.
ever. The cause is not hard to finl.
It is due 70 the fact that we were
not equal to the occasion because Of
the inherent weaknesses of our race.
Then it was that we began to get at
the bottom of the thing and settled
into our palce and began to acquire
property and to educate ourselves and
to get at the foundation of things.
We have sought for learning and cu.-
ture and we are coming to the froht
ON our merits, not as individuals. but
as a race, and the next time we come
to the front we will come to stay and
nothing under Gods heaven can stop
us. 9