New-York tribune., 1905-08-17
NEGRO LEAGUE MEETS.
LETTER FROM PRESIDENT.
Booker Z. Washington Urges Need
of Fundamental Training.

sessions
ress League held yesterday in Palm Garden.
5sth-st. and Lexington-ave were notable for the
large numbers attending. An encouraging letter
received from President Roosevelt another
from Governor Higgins, and a spirited address
given in the evening by Booker T. Washington.
Acting Mayor Charles b. Fornes welcomed the
league in hehalf OF the city
Presidents Roosevelts letter received with
prolonged applause It addressed 90 Mr.. Emmett
J. Scott, corresponding secretary, and read;
The White House washington;
Ny Dear Mr.. scott: | wish all success to the
ton is absolutely out of politics. and in stimu-
aTg scv iE your n PEOPLE n anG or
IL is also doing far-reaching work IN the way 1t
Hf 5tiss 's ns citizens to- mee these respopsi6i
ites. need hardly. cav that l put moral better
lutely impossible do good work in promoting
the spiritual Improvement Of any race unless there
this foundation necessarily Implies that the race
and business sense. II is as true of as of an
individual that. while outsiders can help to certain
degree. yet the real help must come in the shape
The success of your organization and the devel-
opnent among our colored fellow citizens of the
very qualities for which yoU stand will mean
more for the solution OF the race problem than any
philanthropic efforts merely from outside could
possibly GG Wishing E84 az Sgcfsss RsE3ET 2F Sn
Mr. washngton's address plea for The
South for the Negro who. he said. must there
solve the race problem by becoming skilled in the
productive trades. He said. in part
We must pay the price for everything get
One tangible achievement In creative effort will go
further in bringing to us protection and respect
than any recital of wrongs we may make. Instead
Toundings and decent houses for us TO occupy let
US turn our attention to acquiring . some ONE OF the
and 10 creating for ourselves decent surroundings
because work is denied in certain quarters let us
turn our attention in large measure 10 the funda-
out of the soil out OF wood. mineral and water the
products the. world wants This policy will make
creators of jobs, and seekers after Jobs
We should let no influence turn our eyes from the
iives. the masses of our people are dependent upon
the white people of the South in a large degree for
property: We should that no fire of racial hos
the % great masses are in the south and there in my
opinion. they will remain.
There is a group OF white men in the South how
ever little We may hear of them st a distance who
constantly exerting themselves 10 help forward
part embarresses them makes their task more
difncult
Philip A. Payton. jr.. presided the opening
sion. and the Rev. w. II. Brooks. of St. Marks
Methodist Episcopal Chruch, offered prayer. The
sessions what negro business called
Experience meetings without preaching" Some of
the foremost negroes engaged I'm various lines of
business gave details of their business careers
There bankers, bakers. shoemakers, harness
makers, theatrical managers and manufacturers
Of nearly everything produced Each had his own
tale tell
Oswald Garrison Willard. OF The evening Post
and Judge Terrill. gave short talks
In discussing the problem of the housing of the
negro in this city, wilfred II. Smith. attorney Of
the Afro-Anerican Realty Company. pointed out
that of the sixty thousand colored people in New
York nearly all had to live in clearly marked dis
trcts and that they were far more restricted IN
this way than the Italians or Jews, or other ma
tionalites that also had settlements of their own.
Thereby great hardship was inflicted on the
spectacle aspiring negroes. who were forced 10
bring up their children amid the foul mouthed,
carrying niggers." and IN the midst of sights
that would not bear description The same obstacle
met by colored business men, who sometimes
had to obtain the permission OF all the tenants i'm
a block before they could open store.
The aim of the realty company wac to break
down this prejudice he said, and teach the white
people to distinguish between the respectable and
disreputable negroes. With this object in view it
was acquiring property in districts up to this time
closed 10 the colored man, and settling not more
than two hathouses in a block with carefully
lected colored folks. The company has been
operating for about year, and has bought six
OF hathouses and taking long lease fourteen
other sets, II has already introduced into West
hrst time IN their history
general estimate Of the progress in the busi-
ness way for the black given by DR.. NJ
G b. Mason, Of Cincinnati. According to him
negroes now own in the United States $4,000 farms
with value OF sl50O00.00o and houses with value
OF N1O.OO0: loo drug stores with value of SOO10
and 10 banks. with constantly increasing capital