New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1905-12-07
FORT BUCKS COLOR LINE.
Justice Advises East Orange Negroes
to Fight Segregation.

Fest Orange. Dec. (SpeciaD. Justice j.
Franklin Fort of the Supreme Court, has come
forward as the champion of the negroes In East
Orange who are fighting the action Of the East
Orange Board of Education segregating the col
ored children in the public schools TO jim
Crow classes simply because of their color. Inc
negroes held big mass meeting in Calvary
Baptist Church last night, which lasted uhtI
after midnight Shortly before the close of the
meeting Justice Fort appeared in the building
was escorted TO the platform, and delivered
short speech in which he severely criticized the
Board OF Education and encouraged the negroes
to continue their fight against the uncompromls-
ing action of the board He said:
Sitting in my home tonight l read the Tesolu-
tons passed by the Board of Education l hgs!-
tated for some moments about coming 70 LlLl9
meeting for l almost AFRAID 70 come altu
sneak to you, not because OF the sentiments
which [ entertain, but for fear that IN an uiI-
ey11a r6ed moment, stirred by an impulse, might
say something which L ought not say we HHe
80 q cCn7T1Ilnitv noted and famed for it's char
ac+ar 1,aaIth and rights for all citizens mat
ter what their color. For the first time ap-
prehend in this community resolution has oeeh
passed referring TO a body OF American clIlHeAS
as a class. l suppose ! Know WhaI lneS Iie'il'
but I was not aware of the fact before tHaI q
citizen of this country was anythlng pur az az
American citizen. l wonder II our EoodtG VI
Education would pass resolutions regarding Ger
man-Americans, Irish-Americans and ItaHan-
Americans. So / appTehend In TINS community
of ours we are all citizens irrespective or color
I do not care to speak of the merits of those
resolutions except to say that on the face OF
them l am against them. I mean this: that I
have not studied the question as to the proper
grading Of schools, but l must maintain that the
plan for grading the basis o. color has no
foundation. Because of my position, am out
of all political arguments but If I We're what
they call an Afro-American would die IN my
tracks before I would submit to this. 1 had
supposed that all of this matter had been shot
to death from 1860 to 1860.
The applause which greeted these remarks OF
Justice Fort was tremendous. and people in the
assembIage with tears streaming down their
cheeks called upon him to go Justice Fort
was deeply moved and his voice shook as he
said: 4 guess I had better sit down; 1 have
said enough"
Justice Fort is the fourth prominent white
man to step to the standard of the East Orange
negroes in their fight for rights for their chill
dren in the public schools. County Counsel
Joseph L. Mum. of Newark. was the first man
to assist by Offering his legal aid; then the Rev
DR.. William Hayes Ward, of Newark, took up
the cudgel. and was later followed by the Rev
Walter Reid Hunt, pastor Of the First Uni
tartan Church, Orange, who at the charities
conference in Orange last week severely ar
raigned the East Orange Board Of Education
for the way in which it had drawn the color
line.