The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1905-01-05
AGAINST coon SONGS

William H. Council. president Of
the Agricultural and Mechanical CO.
lege for negroes Al Normal. Ala, in
an address to the negroes of Mem
phss. Tenn. a last Sunday strongly de-
nounced coon songs" and said they
were a barrier TO the progress
Of his race Following is quotation
from the address:
The coon songs are against us;
they. make sentiment against US.
Make the young negro burn the coon
songs and so to the songs OF OUT
mothers and fathers. Teach them
about God. II / had the jawbone
used,by Samson would drive out the
young loafing negro and make him
20 TO work Yes Iswouid stop crap
Shooting. and ! would make them go
to work. We want the young negro
70 be industrious and honest.
We must not try 10 get away from
ourselves. We don't want any social
equality. We don't want any rhixings
up at all, love the white man, God
knows do, love him so until am
almost called a white folks negro,
but love my race better. do not
want to un-ruce myself, but want to
see my people lifted up to higher
place in this country Every negro
should love his race. The cake-walk.
ing negro is disgrace to the races
he is the monkey he is the Jim
Grow negro; he Is the insulter Of
women. lie furnishes the class who
are lynehed."
There is sageness in every line OF
the above AS TO the coon songs,
Councill might have gone further and
said that they initiated against the
whites as well as negroes, as regards
musical education. for at best they
are a very low order of music. But a
part of Professor Councill's address
on another phase Of the negro's draw
back was his utterance as TO shift
llessness. IF | had the iawbonc Of
Samson. would drive out the young
loahng negro and make him go to
work. /" he declared. The negro race
needs nothing so badly. and Il is a
pity that Professor Councill has not
the power he Graves. The loafing,
icrap-shooting. cake-walking negro Is
The greatest curse the negro race has
las Professor Couucill so truthfully
: says. ,he Is the negro who insults wo'
men and gets lynched.
!, Another strong utterance by this
sage negro leader is his declaration
that we don't want, any social equal
ity. We don't eant any mixings a
am This is "a striking statement
! and nothing win SO greatly add 10 the
|, high opinion m. which its author il
! held by the whites Of the South i
is clear cut and -unmistakable. An,
8 It furnishes proof of the statement
that has been made by many reputa
n BILE Southern journals that Council
. is the ablest and wisest leader of hi
4 race. for in all Of Booker T. Wash
= ington's public addresses he has ney
er shut the door upon the negro's as
piration TO social equality. He as
!" serts the necessity Of education. in
D. dustry and virtue among his peopl
s. land he has done and is doing
" great work for theml, but he ha
never come out boldly and plaini
and said. we don't want any mia
lc ings up at all" And because Of this
II It is fact-not generally known a
-
ID that many of the best friends anon
the white people of the South of NJ
gro advancement have Asss gres
u. deal Of patience with him Especia
Of ly so in the last two years. when tn
sh negro question became so acut
he and when a ringing declaration frol
o him Of the right sort would have ha