The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-08-30
NEGROES WELCOMED
LEAGUE OF COLORED
MEN MEET.
Mayor Pro TeInPore of Atlanta and
President of Board of Trade
Greet Them--BOOlker WASH
iugtOn Speaks,

Atlanta, Ga, Aug 29.-The seventh
annual session of the National Negro
Business League of which Booker t.
washington is President, opened here
today with over thousand negroes
from all parts of the country present.
Speeches of welcome were made by
Mayor pro tempore Harwell and Pres
ident Sam D. Jones of the Chamber OF
Commerce, and were responded to by
the more prominent negro business
men.
The meeting was called to order by
w B. Matthews, president of the local
organization, who made the opening adj
dress The regular program of the
convention was then taken up and
number of speeches on various indus
tries delivered by negro business men.
The sessions will continue three days
The principal feature of tonights
session was the annual address of the
pre- sident of the organization, Booker
T. Washington.
After explaining the objects of the
National Negro Business League, Book
er T. Washington, in his annual ad-
dress as President of the League said.
in part.
may pity a crying, whining race, 1t
seldom respects it. We believe that
the influence of one great success In
the world respects, will go farthest III
promoting our interests. Let construc-
tive progress be the dominant note
among US in every section of Alabama,
Right here in Georgia we have
abundant evidence that the negro Is
learning this lesson at rapid rate 1t
Is safe to say that the negro in Georgia
owns at least $20.000,000 worth of tax
able property, and that our people in
other sections of the South have made
almost equal progress. Within the
past year I have inspected and studied
the conditions and progress OF our peo
pie in the Northern and Western States
and I have no hesitation in reafhrminG
my opinion that. the Southern States oil
fer the best permanent abode Tor the
masses of our people.
There is much that the brave. intel
ligent, patriotic white man Of. Amcrici.
can do for US; there is much we can do
for ourselves. The executive authori-
ties should see that every law is en-
forced regardless of race. color; that
the weak are protected against MUS
tice from the strong. We have exam
pies in several Southern states that
this is being done in an encouraging
degree.
ION the negroes part we have d
duty. Our leaders should see that the
criminal negro is gotten rid of when
ever possible. Making all allowances
for mistakes, injustice and the tnflu-
ence of racial pride, 1 have no hesita-
ton in saying that one of the elements
in our present situation that gives me
most concern is the large number of
crimes that are being committed by
members of our race, The negro is
committing too much crime. North and
south The crime of lynching svery-
where and at all times should be con-
demned. and those who commit crimes
of any nature should be condemned,
Our Southland today has no greater
enemy TO business progress than lynch
ers and those who provoke lynchlng.
We cannot be too frank or too
strong in discussing the harm that tho
committing of crime is doing to our
race. Let us stand up straight and
speak out and act in no uncertain
terms in this direction Let US do our
part and then let us call on the whites
to do their part
fright here in the South. there are
more things upon which the races
aeree than upon which they disagree
There is practically no section of the
south where the negro farmer, me-
chanic. merchant and banker cauno
and encouragement. opportunity ana
prosperity. In this respect. let MS not
overlook the fact that many similar OPP
pertunities are at our dooa