New-York tribune., 1906-02-02
AP0STASY OF THE NORTH.
Mrs. Terrell Denounces It's Apathy Toward
the Wrongs of the Negro.

Among the speakers at the mass meeting held
last night I'm Cooper Union. under the auspices
OF the Constitutional League OF New York TO
discuss suffrage conditions in the South, was
irs. Mary Church Terrell. of washington, hon.
orary president of the National Association Of
Colored Women. Mrs. Terrell. who was the only
woman invited to speak on this occasion, is as
well known among the coIored population as is
Booker T. Washington and is deyoting her life
to the same cause. Her views upon the ccIored
question are not cheering. and not at all COM
plimentary to the North. Speaking Of the suf-
frage question 10 a Tribune reporter yesterday
she said:
The North does not want to hear about the
woes OF the South. but I should think II would
care something about preserving its own rightful
influence in national affairs At present the
vote OF one white man in Mississippi equals that
OF ten men in New-York, for the representation
Of Northern State in Congress is based upon
the number of its voters, while that of South
ern State is proportioned to a large non-voting,
colored population
The North should not be afraid to uphold the
constitution in this matter, for It would have
the cooperation OF large element in the South.
The colored man IS not the only slave in the
South. There are hundreds OF we'll meaning, in
telligent white people who want to do the right
thing, but they are bound by the chains of
~ IdlHOuS puDIc opinion. ln6y Qdre not bUdnQ
up for what they know is right. The Norths
duty is TO free not only the colored people but
this large class Of white people by insisting on
the Constitution being respected"
Speaking Of the colored question a whole.
Mrs Terrell expressed herself as finding little
cause for encouragement
Prejudice against the negro is rapidly in
creaeing in the North" she said. 1T processes
fTlendliness to the negro, but does not practise
f.. II IL were true to its principles as the
S';th is TO what IT considers right there wouldn't
be any coored question. Hotels in the North
refuse accommodations to colored people. Ask
any proprietor the reason for this and he will
assure you with tears in his eyes that he loves
the coiOrsd people dearly. All his sisters and
his cousins and his aunts were abolitionists
BIT he is afraid that IL he admits them to his
hotel he will offend his Southern patrons AS
matter Of fact. his Southern patrons are not
numerous enough to pay for the salt on his
table. But et any one. | care not if it were
the President of the United States, go TO a
Southern hotel with a colored friend and ask
that their names be registered together, and he
would be refused. The South is true to what
It. calls it's principles. The North is not"
II is only when she turns 10 the colored peo-
pie themselves that Mrs Terrell finds occasion
fo- hooefulness-
when i think of the coIored women she
said. Il never can help feeling optimistic about
the future OF my race. They are so progressive
so Industrious so earnest. so keenly alive 10 the
responsibility resting upon them. when l think
of their poverty and ali the disadvantages they
cCmplished. Our National Association of Colored
Women. which IS organized in twenty-six States
ana HlciuueS Ten lnousanQ women. is doing
wonderful work Among other things * ia es-
tahlickng kindergartens and day nurseries all
over the country. The latter are greatly needed
for many o. our women support their families
and formerly had to leave their babies alone at
home when they went out TO work.
We are now looking into the convict lease
system and trying to agitate the matter in tho
North But that is hopeless business. for the
North isn't half as much interested in the abuse
OF negroes In the South I'm that of Jews N
Russia. The atrocies perpetrated on both
women and men in the South unspeakable
rs those perpetrated on the Jews in Russia. Yet
we have the temerity to point the finger of scorn
at Russia and will not even hear about similar
horrors in land
Mrs. Terrell was of the American dele
gates TO the recent international Congress of
Women In Berlin, and the only American woman
10 address that assembly in German.
Il intended to speak English" she said, "hut
] found that not only the German women but
most OF the other delegates understood German
and did not understand English. So l hurriedy
translated my address into German and delivered
IL In that language l did not go TO Berlin to
talk to American women. ! wanted the world TO
know the cruel way in which my race is handi-
capped in the United States"