The Nashville globe. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1906-193?, 1907-04-12

A local bill entitled "To regulating
the location Of parks and places OF
amusements" was passed by the legis
lature Of the State of Tennessee
Thursday night, April A. The passage
of this bill blotted out the only breath
ing place where the colored citizens of
this place could go to get out of the
dust, CRIME and foul gases Of the city
and get little fresh air and enjoy
themselves.
The bill was hatched up solely to
affect Greenwood Park. 1t was SO
worded as not to affect any of the
amusement places or parks of the
whites. 1t was a gerrymander of the
worst kind. 1t provides that no park
or amusement place outside the. cor
porate limits of Nashville shall be
maintained, used, or operated within
two miles of cemetery, in the city
limits within quarter of a mile. So
you see it was to put out of commits
sion Beautiful Greenwood Park"
What will be the next curtailment
inflicted upon us by that class of pref
udice-ridden whites who are having
Nightmares over what the Negro is
doing? That class of whites is not
bothered by the low. worthless Negro;
it is the intelligent, thrifty, progress
sive, law-abiding Negro that looms up
so ,disturbingly in its dreams.
The colored people have been shut
out from the parks and places of
amusements frequented by the white
race, and now they are forbidden by a
law to have one and the one they have
is struck down by this unwarranted
act. The class behind this law admits
by it's passage that the Negro must
be checked in his progress. Every
city in this country encourages the
building and maintaining of parks and
places where its people may go to
amuse themselves. They are whole
some and civilizing influences which
affect all people alike, and one race
has as much right to own and main
tain parks and places of healthful
amusement in a given community as
another, whatever may be said to the
contrary Notwithstanding.
The solons representing Davidson
County in the state legislature deemed
1t wise and eXpedient and for the best
interest of society and the community
to legislate out of existence a beauti-
full park already in operation.
Greenwood Park is the gift of Elder
Preston Taylor for the free use of his
people as place of amusement. This
generous, prosperous, public-spirited
man saw the need of such a refining
influence for his people and his great
heart went out to them to the extent
of this magnificent gift which to them
cannot be measured by dollars and
cents, though it cost him twenty thou
sand dollers to put it into it's pres
ent excellent condition. 1t is indeed
a beautiful pleasure resort with every
thing conveniently and tastily arranged
"a pretty club house. with several
apartments and large spacious open
court or veranda, where hundreds of
people, if they choose, may be seated
and served with refreshments; a splen-
did skating rink-a large amusement
hall beautifully seated with costly
seating on an inclined floor and spa
cious stage for concert, minstrel Or
dramatic performance bountiful
spring with a covered, open platform
and two pumps to raise the clear wa
ter therefrom to slake the thirst of the
thirsty-healthy sanitary conditions
were not forgotten and ample arrange
ments were made.
Six hundred trees have been planted
which add materially to the beauty of
the landscape; in short, everything
has been done to make it an ideal
place where the colored people could
meet and enjoy themselves as do the
whites at Glendale and their many
other parks and places, against the
existence of which there is no law.
Nathan the Prophets exposure of
King David's meanness and selfish
ness in taking Uriah's only wife while