The Washington bee., 1907-12-14
A Lie Nailed

The following dispatch to the Times
OF this city appeared in its issue De-
cember ?:
St. Louis, Mo-, Dec. 2-If the col
! ored man wishes to advance his race he
inu't behave himself in street cars, said
Prof. Arthur D. Langston, the colored
principal of the Dumas School, today
to delegates of the Missouri Negro Re
publican League He said no colored
r1an should occupy a seat while a white
woman stands, and dirty persons
should not be allowed on the cars at
ALL"
The Bee IS indebted to Mr.. Frank
Langston, clerk in the District govern
ment and brother of Prof. Arthur
Langston, for the exact words Of his
brothers speech, which is as follows,
Yesterday was red-lettsr day for
oratory at the Missouri Negro Repub-
lican League Club, at 234o Chestnut
street, where a large number Of col
ored Republicans have been assembling
every Sunday afternoon to discuss sub
jects of an educational and political
character. Many prominent speakers
! OF both races have addressed the men,
bers of this club from time to time,
on subjects touching the race problem,
but the addresses have usually been of
the kind that painted the picture of the
negros progress in glowing colors, and
have leen devoted largely TO recitals of
the achievements of the past, but when
1t was announced by the entertainment
committee that Prof. Arthur D. L.angs-
ton, principal of the Dumas School,
was among the speakers, on the sub
Ject, Opportunities of the Negro as a
Voter" his well-known frankness as a
public speaker, in pointing out the
shortcomings of his race, attracted a
record attendance of members and Wis
ltors at the Sunday afternoon meeting
yesterday. John F. Pope, a High
School graduate, presided over the as
sembled voters, who filled the parlors
and halls of the clubhouse to over
flowing. Among those present were
representatives of many wards of the
city.
Bernard Hobson, William Haffner and
George W. Galloway of the Twenty
sixth Ward made brief speeches, in
which they pointed out reasons why
negroes should vote the Republican
ticket and Charles Hunter, one of the
leading young orators of the club, de-
livered brilliant Grafton on the
Achievements of the Negro Race in
which he eulogized Toussiant Lower
ture, Crispus Atucks, Frederick Dou-
glass, Paul Laurence Dunbar and other
distinguished men of the negro race,
concluding with an appeal for a single
standard OF excellence for both races.
{. K. Robinson, president of the club,
also made a few remarks
Mr.. Langston was next introduced.
and congratulated those present upon
the privilege of living in the twentieth
century and enjoying the blessings of
American citizenship. He said "The
importance of the duty of every citizen
to study the politics of his coutry caE
not be overestimated for the reason
that the government exercises control
over the life and property as well as the
civic rights of every citizen. But while
! am proud of the achievements of the
great men of my race, and ask for them
that they be given credit for all they
have done, what we are doing to-day is
OF far greater Importance. We are not
judged to-day by the philanthropist or
the philosopher but by the great mass
of voters. And their opinion of us and
their friendship for us is of the highest
importance. Let the negros as an in
dlvldual, in his family life and in his
community life, challenge the friendship
and respect OF his white neighbOrs
his IS the key to the solution of a great
social problem. | demand Of my race
that they do it best to be at peace with
their neighboTs and lose no opportunity
to prove their worthiness to enjoy every
privilege accorded to every other peo-
pie The street cars, in which the
two races are brought into the closest
contact, give the negroes great op-
portunitics to make good. By practicing
the rules of common poIiteness and
gallantry, and in this way win for the
race the sympathy of every true lady
in the land, and, incidentally, set an ex-
ample Of gallantry to some of our
white fellow-citizens."
Isaac A. Hedges also spoke. He con-
cluded by reading Wendell Phillips eu-
Iogy ct the character of Toussiant