New-York tribune., 1908-02-24
NEGRO PROSPERITY.
Reports at Tuske gee-Outiook for
Future Bright.
TFrom Special Correspondent OF The tribune

ington, holding leadership In the economic affairs
of the uniting race in this country, Is the
most potent OF his in America. and
the hitherto inert eight million Southern negroes
waking up under the energzing influence OF
the negro industraist the progress and spirit of
the age.
Negro farmer conference delegates in goodiy
numbers from every of the Southern states,
large number white missionary workers among
the Southern blacks and hundreds OF the local
negroes in the aggregate between three and five
thousand. assembled at the Tuskegee Institute thls
week to consult and receive inspiration tor SUN
greater efforts in the coming year
Yesterday and the night before at the prehihlhaEy
! conference the negro farmers from such WldeiS
separated states Texas. Kentucky Louisiana
and Florida gave their testimony as TO thelr IN
! creasing prosperity and the increase OF peace ana
cooperation between the races, due in large meas
ure. they ascrbe to the extension to their nelgh
borhoods OF the farmers conferences. WIN Iheir
| influences of thrift and peace. Last nSht anu
to-day the workers the teachers and missionaries
among the negroes conferred and We're adV'seo as
to further and more practical extension Oh tIeii
social and economic work
Among those In attendance have been Dr. charles
F. Meserve. president OF Shaw University Raeisi
\. C. and Mrs Meserve; Miss Emma J. WILSON,
principal of the Maysvie Industrial institute,
MaysvilIe. S @. Or. ]. w E Bowen, president Oh
the Cannon Theological Seminary Atlanta; Thon-
E. Miller, president the Colored Norman l.
A. and NJ. College Orangeburg s c.; n B. young
president OF the Florida s. y. and l. School Ian1-
hassee Fla: DR.. James c. Snedecor. superintend-
OF the Stman Institute Tuscaloosa. Ala; Dr-
Joseph A. Booker, president of the Arkansas Bap-
J fist College. Little Rock. Ark; Dr. William ID
Stewart. editor of THE American Baptist Louis
| vile; II. J. Deyarmett of the Hampton Institute
| Hampton, Va, and Mrs Deyarmett; the Kew J. O
| Fuller principal OF the Howe Institute Memphis
| the Rev. T. J. Searcy chairman OF the board
| OF trustees of the Howe Institute. Memphis;
| the Rev Frank g. Woodworth, president Of Tou-
gaIoo University. Tougaloo, Miss: Isaac Fisher
| principal OF the Branch Normal College Pine Bluff
Ark; ". c. Rollins. secretary OF the Prairie view
! S y and l. College. Prairie View, Tex; H A
| Hunt. principal of the Fort Valley High School
Fort Valley, Ga; Walter s Buchanan, principal OF
the Corona Industrial School. Corona. Ala; Pro-
fessor y. w. Collier principal of the Fiord2 Bap-
| tist College. Jacksonville. Fla Dr. ". 6 Johnson
president Of the State Baptist Convention Of Geor-
| ga, Macon Ga. DR.. {. 7. Walker president OF
the Walker Baptist Institute. Augusta. Ga; George
/ z. Haynes international secretary of the Colored
Young Mems Christian Association. Atlanta: Glenn
ent Richardson, Harvard. 07 Atlanta Baptist Col
! Iege Atlanta: ". T Williams Harvard. '97. Of
| Hampton Institute, Hampton Va, and Mr.. Watson
| of Brown University. 20
INSPIRATION OF TUSKEGEE.
| Besides the optimistic delegate reports, always
earnest and helpful and the inspiration offered TO
visitor and delegate alike by the great educational
plant Of Tuskegee itself and her plantation melody
singing sons and daughters, the addresses of such
friends and helpers of the race as Professor T. O.
! billiard, Of Tulane University. New Orleans
and Booker T. Washington were the chief features
of this picturesque occasion. Mr.. Washington said
! that. believing in the application of the Golden
Rule coed racial economic doctrine he would
again and again urge these plain and simple black
/ country folk 10 overcome evil with good Other
! speakers referred to the large placards posted
around the walls bearing injunctions against the
great and shortcomings of the race. The
! njunctions these:
Don't mortgage your crops"
Don't allow your children to at large"
do not loaf Saturdays
Women and girls should be kept from loaang
! the and in public places"
Have comfortable schoohouse in your com
munity.'
/ send your children to school"
Pay your debts"
IF you do not own home buy one"
! DO be cOntented with one-rooul house"
Help enforce the new liquor laws"
Z. L. Smith, founder of the Texas Farmer I'm
! provement societies with four hundred branches
! and ten thousand members throughout the state,
and himself the owner of four hundred and fifty
| Of the best Texas land. told story in a
/ speech that struck the keynote OF the situation.
Mr.. Smith is ex-IegisIator. the founder
! owner OF Oakland Tex. and Of Washing
tons most able and valuable co-operators. He told
/ how his brother-in-law. in community OF emil
grant Germans and Bohemians looking for a
village called FIatonia. His respectful and
/ cessive inquiries each time with Itch
kann nicht verstehen English" until at last he
/ was directed thus:
Going down a road. you VIII come TO a road on
the right; OF course you viii go down that road,
/ and you have gone down dat road. perhaps a
! mile Il mile and half. you will a
| big hte house init a big red barn Den you will
! know dot you all wrong dat is bruders
house. Dat is not de road to FiatOnia. Den you
viii back and you viii a road de left.
| and, OF course, you viii go down dat per
| haps five miles five miles and a half until you
| big green house nit a big 1te mill
! In de front yad. and den you will know dat you
| all wrong again; dat is brudeT Frits house.
And again you vii come back and you will
| TO the road leading straight and you viii walk
! straight on. und by and by you viii come 10 Fla
| tonia."
The speaker said the negroes Of the South are
| about go down the straight road that Booker
| Washington has laid out after their failure IN
ignoring 1t for the others. and secured from the
| crowded house Of negro delegates the heartiest
| applause and acclamations of assent
SUCCESS IN BUYING FARMS
! Another leading spirit of the convention was
( the p8trtarchaI G. ". Jeter of MiIlstead, Ala,
who reported that he had paid for his farm of
420 acres the last conference He said the
/ conference had done good for race in
! the South than any other agency. and made
! crude yet dramatic plea for the respectable
| negro TO rid his of the vicious Ioaing ele
| ment He closed by urging the delegates TO tell
! the whole truth that Mr.. Washington could
see what the trouble and could then cure it.
! one of the other weIl-to-do farmers who spoke
| was I d NcDufie. of Ocala. Fla, owner Of 647
/ acres of productive land there and fruit ship
per and commission merchant. Last year he
! bought large Colorado melon crop and shipped
from his own place siXty-seven carloads OF
! cantaloupes and watermeons while the year
| nreyious he shipped 10l and has fo- long
+ time had q spur of the railroad for this purpose
his property.
Another prosperous looking farmer Lewis
Gilbert. Of Prospect Tenn. who has just finished
far rhava