The advocate. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1901-1913, 1908-03-19
NEGRO FAIR
10 Exploit Progress
OF the Race
Mobile Business and Professional
Men Endorse Plans OF Negroes
TO Conduct n Permanent Expo
sition in the Heart Of the
South.
Special Correspondence.

washington, d. c., March IT,
The brilliant address of Rev. H. N
Newsome, of Mobile, Ala, before
the house committee on industrial
PARTS and eXpositions, has renewed
the interest OF the country in the pro-
posed National Negro fair, which is
TO be held within a few months in
the thriving city Of Mobile. Hon.
Gorge w. Taylor, of the First dis
trlct Of Alabama, has introduced q
Dill In the house, appropriating
! SZ5O,OOO IN aid of this great enter
prise, and Dr. Newsome's clear and
convincing representation of the rea
sons why the bill should be reported
1aVoraDly, made deep impression
! upon Congressman Gardeners broad
minded committee
Letters strongly supporting the
| movement were read. Among the
influential white men who urged that
! congress grant the desired appropri-
| alton were bankers, merchants and
| business factors generally Of the
| city Of Mobile, to the number of 100.
| who filed formal petition, headed by
|
| Peoples National bank. Others who
| filed endorsements were Mgr. E. P.'
| Allen, bishop of the Roman Catho-
lie church, of Mobile; Rabbi Alfred
G. Moses, Of the Jewish temple;
while additional petitions were for
Warded by the white ministers and
| physicians Of the city, and another
| by the colored ministers, acting as
| definite bodies. In the demand for
the assistance Of the national GOV
! ernment and the testimony as to the
reliability Of the promoters Of the
enterprise, as well as its value to
| both races in the southland and the
nation at large, every line of COM
merce and business, every profession,
and every vital interest in the COM
muntty was represented. Speaking
for the race and his constituency in
| Mobile, Dr. Newsome made the ire
futable point that it is in the south
where the Negro must make his
most positive demonstration of his
| skill and industry and must show to
! the world the tangible evidences of
his progress in the arts of civiliZa-
| tiCn; therefore, such a fair on the
| lines proposed, should be held in the
heart OF the section where nine
tenths of the race resides, and where
his opportunities in the industrial
! field are the most favorable. For
such a purpose, Mobile is ideally sit
| uated. The city is easily reached
| by land and water, with more than
| fifty passenger trains daily, and
| steamships from all parts Of the
! world, with two miles Of deep water
| front. He says that no more friend
ly relations exist between the white
! and cOlored people anywhere in AM
! erica than in Mobile and that a cor
| dial welcome will be extended to all
colored visitors who will wish to at
tend the exposition. Within a ra-
dius Of 800 miles of the city there
are 100000 colored people, and
| within radius of less than 700
miles the fair will draw upon a Ne
gro population Of more than 5,0O0,-
600, thus insuring an attendance
that will guarantee it's financial sue
cess. DR.. Newsome was accompanied
by DR.. D. f. G. Goodwin and Prof. J.
G.. Banks, directors Of the National
Negro fair association, and in con-
iVersation with your correspondent,
expressed the greatest confidence in
the ultimate passage of the bill, bas-
ing his optimistic conclusions upon
the sympathetic attitude Of more
than two-thirds Of the committee on
industrial arts and eXpOsitiOns, who
are frank in expressing their belief
that the enterprise would be a mag
lnifcent thing for both races in the
south, and distinct triumph for the
Negro people Of the entire country.
| Dr. Booker r. Washington, whose
interest in the project Of DR.. New
some Is an important asset, has said
that an exposition Of what the race
has actually accomplished in agriCul-
tural mechanical, educational, and
religious development, is worth more
in establishing our claim to citizen
ship than q thousand finely-phrased
speeches. The National Negro fair
association was organized two years
ago to give vitality to this principle.
The association with DR.. II. n. New
some at it's head, is incorporated un-
der the laws Of Alabama, capitalized
/ at S250,000, with 20 per cent. of the
capital stock collected. Thirty acres
Of land have been bought and fenced
in, and ample steam and street rail
way facilities for reaching the
grounds have been provided. Many
leading Negroes in all parts Of the
country have purchased stock. A
glance at the long list Of vice~pre3i-
dent and directors, including men Of
national prominence in every avenue
Of useful endeavor, give evidence Of
the stability Of the enterprise and
betokens the confidence felt by the