Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-02-15
CoIored Bishops Issue Address
on Stated Conditions.
SESSION HELD LAST NIGHT
Negroes Said to Be Learning I'm
portance of United Effort.
RIGHT OF AMERICAN CITIZENS
Expression of Opposition to Presi-
dent Roosevelt's Administration.
Defense of Negro Suffrage.

| Church. presided over the negro bishops
| ed by Bishops H. NJ. Turner, w. b. Der
rick and NJ. B. Salter.
| The C. M E churches will hold cele-
bration meeting tomorrow at $3.50 pm. at
| Israel c. NJ E. Church. Bishop Isaac
Lane and Dr. N. c. Cleaves will preach
at Miles Memorial at IL am. and at 81
pm. Bishops Holsey and CottreI will
| preach
At Hillsdale at IL am. Bishop r. s.
Williams and c. H. Phillips: at 7:3O pm.
DIR. r. S. Stout. At Israel Church. IL
am. Bishop l.. II. Holsey and Bishop
| Charles H. Phillips; 7:30 pm. Bishop X
S. Williams.
Monday evening the members of Lane
Chapel and Miles Memorial and Israel
churches will combine to give a public
reception to all the bishops of the differ
ent denominations at Miles Memorial
Church. The edifice has been artisticalIy
decorated and many delicacies have been
prepared by way of refreshments.
After the reading of the journal the
committee on address to the country re-
| ported.
Session Last Night.
i
Zion Church presided over the meeting
of bishops last night at Metropolitan A.
M. f. Church and delivered a short ad-
ing the Importance of getting together
| and that it meant much to the future of
the race. II am not discouraged" he
| said. Though 1 read of lynchings here
| and there, 1 feel that the time will come
when law and order will prevail. We are
glad to see SO many of the citizens of
Washington present tonight"
The Rev. DIR. H. ]. Calls of Boston.
Mass. was the first speaker. and in his
remarks said the time had arrived in The
| history of the negro when he should do
more than talk. He offered as a solu-
| ton to the question the organization of a
| bureau In Washington where the negro
can be looked after by men who were up
and who had the interest of the race at
heart.
This is the seat Of our government.
and here is where we should nave COM
petent lawyers to look after our interest
1t is easy thing. for we could have
each church in this country put down 81
and that alone would support the bureau.
The negro must now do something"
Defends the Negro.
Rev. S. L. Corrothers of Washington
was the next speaker. 81 am going to
say something that has not been said
yet" he declared. land 1 would like for
YOU to hear me. / am negro and /
want to defend the negro. Some of the
people declare that the negro is lazy,
but have never seen a lazy negro in all
the days of my life. You see. they had
slavery in this country and worked our
Of today is tired and wants to rest for
hts parents. who worked so hard.
you can't depend on the big negroes
IN this country. They do all the talking.
I,rrt . =,
do the work and the paying. Washington
is full OF big negroes and they do not,
many of them. contribute anything to the
church. and only go to 1t when they have
chance to make big speeches. If the
world is to be saved at all it must be
| through the common people. The high
toned negroes are worthless when it
comes to the race.
II am against the administration of
President Roosevelt and this is what 1
seeker, but think the President has mis-
treated our race. A bishop tried to call
me down the other day for saying 1 would
vote for Bryan before I would for Taft.
l told the truth and have no apologies to
| make. The negro must do something for
himself or the devil will get him.
1--WE have been the old hound dog long
enough because everybody could kick us
around. Now We must be the bulldog.
ready to defend ourselves
Statement of Bishops.
Bishop Alexander Walters, DID,. read
an address. which was signed by Bishops
J. W. Hood, H. M. Turner. ". j. Gaines.
B. T. Tanner. A. Grant, B. F. Lee. NJ. B.
SaHer. w. B. Derrick. e. Tyree. c. S.
Smith. c. T. Shaffer. l.. ]. Coppin, c. r.
Harris. A. Walters G. W. Clinton. J. w.
Holsey. Isaac Lane. r. S. Williams. Elias
| Cottrell. c. H. Phillips, which was in
| part as follows:
"As the chief pastors of the A. NJ E.,
| A. NJ f.. Zion and the G. NJ r. churches
assembled in Washington. we hail with
delight the great tidal wave of temper
ance now sweeping over this country, and
| feel assured that our race will not be
| the least among its beneficiaries and pro-
moters.
I'VE are Americans by right of birth.
| by the blood we have shed. by the service
we have freely given to achieve the indie
pendence and to preserve the life Of the ma
| ton against foreign and domestic enc
mics We ask for fair treatment that
we may. like other races. make the
| most and best OF ourselves. that we may
| rise or fall on our merit like other men
| In the political ard Industrial life of the
republic: We cannot do this unless
We and our children are given equal
opportunity with other people to get
an education at the public ex-
pense: unless We are given equal voice
with al classes In making the laws;
| unless our labo,ers are given equal chance
| to obtain work with all other laboring
| classes in the industrial system of the
| nation.
This also is a truth worth remem-
| bering. namely. that a labor class in an
| industrial republic like ours deprived OF
| the right to .ot': a voice in the gov
eminent Is at the mercy of the other
laboring classes which possess that right
and that voice-indeed. at the mercy of
| all the privileged. Now badly as this
| race 4 iator class needs the ballot
| needs education at the public expense
needs industrial opportunities to sell its
| labor freely like other classes of the
! republic, in the south, by one device or
| another. 1t is almost universally deprived
| of the right to vote. In many cases our
children are denied equal school privileges
end the whole race. In the north and
south, is deprived of equal Industrial free
dom to obtain work with other labor
| classes.
Appeal Against Color Line.
I'VE regret the fact that whereve,
this race turns 1t is restricted within
certain narrow limits by the color line
| 1t is thus far in the north and thus
| far in the south. 1t hears this hostile
| this terrible no farther north and south
| alike.
| I'VE appeal to the liberty-loving men
| in authority to lend their assistance
by influence. by legislation for the re-
moval of the Jim Crow car laws which
have placed a stigma upon the noblest and
| best Of the race, while at the same time
| we are compelled to pay the same fare
| S,,%