The Elbert County tribune., 1909-11-04
NEGRO ORATOR
R0USES DENVER
BOOKER T. WASHINGTON SPEAKS
TO AN IMMENSE AUDIENCE
OF BOTH RACES.
INDUSTRY AND THRIFT
BURDEN OF HIS ADVICE TO THE
NORTHERN NEGROES WHO
WOULD AID THE SOUTH.

Denver.-A great audience of his
own race, well dressed and prosper
ous-looking, with goodly number OF
white people, including public officials
and prominent professional men, to-
gether with a large sprinkling of Ia
dies, listened to Booker T. Washing
ton at the Peoples Tabernacle Mon
day night. Following the introduction
by Bishop Abram Grant, DR.. Washing
ton made his address and was greet
ed with tremendous applause time and
time again. as he lauded the negro
race, telling of their great progress
since the time when they were slaves
only forty-six years ago.
Aside from the educational work in
which he has been engaged for years,
Booker Washington is just now inter-
ested in a proposed exposition to cele-
brate the fiftieth anniversary of the
freedom of the negroes in this coun-
try. The exposition will be held in
1913 and several cities of the South
land are anxious to be the exposition
city.
Booker Washington is accom-
panied on his western lecture
tour by DIR. r. E. Park, who
is noted among his people as
philosopher, and who has taken the
degree of doctor of philosophy. In
H. IA
yer.
To a newspaper reporter Mr.. Wash
ington said: Because of its climate
and cheap property the South offers
present time. There he can go into
business on small capital. The eli
mate is favorable to him. He has less
competition than in the North and the
people understand him better than do
the people of the North. The south
ern white man is more friendly, es-
pecially a growing class OF white men
who have large property holdings and
who are eager to aid in the uplifting
of the negro race.
IN a territory where there are
100000 negroes and 25.000,000
whites it is remarkable that there is
so little friction. The two races get
along very well together. The ne
groes of the South are going into busi-
ness. There are 10000 grocery stores,
dry goods stores and drug stores con-
Quoted by negroes. This is natural
evolution from the times before the
war, when the negroes made the white
mans clothes. supplied him with pro-
visions and even mapped out and built
his houses"
The subject of his address was.
"How can the Negro of the North
Assist the Negro of the South?'
The central idea of his discourse
was to impress upon the colored peo-
pie of this community that the people
of Denver necessarily judge the ne
gro race as whole from individuals
with whom they come in contact here,
and that If the colored people here de-
sire to help the millions of their
brethren in the South, they must first
help themselves and raise the local
estimate of the colored man as citi-
zen. He advised them to diversity
their occupations, improve the inward
and outward aspect of their homes,
work up industries which would ere
ate jobs for those of their own color.
save their money, rid themselves of
vicious idlers, and above all not to re-
gard themselves as members of a
~down-trodden" race.
The manner in which he instilled
this advice into the minds of his col
ored brethren, playing upon their
sense of humor. appealing to theiE
love of material comforts, touching
their pride in being citizens of the
American nation, was an object-lesson
in forceful oratory. AS he talked. the
character of the man was revealed.
and those who heard him saw not
alone a great orator, but shrewd,
deep-thinking, earnest, kindly soul,
man who is proud of the race he be-
longs to. who believes in its future,
and who will work for its advance
ment as long as he has the strength.