The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1909-02-24
WAS THIS TRAGEDY OR FARCE?
Booker Washington Addressing His White Fellow
Banqueters Emancipation Forty White Slaves Were
Being Auctioned the Means of Existence

Friday night while New York cit!
was resOunding with the echoes o
the one thousand meetings in com
memoration Of the one hundredtf
birthday anniversary of the Emancl
pator, and Booker T. Washington was
telling his white fellow banqueters Of
his first impressions of Lincoln wheT
as a picaninny on a Virginia planta
ton his mother knelt over him anc
prayed for the success Of the north
ern armies, a curious buTlesque was
being carried out in Flatbush
church in the vicinity.
An auCtiOneer named O'LOughlin
was offering for sale on the block
forty white slaves" whose faces
were covered with masks, men who
said they were more than willing
would gladly barter their freedom for
employment to obtain the means for
a mere physical existence.
When the constitutional objection
was raised to the proceedings the pO-
lice who were detailed to preside over
the performance and keep the crowd
of curious people in order declared
that the CLUB was mightier than
tragedy-as the case may be-prO-
ceeded as far as bona tide bidders
could be found for the men.
O'Loughlin, the auctioneer, eX-
planned that some time ago he ad-
yertised for a man out of work who
would sell himself for food, shelter
and clothing. That man got job,
but 800 others came along at once
ready to do the same thing, and then
he decided to advertise for a church
in which to conduct the sale.
Bring up the slaves, captain,
OLOughlin then shouted, according
TO the New York Suns report Of the
scene which says you could hear
the audience in the church catch its
breath. The organ, played by boy,
struck up John Browns Body and
there filed into the church from the
rear door a little procession Of men,
some old, some young, some walking
erect and some shambling. On each
was a tag with a number, and
through the holes in the black masks
could be seen some eyes that gazed
unsteadily at the gaping crowd and
some that were filled with tears.
Continuing the Suns report says:
The men were put up then one
by one. No. 10 came first. Mr.
OLoughlin described him, auctioneer
fashion, as a young man willing to
work or be driven, and invited any
one to come up and feel him One
man, rather shamefacedly, did so.
How much am | bid for this
MANI? said Mr.. OLoughlin.
H. c. VIII, a baker of COney Is
land, jumped up and offered $40, and
led him out. He also offered to give
three loaYes of bread a day besides,
and the building shook with cheers.
The old men We're not put up,
but one man in the audience noticing
a gray beard behind one of the black
masks. drew the Wearer gently aside
and talked to. him, and then it was
announced that No. Il had a job
One other man, a young one, got
$40 a week job, another a promise
of $35 a month after March LIST, and
another job for which the compen-
sation was not stated.
No more bids being forthcoming
the auctiOneer got tired and offered
the others in a bunch, but there was
no taker
This scene in the great free repub-
Tic of America which produces Croe-
suses without number by operation
of law, and which spends one billion
dollars annually for the purpose of
giving the people a good, humane
and free government,
One hundred and thirty-three
years ago the federated colonies de-
clared independence, dedicated this
continent to freedom and invited the
oppressed of all chimes to find home
here. Forty years ago our people
sacrificed more than a million lives
and billions of money that the last
yestige of slavery should be wiped
out in America.
Today there are hundreds, proba-
bly, thousands, of men and women in
the country who would gladly barter
their freedom for the right to live
and there are no takers.
What does it mean?
Is it a grim joke or have we in
reality so far refrigerated in hui
manitarian sense under the hypocrisy
of republican government
Telegraph,