Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1910-02-05
White Residents Adopt Resolu-
ton OF Protest.
MEETING AT CITY HALL
Though Comparatively Few In Num-
beers, Men Gathered Together Ap.
near Determined to Make Blacks
Get Aercs- c. 4 o. dead Line"

yasion Of negro families into the
white residential section west of the
Chesapeake & Ohio railway yard was
registered last night az a meeting at
the city hall OF residents and property
owners living In the district bounded
| by Huntington and Virginia avenues
| and Twenty-flfth street and Thirtietn
street. II was the unanimous sense
! OF the meeting that the negro famiiies
now living In the white section should
move out as soon as practicable and
that in the future no one should elth-
er rent. lease or cell house In this
section to negroes.
Although they we're comparatively
few In numbers, the men gathered
last night are determined in their ef-
| forts TO drive the blacks back across
the dead lines" and it was intimat-
ed after the meeting that If persuas-
| i've forces are not successful other
means OF securing the desired end
will be ueed.
In the Interest OF Peace.
T. A. Fowler called the meeting TO
order and briefly outlined the object
for which 1t had been called. He
said that recently negroes have
| moved across the car track into the
| residential section between the rail-
way ward and the river and that only
few days ago negroes moved into
row of srick houses on Virginia ave-
nue. next door TO white families. He
declared that the only way TO pro-
mote peace and harmony between the
| races Is TO separate them and that ne
| believed that the mere intelligent
white people and the better class OF
the negroes realized and appreciated
this fact. II is the lower class of neg
roes. he said. that desires 10 crowd in
upon the white people and stir up race
strife.
Mess Shepherd. who owns prop
! erty on Twenty sixth street near Vir-
ginIa avenue. was called On. He SAID
/ that he was opposed to the negroes
moving in next to his property and
| that he thought some cffort should
be made to get them away. Mr.. Shep-
herd also stated that the negroes
would slowly drive the whites out II
given an opening we : - thatsoon
all of the property al md Virginia
avenue would be occupied by negroes,
Several others made vigorous
speeches. r. o. Chandler said that
he did not want negroes living near
him and that they should be made
! To NOVA back across the track into
| the negro section.
Try to Move All at Once.
Some of those present thought that
II would be well 10 only attempt 10
Gust the negroes who live north or
Twenty.ffth street, but others sug-
gested that il would be as easy 10
move all of the negroes on the west
erly side Of the tracks rs 10 move
few and that while they were about II
they might Just as well get them all
out. This idea met with the approval
of the majority.
T. II. Heating. who owns property
in the section under discussion made
a lengthy speech. He advocated the
moving OF all OF the negroes between
the railway trucks and the railroad,
He pointed ont that II the negroes
were allowed to encrcsch on the
white residential section there was no
telling where it would STOP. They
night later want to cross Huntington
avenue and then Washington avenue
until they had taken almost complete
control of the entire section west OF
the railway ward. lie strongly ad-
voca,ed taking whatever steps may
be necessary to drive the invader
back and not give then chlnce TO
make further encroachment upon the
whites.
Were Warned by Negro.
During the meeting an aged negro
sat in the rear OF the hall and Chair
man Bowler asked him 10 he lived on
Virginia avenue No sab. lives a;
Madison avenue end Twenty-ffth
street, came the reply Il told dem
n!ggers dat dey would hab trouble
| II dey come over here"
Upon motion. the meeting put Itself
on record as opposing the invasion OF
the blacks and as notifying the neg
toes now living ives; OF the railway
tracks that their presence in the
white section Is . noxsous 20 the
white residents OF that section. The
meeting adjourned 20 assemble again
az the call OF the chair.