The Colorado statesman., 1911-11-25
WASHINGTON ON
need FOR SAVING
Negro Leader Delivers Address
in Birmingham, Alabama.
BOWIE MAKES SPEECHES
WASHINGTON URGES HEARERS
TO DO ALL THEY CAN TO GET
MEMBERS OF THE NEGRO
RACE TO SAVE THEIR MONEY.

ington, founder and principal OF lus-
kegee institute, reached this city just
a few minutes before he was sched-
uled to speak and was driven imme-
diately to the Orpheum theater. where
he was greeted by an immense audi
ence, about 300 of whom were leading
white citizens.
The negro leader and educator and
his travelling secretary, Edwin J.
Chestnut, were met at the Louisville
and Nashville railroad depot by DR..
w. Z. Pettiford, DR.. u. G. Mason, J.
o. Diffay, DIR. Lauderdale and Wind
ham.
When Doctor Washington appeared
upon the stage he received an ovation
by the largest audience he ever faced
in Birmingham.
Rev. c. l.. Fisher, d. D., former pas
tor of the Sixteenth Street Baptist
church, was master of ceremonies
The audience seemed delighted
with several plantation melodies sung
by trained chorus of 100 voices
DR.. w. H. Nelson led in prayer.
After a statement by Rev. j. A.
Whitted. pastor of the Sixteenth
Street Baptist church, and a collec-
ton taken for the church, Doctor
Fisher introduced in felicitous words
former Congressman S. ]. Bowie,
who in turn delivered an address
which was frequently applauded.
Mr.. Bowie began by saying:
ut is with pleasure that l have
accepted the opportunity of present
ing Doctor Washington to this audi
ence. He is known not only through
out the length and breadth of this
country, but throughout the world.
That he stands for a sane and ra-
tional program for the improvement
and uplift of his own people 1t seems
TO me cannot be reasonably doubted.
However much certain theorists may
wish 1t were otherwise. and however
much 1t may have avoided compi1ca-
tions and problems that would not
now confront us if it had been other
wise, the fact remains that eight
tenths of the negroes of the united
States live in the southern states ana
here they must continue tn live
Some of them will, doubtless, as
others have in the past, move to
other states, and some who have
moved to other states will doubtless
return to these states. Such move
ments of population are common
among the whites as well as among
the blacks, but the fact still re-
mains that the great majority OF the
blacks in this country not only now
but for an indefinite time in the fu-
ture must remain citizens OF the
south. The truth is that when ef-
forts have been made in times past
by emigration agents to move any
considerable number of negro labor
ers from any neighborhood or county
in the southern states to some other
place, such movements have almost
invariably been met with pro-
nounced and emphatic hostility OF
their white neighbors and employers.
and so clear is this hostility that laws
upon the subject having the definite
object and purpose of checking the
exodus of laborers by means OF this
sort have been enacted"
After citing the law Mr.. Bowie con-
tinued:
But there is a law of a higher ma
ture and of greater consequence than
the civil law which you see, manifest
ed in the courts and in the police offi-
cials. | refer to the moral law. That
law enjoins not only that you shall
refrain from the commission of
crime, but 1t enjoins certain positive
duties. In the sweat of your own
face shall you eat bread is a divine
command, Industry and sobriety are
required by laws as positive as that
which says Thou shalt not kill.
And this brings me to the point that
is uppermost in my mind.
"a few months ago Col. j. w.
Church, who is now connected with
Hampton institute, came into my Of
flee with Doctor Phillips and invited
me to attend the commencement eX-
ercises of that institution. In the
course of his conversation he referred
to what Hampton was doing in the
way of Industrial education, and what
it had done. and what 1t proposed to
do in the future He referred to the
plan that had been adopted to have
hundreds of small Hamptons educat-
ing the hand OF the colored man to
work so as to get the highest results
Of his labor at the same time that
they educated the brain. These small
or institutions were to be spread not
only all over Virginia, but through
out the south. have right to refer
to Hampton institute. because the
speakers of the evening is Its most
distinguished product. listened
with great interest as he unfolded the
splendid plans which he had in his
mind for the further growth and en-
largement of that institution. and
when / got an opportunity said:
But why should this wort be started.
why should so much money be ex-
pended for the negroes alone? Is