Evening journal., 1911-07-27

like Chicago, Pittsburg, Washington,
Cleveland. indianapolis, Baltimore and
Richmond, negroes are in all kinds of
business for themselves and you can
tell what we are capable of doing if
we will and If more Of us would come
together, that have the means to do
so and start some kind Of business
that we could give employment to
more of our race we would find that
we would make faster progress. And
/ have found in a great many Of our
cities that a great many saloons are
conducted by our race and think that
if we had less saloons and more Of
other kinds of business, we could give
employment to more of our race and
would make faster progress. And 1
think saloons are burden to our race
and the cause of some of AIS not get
ting along any faster than we do. And
/ don't think we should put a stumb-
ling block in our own way. We should
do everything in our power to build
up our race and not anything to keep
them down. We are not down because
we have been up and went backwards,
it is because we have never risen.
have been in towns where temperance
societies have been successful in clos
ing up saloons and | have been in a
lot of towns where saloons are allowed
to run and / find a great difference
among our race where liquor is sold
and where it is not sold.
Il was in one of our Western towns
some years ago in the State of Iowa
where there were only about 300 coll
ored people In the town and fifty of
them owned their own property, but
there We're no saloons in that town.
] went 10 another town about eighty
miles from there where there were
about 900 colored people and plenty
of saloons and there we're five property
owners among my race. So you can
see just about what saloons do to-
ward keeping us down. And / think
1t would be a good plan If all colored
people would vote the liquor down.
They wouldn't be doing themselves
any harm, but We would be doing
something to benefit our race and also
help others and by so doing we would
make faster progress.
Negro Needs Home.
Another thing / would call your
attention to. and that is that
we had better make homes for our
selves. l don't think that half of us
realize that we are becoming a home
less race. But il is very plain to see
that we are and | will try and make
/ It plain to you. First thing / want
TO call your attention to is we are not
making homes very fast for ourselves
and we are increasing in population.
And as / have foresaid about the in
dustrial work and other grades of
work, 1t is being carried on by an
other race and not us. And they have
a right to give employment to who
they please and tie landlord has the
same right and if the houses belong
to another race they are going to look
out for their own race first. Take our
large cities and towns and you can
see just about how we are being
placed. If you take notice in the most
of them a colored person can only
rent a house in some certain parts of
! the city in alleys and back streets.
| The immigrants are coming into this
country so fast now there is not room
\ for them in the public streets and they
are first to live in alleys and the low
parts of the city and they are taking
the houses from the colored people
] So you can see that we are being
/ placed outdoors.
Some of my race may say we have