The Twin City star., 1914-01-30

Chicago.-Over 1900 people attended
the meeting In Abraham Lincoln Gen.
ter, Oakwood boulevard and Langley
avenue, in this city, recently to hear
Professor Joel e. Spingarn speak
against race segregation. 1t was the
second great public meeting in the
tour Of DR.. spingarn through the mid
die west. he Is chairman Of the board
Of directors Of the National Associa-
ton For the Advancement Of ColOred
People, with headquarters In New
York and branches In most Of the
large cities throughout the country.
The speaker referred to the move
ment to eliminate racial prejudice be-
tween the races as the new abolition
ism. A remarkable fact about the
movement is that Professor Spingarn
is bearing his own expenses. Every
dollar of the cost Of this great cam
paign is being borne by the author of
the movement This ought to bring
the blush of shame to the cheeks OF
colored men who are unwilling to con
tribute to movements to fight racial
wrongs.
The audience which listened to Pro
fessor Spingarn was highly cultured
one and included prominent people Of
several races, including Afro Ameri
cans, Caucasians, East Indians, Japa-
nese, PeYsians, Africans, American In
dams and one FIJI islander. On the
platform were DR.. George @. Hall,
Rev. Jenkin Lloyd Jones, DR. O. e.
Bentley, Judge Julian Mack, DR.. A. W..
Williams, 8. Laing Williams, Mrs. Ce-
liza Parker Wooley. Rev. J. B. Messiah.
Mr.. George w. Ellis and others.
Every good point made by the speak
er was applauded to the echo, and
when he finished there was an out
burst of applause which lasted for sew
eral minutes. IL come west to pro-
test against the treatment Of 10000
600 American citizens" he said. II
come to riddle with the light Of pub
licity the policy Of the administration
In separating the white and colored
races while at work In the depart
ments at Washington.
"Our fight is just begun, and 1t will
not end until we are triumphant. This
is not merely colored mans ques-
tion-it is an American question. For
twenty years after the civil war the
colored men and women Of this coun-
try knew not what to do nor where
to turn. Suddenly given their free
dom, they were In confusion and
chaos. Then there arose great lead
er who brought them a message. and
for twenty -five years they have known
no other message than that.
"The message was. Hard work and
the making Of money You have to
show for it $1,OOO.OOO.OOO worth OF
property. But what else have you to
show for 1t? The disfranchisement OF
nearly 100000 colored men in the
south. The jimcrow car which runs
on every southern railroad Inequali-
ties in the school laws which prevent
colored people from securing their just
share Of the school funds in the south.
although they are taxed the same pro
rata as their white fellow citizens.
School laws In Florida whereby
white teachers are prevented from
teaching cOlored children schools, even
! Sunday schools. Segregation In a
number Of cities, first in the south and
later in the north. Hundreds Of injus-
tees by laws and thousa nds by custom.
"Lynchings to the number Of 1900
show how safe your lives are. You
have great educa tional institutions and
great business places. but your rights
have been gradually taken from you,
and of what use Is the accumulation of
property If you have not the ballot
with which to protect It"
The speaker showed that, while the
race was better Off than in slavery, yet
little was held by right, nearly every
thing by tolerance, and that the people
who had stolen the rights Of the race
might also have taken the property.
and the owners would have been pow
erless to prevent It.
The truth Is. so far as rights are con-
cerned. the race Is In the most serious
crisis since the civil war. Abraham
Lincoln's unfinished business must be
completed. and 1t will be done.