Iowa state bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916, 1915-04-30

when the.Democrats regained control
Of this constituency in South Carolina.
President Mckinley appointed
Smalls Collector of the Port of Beau
fort, and this post he held under sue
ceeding administrations until Presi'
dent Wilson displaced him In 1913. He
was always a staunch Republican and
was delegate to several national con-
ventions. General Bob" acquired his
title from his connection with his
state militia. In 1873 he was appoint
| ed lieutenant-colonel in the Third regi-
ment and had risen to the rank OF
major.general of the Second division
when he was legisla 1 out OF the posi-
tion in 1877.
At New Orleans short time ago
the most notable gathering Of Me-
groes in this country was held-the
Bishops Council of the African Meth
odist Episcopal church. These bish-
ops came from Philadelphia, Baltimore,
Chicago, Wilberforce, Ohio, Atlanta,
Little Rock, Detroit, Columbia, s. c.,
and Nashville, and represent more than
six thousand churches scattered over
tbs country and in foreign lands.
Perhaps no organization Of Negroes
has more interesting history than
the African Methodist Episcopal
church. February IA, the one hundred
and fifty-fifth anniversary of the birth
of its founder, Richard Allen, who
was born a slave in Philadelphia, Pa,
February IA, 1850, when slavery -four
ished in the North as well as the
South. He was, however, an extra
ordinary man, even as slave. He
caused the conversion of his own mas
ter, who proposed to let him buy his
freedom. He saved by working at odd
times, and about 1880, purchased his
freedom and that of his brother for
$4,000.
He then went out as preacher. In
1884 he was present as a spectator
at the first Methodist general confer
ence at Baltimore, Md. In 1856 he To-
Gated in Philadelphia after preaching
in New Jersey, Delaware and Mary.
land. About this time the number of
Negroes, or as they were called then
Africans" belonging to St. Georges
Methodist church was very great-in-
deed, so great that the trustees
thought it best to confine them to a
certain portion of the church. Many
of them, however, preferred to have
their own church, SO that in 1887 they
withdrew from st. Georges church
and started an African" Methodist
church. In 1894, they purchased an
old blacksmith shop and moved it up
.opia lot which they had purchased.
and began worship there, under their
own vine and fig tree" in what they
chose to call Bethel African Methodist
church. This property cost less than
$1,000. 1t is still owned by the church
and is worth today more than $780,.
600, and is the oldest piece of property
owned by large Negro organization.
HAAASA wac q 81 Cav ACuuCl anu OOOA
had flourishing church. Meanwhile
in New York, New Jersey and Mary
land, other Independent Negro churches
were established. He conceived the
idea Of getting these together into one
compact general organization. After
visiting them he extended an invita-
ton to meet in Philadelphia in April,
1916, to form Christian denomina-
tional body under the name of the
African Methodist Episcopal church"
This was done, and Richard Allen was
elected and ordained the first bishop
of this church, and the first Negro
bishop in America.