The broad ax. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1895-19??, 1917-07-14

Be it resolved, by the members of
the Bethel Literary Society and other
citizens herein assembled in Bethel
church, this Sunday afternoon, July
sth, 1917.
First, that the time has now arrived.
to separate that class of cowardly and
cringing, so-called leaders of the Col
ored race, who are loud in preaching
the most destructive of all the doc
trines that the Colored people must be
content to forever remain. the "hewers
of wood and the drawers of water"
That "they should have no higher
ambitions in life, than to occupy
mental and servile positions in all the
affairs of this country"
From those, who firmly believe, that
inasmuch as the Colored people have
in a very large measure assisted in
every way to cause this country to
bloom and blossom like the rose in
June, that they have filled the forests,
drained the marshy bottoms, brought
forth the cotton and the tobacco crops
and labored hard for more. than two
hundred and fifty years without COM
pensation to make this country one of
the greatest nations on earth.
Therefore, the twelve million Col
ored people, scattered throughout the
length and the breadth of this broad
land, are freely entitled to enjoy all
of their rights guaranteed to them by
the constitution of the United States.
Second, that some immediate action
should be taken by the Colored citi-
zens of Chicago and throughout the
State of Illinois, in severely denounc-
ing and condemning the civil and mill
tary authorities at East st. Louis, Ill,
for permitting anarchy and bloody
assassination, mob and lynch law to
hold forth in that city the first of the
past week, at which time more than
two hundred innocent and law abiding
Colored men and women and children
were shot down in cold blood or hor-
ribly massacred by the cowardly anar-
chists and law defying element residing
in that city; that the homes of the Col
ored people were destroyed by the
lighted torch as well as their scant
belongings that men and women al
most ninety years of age, as well as
the sucking babe at its mother IS
breast, were murdered in the most
horrible and ruthless manner; that it
was the greatest massacre of innocent
and inoffensive human beings without
a Just cause that has ever occurred in
the savage or civilized world.
Third, that Victor A. Olander, secre-
tary of the Illinois Federation of Labor
and one of the members of the State
Council of Defense should be held up
as one of the most despicable indi-
viduals in this country and strongly
condemned for publishing it to the
world that the "Colored men of East
st. Louis, H., were patiently waiting
until all the white men in that city
had departed for the war and then
they, the Colored men, could easily
assault the white women" Mr.. Olan-
der does not seem to realize the fact
that the slave holders rebellion held
forth in this country for four years;
that all of the able bodied white men
of the South were away from their
homes fighting to keep their slaves in
chains; that their wives and daughters
were left at home under the care OF
the protecting wings of their slaves
and there is not one case on record
where one Colored man attempted in
the slightest degree to assault the
white women left in his charge. Yet
the secretary of the Illinois Federation
of Labor, who is full of race prejudice
clear through to the backbone would
like to have the American people to
believe that at this late day that all
the Colored people have transformed
themselves into wild ungovernable
beasts; that they have no higher ambi
ton than 10 assault white women.
Fourth, that the twelve million Col
ored people in this country should ex
press their everlasting gratitude to that
great and patriotic statesman, dashing
soldier, who is one of the world 4
greatest characters, Col. Theodore
Roosevelt, who stood up in Carnegie
Hall in New York City, Friday night
and boldly and courageously thundered
forth against the unspeakable crimes
perpetrated upon the Colored people al
East st. Louis, Ill, at the same time
crossing swords with Samuel Gompers
president of the American Federation
of Labor, who attempted to defend
the actions of the blood thirsty mob;