The Colorado statesman., 1923-02-17

" ing for cooperation between the
N Negro and white races was en-
~ phasized by L. Hollingsworth
Wood. chairman of the National Urban
Ieague. at it's eleventh annual meeting
in the Russell Sage Foundation build
ing. Wednesday afternoon. He report
ed that the year 1922 had been the
most important in the history of the
Urban League movement which started
with small group in New York spend
ing 81. 500 in 1910, and has grown to
national movement with branches IN
more than forty cities spending more
than S25O,OOO a year.
'The greatest handicap to better in
ter-racial relations has been the lndlt-
ference of the great mass of whites,
and this Indifference has been due
largely to the limited knowledge by the
whites of Negroes" said Mr. Wood.
1.-THE last few years have shown new
and significant change which-ha come
about through the great migration OF
Negroes from the South into the in
dustrial centers of the East and Mid
die West and through the attention
which has been brought to inter-racial
relations by the exposition of ku kluX
activities, by the congressional debates
on the Dyer Anti-Lynching Bill, by the
public discussion of President Lowells
attempt to scrap one of Harvards
most precious traditions, and by simi-
lar incidents in which the Negro has
figured in the news.
"These incidents have made the
great contribution of focusing atten-
ton on this matter and for every per-
son whose prejudices have been fos-
tered there have been many real Amer
leans who have accepted the challenge
to our traditions of justice and fair
play and have become aroused to
throw their influence with the con-
structive forces.
"The result has been an increased
interest in and support of the Urban
League movement and like stimula-
ton of the other forces for co-opera-
ton, such as the Commission in Inter
racial Relations which is becoming so
important an influence in the South,
and the activities of.the Federal Coun-
ell of Churches of Christ in America.
AS material evidence of this in
creased interest, the Urban League an
nounced that four new cities had or
ganized affiliated groups in 1922, and
that the income of the national organ
ization had increased $4,000, to TO-
tai of $43,4 ,4S6.
Announcement was also made that
friends of the late Mrs. Harry Plotz
who died in Paris last spring, had
raised $4,000 which had been given to
the National Urban League for the es-
tablishment of the Ella Sachs Plotz
Fund. the income from which is to be
devoted "to the development and train
ing of some Negro man or woman
especially fitted for social and civic
service in the community" Mrs. Plotz,
who was daughter of Samuel Sachs, |
was an active member of the Urban |
League Board and n trustee of FISK |
University.
Irving S. Merrell, president of the |
Merrell- -Soule Company of Syracuse, !
and a trustee of Tuskegee Institute,
and c. G. Spaulding, secretary-treasur-I
er of the North Carolina Mutual Life |
Insurance Company, the largest Negro |
insurance company, were elected to the |
executive board, and among those re-
elected for term of three years were
Felix Adler, Mrs. julius Rosenwald, |
Mrs. Booker T. Washington, William |
G.. Wilcox, Miss Mamie Burroughs of |
and James Fl. billiard of |
Va. The officers, in