_I_, the undersigned, promise to help in securing to every member
of the human family, _Freedom_, _Equal Opportunity_ and _Brotherly
Consideration_.
The publication [1] _Fraternity_, into which _Anti-Caste_ had been
merged, became the organ of the Society, and S. J. Celestine Edwards
was appointed editor.
Miss Eliza Wigham, Secretary of the Anti-Slavery Society, entertained
Miss Wells during this visit.
Miss Wells soon after returned to the States, established herself in
Chicago, and as a staff contributor to _The Conservator_ and New York
_Age_ did valuable work that led to a wide-spread discussion of the
subject of lynching of Afro-Americans in the Southland. Soon after she
began the preparation of a pamphlet entitled “The Reason Why,” for
distribution at the World’s Fair. This was a most carefully prepared
series of papers on race subjects by such writers as the Hon. Fred.
Douglass, I. Garland Penn, F. L. Barnett and Ida B. Wells.
Miss Wells was sent by the _Inter-Ocean_ to secure the facts concerning
a lynching case; these facts she secured and the result of her work was
published in the columns of that influential journal.
Soon after, a few hours before the lynching of Lee Walker, at Memphis,
Tenn., the following telegram was sent to the _Inter-Ocean_, Chicago:--
“MEMPHIS, July 22.
“To _Inter-Ocean_, Chicago:--Lee Walker, colored man, accused of
----, to be taken out and burned by whites. Can you send Miss Ida
Wells to write it up? Answer.
R. M. MARTIN, with _Pub. Ledger_.”
Miss Wells did much effective work for the race at the World’s Fair. At
its close she was soon after invited to again lecture in England under
the auspices of “The Society for the Recognition of the Brotherhood of
Man,” which she had been instrumental in forming at her previous visit.
On February 28, 1894, Miss Wells once more sailed for the shores of
“Old England.” While making her second lecturing tour, under the
auspices of the above-named Society, resolutions endorsing her mission
were secured from the following associations: The Congregational Union,
National Baptist Association, Young Men’s Christian Association,
National British Women’s Temperance Association, Women’s Liberal
Association, Society of Friends, Society for the Union of Churches, and
the Unitarian Conference.
Lady Jeune, Mrs. Lockhart Smith, Charles F. Aked, Sir Edward Russell,
and other prominent persons and members of the nobility opened their
drawing-rooms to a favored few to listen to the story of the woes of
Afro-Americans as recited by Miss Wells. Sir Joseph Pease presided at
the parliamentary breakfast given in Miss Wells’ honor.
Miss Ellen Richards, who so many years ago had purchased the freedom
of Frederick Douglass and Wm. Wells Brown, received our young
philanthropist as her honored guest.
The following clipping from one of Miss Wells’ letters to the New York
_Age_ will give an excellent idea of the drift of the public meetings
held by her in London:--
The Rev. C. F. Aked (Liverpool) moved: “That this union, having learned
with grief and horror of the wrongs done to the colored people of the
Southern States of America by lawless mobs, expresses the opinion that
the perpetuation of such outrages, unchecked by the civil power, must
necessarily reflect upon the administration of justice in the United
States and upon the honor of its people. It therefore calls upon all
lovers of justice, of freedom, and of brotherhood in the churches
of the United States, to demand for every citizen of the Republic,
accused of crime, a proper trial in the courts of law.” He said that
the scandal he referred to had no parallel in the history of the world,
and it was their duty as Christians to do their best to put a stop to
it. In the Southern States of America there are 25,000 negro teachers
in elementary schools, 500 negro preachers trained in the theological
institutes of the people themselves, and 2500 negro preachers who had
not received college training. The colored race had also produced 300
lawyers, 400 doctors, 200 newspapers, and they possessed property
valued at £50,000,000 sterling. Yet these people are being whipped,
scourged, hanged, flayed, and roasted at the stake. There had been
1000 lynchings within the last ten years, and the average now was
from 150 to 200 every year. Some of these murders were foul beyond
expression and such as to appall and disgrace humanity. Most of the
lynchings were alleged to be for assaults upon women, but only a small
proportion of cases were really of that kind. The mobs who lynched
these poor people were generally drunk and half insane and always
bestial. The church must not keep silent while the press spoke out,
and he was glad to see that the _Daily Chronicle_ was doing splendid
service in the cause of humanity--(cheers)--called attention to the
subject that morning, and told them to give a moral nudge to their
American brethren. It was the duty of great nations to shame each
other, and if they could do any good, he should be pleased. He appealed
to them to prove by their action the solidarity of the human race and
the brotherhood of man under the fatherhood of God, and thus to further
the interest of the kingdom of heaven. (Cheers.)
Rev. Charles F. Aked was one of Miss Wells’ ablest English supporters,
and gave an excellent account of her work in the _Review of the
Churches_.
Speaking of the purpose to be served by Miss Wells’ mission to England,
Mr. Aked says:--
“One thing she has set herself to do, and that there seems to be every
possibility of her accomplishing.
* * * * *
Miss Wells does not suppose that any direct political action can be
taken, but she does suppose that British opinion, if aroused, can
influence American press and pulpit, and through the press and pulpit
the people of the Northern States.”
The Anti-Lynching Committee formed in England has just given to the
world through the publication of a letter from Miss Florence Balgarnie
in the August 23d issue of the New York _Age_ a list of its members.
The men and women who in the name of humanity and civilization have
banded themselves together in this committee are still adding both
British and Americans to their numbers. Among those who have already
joined are:--
The Right Honorable the Duke of Argyle, K. G., K. T.; the Rev. C. F.
Aked, Liverpool; Mr. W. Allan, M. P., Gateshead-on-Tyne; Mr. Wm. E. A.
Axon, Manchester; the Rev. R. Armstrong, Liverpool; Mr. Thomas Burt, M.
P., Morpeth; the Right Honorable Jacob Bright, M. P., Manchester; Mrs.
Jacob Bright; Mr. Wm. Byles, M. P., Bradford; Mrs. Byles, Bradford;
Mr. W. Blake-Odgers, Mr. E. K. Blyth, Mr. Percy Bunting, Mrs. Percy
Bunting, Mr. Herbert Burrows, Mr. Bertram, Miss Bertram, Mr. P. W.
Clayden, Mrs. P. W. Clayden, Mr. James G. Clarke, the Rev. Dr. John
Clifford, London; Sir Charles Cameron, Bart., M. P., Glasgow; Mr.
Francis A. Channing, M. P., Southampton; the Rev. Estlin Carpenter,
Oxford; Mr. Moncure D. Conway, Mrs. Conway, U. S. A. and London; Mrs.
E. T. Cook, London; Mr. Wm. Crosfield, M. P., Liverpool; Mrs. J.
Passmore Edwards, London; Mr. C. Diamond, M. P., Monaghan, N.; Mr. T.
E. Ellis, M. P., Nottingham; Mr. A. E. Fletcher, London; Miss Isabella
Ford, Leeds; the Right Honorable Sir T. Eldon Gorst, M. P., Cambridge
University; Mr. Frederic Harrison; Mr. Justin McCarthy, M. P.,
Longford, N.; Mr. Dadabhai Naoroji, M. P., India and London; the Rev.
Dr. Newman Hall, the Rev. Dr. Robert Horton, Mr. T. A. Lang, London;
Miss Kate Riley, Southport; Lady Stevenson, London; Dr. Spence Watson,
Mrs. Spence Watson, Gateshead-on-Tyne; Mr. J. A. Murray Macdonald, M.
P., Mr. Tom Mann, London; the Rev. Dr. W. F. Moulton, Cambridge; Sir
Joseph Pease, Bart., M. P., Durham; Sir Hugh Gilzen Reid, Birmingham;
Mrs. Henry Richardson, York; Sir Edward Russell, Liverpool; Mr. Sapara,
Africa and London; Mr. C. P. Scott, Manchester; Professor James Stuart,
M. P., Mrs. Stuart, London; Mr. Charles Schwann, M. P., Manchester;
Miss Sharman-Crawford, Ulster; the Rev. Canon Shuttleworth, London; the
Rev. S. Alfred Steinthal, Manchester; Mrs. Stanton-Blatch, U. S. A.
and Basingstoke; Alderman Ben Tillett, London; Mr. John Wilson, M. P.,
Glasgow; the Rev. Philip Wicksteed, Mrs. Wicksteed, London; Mr. Alfred
Webb, M. P., Waterford, W.; Mr. S. D. Wade, London; Mr. Mark Whitwill,
Bristol; Miss Eliza Wigham, Edinburgh; Mr. Wm. Woodall, M. P., Hanley;
Mr. J. Passmore Edwards, honorable treasurer; Miss Florence Balgarnie,
honorable secretary.
This has been further supplemented by the following list from the
Philadelphia _Press_ of Sunday, August 26, 1894, containing many
English, and not a few names of persons of great influence, natives of
the United States:--
Duke of Argyle, Sir John Gorst, member of Parliament for the University
of Cambridge and student of Social Phenomena; Justin McCarthy, Sir John
Lubbock, Ellis Ashmead Bartlett, Rt. Rev. Ed. White Benson, Archbishop
of York and Primate of all England; Passmore Edwards, treasurer, who
has in hand 5000 pounds to carry on the work of the committee; Mrs.
Humphrey Ward, president of the Women’s Auxilliary Branch of the
League; Lady Henry Somerset, the Countess of Aberdeen; the Countess of
Meath, founder of the Ministering Children’s League; J. Keir Hardie.
Americans--Richard Watson Gilder, of Century Company; Samuel Gompers,
labor leader; Miss Frances Willard, Archbishop Ireland, Dr. John Hall,
W. Bourke Cochran, Carl Schurz, Mgr. Ducey, Bishop David Lessums, of
the Protestant Episcopal Diocese of Louisiana; Archbishop Francis
Jansens, of the Roman Catholic Arch-Diocese of Louisiana; Bishop Hugh
Miller Thompson, of Mississippi; Bishop A. Van de Vyer, of Virginia.
The Legislatures of Texas, Alabama and Florida have consented to give a
hearing to deputations sent out by the League.
The following interesting and pathetic fact is stated (concerning the
first contribution to the funds of the above-mentioned League) by Miss
Wells in the Aug. 23d, 1894, issue of the New York _Age_:--
The first donation that the committee received came from a party
of a dozen Africans who were in England. Desiring to show their
appreciation of what had been done for me and the cause of the race,
they sent 14 pounds, or nearly $70, as a testimonial of appreciation.
I shall be glad to give a copy of their letter in another issue. We
want the same voluntary response on this side to carry on the work
here. Shall we have it?