the product of the black man's labor. Cotton is the chief staple of
America, and when to this we add sugar and iron we have the heft of
Southern wealth--and the brawny hand of the Negro produces at least
three-fourths of these commodities. It was his hand chiefly that
felled the mighty forest of this Southland; it was his hand that dug
out and laid these railroads, taking away the old stagecoach and
making pleasant and rapid transit possible; it was his shoulder that
carried the mortar hod to erect these palatial cities; it was the
sweat from the Negro's brow that has made Georgia the Empire State of
the South; it was Negro labor that made it possible for the Exposition
to be held in Atlanta. Go where you will, from Washington to the gulf,
and from the Atlantic to the Ohio River, and almost every acre of land
and object of interest you behold bears the impress of Negro labor,
industry, and skill. Looking from your car window on either side most
of the beautiful farms that you see were cleared and are tilled by the
Negro; and most of the beautiful residences you have passed were
built, painted, and kept in order by Negroes. All of those beautiful,
flowered lawns show Negro industry. The glittering iron rails which
led you on lightning express to this city were laid by Negro hands
after he had tunneled the mountains, leveled the hills, and filled the
hollows. And if those iron rails were made South and the Negro did not
forge them, it was because the boss had an acute attack of colorphobia
and gave the job to some nondecitizenized, ready-to-work emigrant.
Some people used to say that the Negro was lazy, and that if freed he
would perish. I have traveled all over this country and through many
others, and I have seen thousands of tramps, but I have as yet met but
one first-class Negro tramp, and he was in London; therefore I
concluded that he had strayed from his race, and had learned the trade
from the white people. I have also learned that at the great national
tramp convention recently held in New York not a single Negro was
present. True it is that we find too many idle Negroes in the towns
and cities "holding up the corners." Well, Dr. Price once said that
the Negro had to work so hard in the hot sun during slavery that a
great many of them promised themselves that if ever they got free they
would take a good rest. The Doctor concluded that this idle class were
making good their promise. But the true cause of this apparent
idleness lies far back of this. It arises partially out of the very
distressing condition of the cotton planters of the South. The Negroes
have been so industrious for the last decade that they have
overflooded the cotton markets of the world, and consequently so
reduced the price of this staple that the landlords are not disposed
to feed hirelings through the winter, and the colored people, who have
been fed from the stores under the mortgage system, getting all their
food on time at two prices, and paying for the same in cotton in the
fall at half price, find themselves in the end in debt and greatly
discouraged. Hence thousands of would-be industrious young men float
into the cities and towns looking for jobs, in order to clothe
themselves for the winter. They find every position occupied, and
float on as apparent idlers.
One other cause of the seeming laziness on the part of the Negro is
that, as a rule, the cruel sentiment of the country has closed the
doors of every machine shop, cotton mill, and similar factories to all
persons of color. Again, almost every class of labor which once was
done by hand is now being turned off by the crank of invention. The
old-fashioned washboard has been turned into a steam laundry and the
old spinning wheel has given place to the American cotton mills. The
same is true along all lines of common labor. The Negro, however,
either by contact or in the schools of theory, has learned something
about applied science, and as his old trades have been elevated and
dignified by machinery, he would like to be elevated with them. The
washerwoman would like now to enter the steam laundry, since it has
captured her business; the blacksmith would like to enter the foundry,
where they are now molding the plowshares he once made with his
hammer; and where the Negro is capable of following his old trade to a
more elevated station we believe it the duty of the nation to allow
him to do so. While we entertain no feelings against foreigners, we
believe these to be the birth-right of American citizens, and
therefore appeal to the sentiment of this nation and ask that every
door to foundries, factories, and machine shops of every kind be
opened alike to Negroes and whites. We ask that you give us a bench,
an anvil, or a loom by the side of our white brother, with equal
wages; then, if we do not prove to be as skillful workmen as they,
after a fair trial, turn us away. This is the duty of the nation to
the Negro. I have always been a protectionist, but if every cotton
mill is to be run by immigrants from across the sea, while our sons
and daughters, who are black and poor, but to the manner born--true
and patriotic American citizens--are to be refused employment in the
factories of this country, I would advise the Negroes to vote for
whatever party may represent low tariff or free trade for all
fabricated material.
THE NEGRO AS A SOLDIER.
From the days of Washington to the days of Grant there was scarcely a
decisive battle fought upon American soil in which the Negro did not
participate in the defense of the stars and stripes. Though much of
his heroism has been forgotten because it was not published and
commented upon in American history, yet a few great men, such as Gens.
Lee, Jackson, Sherman, and Grant, have been generous enough to hand
down to us in their private diaries the valuable service rendered the
government by these black soldiers on the bloody field of battle.
Especially in the late war did the government learn to recognize the
Spartanlike heroism of the Negro. He was always ready to charge and
the last man to retreat. He was the first to lift his hand and shed
his blood when the colonies were attacked by the British in Boston;
and Gen. Sherman, in his "History of the War," says that the last man
wounded in the late rebellion was a Negro, and the last man who fired
a gun to close the unfortunate war was a Negro, upon the banks of the
Rio Grande. Hence the Negro has a record that any race might envy.
THE NEGRO AS A CITIZEN.
As a citizen, the Negro is peaceable, unassuming, and friendly toward
all races. He has studied to know his duty as a constituent of the
government, and does all in his power to perform the same. He is
always looking and praying for better times, but he never organizes a
labor union and goes out on a strike to make times better.
He is rapidly gaining wealth and intelligence. He is making every
effort to keep pace with the advancing tide of Christian civilization,
and the census of this country shows that he is making progress on
every line. Remember, too, that the most of these men were born slaves
and started out with nothing, not even good advice, but with all
odds--even their color, their previous condition, and public
sentiment--against them. Remember also that only one Negro out of a
thousand has had as yet an equal chance in the race of life, for
freedom of body, with every avenue leading toward the heights of
unqualified freedom of will and of purpose closed, and he left
standing uncovered and exposed to the worst elements of a superior
race, is worse (if anything can be worse) than slavery. And yet, with
all that, the Negro has proven to be equal to all occasions as a
citizen, and, with superior zeal to any race, he has seized every
opportunity and entered every door of usefulness that opened to him.
Come walk with me through these halls and let us see his higher life
and aims. See the walls bedecked with pictures of Negro homes and
other real estate that would compare very favorably with a majority of
the homes of the white men of this country; and this is not a fair
exhibit of the progress of the race, for not one-thousandth part of
the Negro wealth is on exhibition here. You find him an inventor, a
painter, a sculptor, and no mean artist. He can make tools, invent
machinery, and knows how to use them. He understands the sciences, and
can apply them in the daily vocations of life. He has made an earnest
effort to prepare himself for the responsibilities of citizenship.
Having been on probation for thirty years and proved our worthiness,
we now feel that we ought to be permitted to enjoy to the fullest
extent all of the rights guaranteed American citizens. Since we assume
the attitude of petitioners, I am sure that I speak the sentiment of
the American Negro when I say that we do not ask to be made white, for
had it pleased God, we would have been white. We do, not ask the
liberty of any man's power; but we would ask the liberty to have and
to occupy our own in peace and safety. I am sure the Hon. Hoke Smith
voiced the sentiment of every intelligent colored man in America when
he said that the Negro had no desire to mix with the whites--that is,
to impose himself upon them. The Negro never wanted social rights in
the sense of the common interpretation, but has and will ever contend
for civil and religious rights. I am not sorry that the white people
have been clannish enough and have had race pride enough to protect
their own society. The Negro has formed his own society, and now there
is but one favor on this line that we would ask of our white brethren,
and that is that any white man who is so unworthy of his ancestry and
unconscious of race pride as to attempt to corrupt Negro society be
punished as Negroes are (save the lynching) by the just laws of our
country. This we believe to be another duty of the nation to the
Negro. As citizens, we would not ask any state or the Federal
government for a single legislative act for our special benefit, but
we do ask that no special acts be passed by either to impede our
progress. All that we ask as citizens is that the several states and
general government legislate for the common good of all citizens,
regardless of races, and we are willing to take our chances. What more
can we ask and what less can be given by an honest Christian nation?
And may God have mercy upon any nation or people that would not grant
this! The white people of this country proudly boast of their
superiority as a race, and I grant it when considered en masse. Their
opportunities have made them thus. Then why should the stronger refuse
the weaker an equal chance in the race of life? Can it be possible
that the stronger fears the weaker?
THE NEGRO AS A SOUTHERNER.
The question has often been asked: "What must we do with the Negro?"
If you will allow, I would say: "Do nothing with him, but respect him
as a citizen at his home in the South." For the Negro is at home in
this Southland. He knows and loves no other country. He was born here.
Our fathers died here. We helped to make this Sunny South glorious,
and we desire to enjoy the fruit of our labors. The Negro understands
his white neighbors and they understand him. We are all Southerners
together, and whatever is of interest to one is a blessing to the
other. The greatest enemy to either race is he who would break our
peace and generate strife. The Negro is an indispensable factor of the
South. No race could fill his place. We know of no other clime where
the Negro, if transplanted, could better his condition. The interest
of the South is common to both races alike. We are inseparable in all
that concerns this Southland. One race cannot suffer without the other
proportionately being affected in the end. The sooner we all learn
this lesson the better for all concerned.
THE NEGRO IN POLITICS.
I have never discussed politics publicly in my life. When called upon
to represent the sentiment of my Church I feel it to be pardonable for
daring to speak my sentiments touching the vital issues of to-day. If
low tariff or free trade on certain commodities is to the best
interest of the white South, it certainly is to the best interest of
the black South, who produce the raw material, manufacture nothing,
but are all-round consumers; and if free silver, as it is now termed,
is to the best interest of the laboring classes of this country,
especially of the South and West, it must be doubly so to the Negro. I
have thought for twenty years whether or no the Negro is doing right
in voting solidly for any one national party. I would advise the race
to be slaves to no political party because of public sentiment or
misguiding politicians, but would call upon every man of the race to
be a freeman at the polls and vote his individual sentiments, looking
well to the best interest not only for the common country, but to the
best local and sectional interest as well, and for the best men to
represent that interest. And it also becomes the duty of the white
citizens of the South not only to protect the life and property of the
colored man, but to see that the Negro obtains a proportionate
patronage of the offices of the local and Federal government.
FACTS FOR COLORED PEOPLE.
_What is the black population of the world?_
The black people of the human race are estimated at 250,000,000 souls.
_What is the African population of the United States?_
The census of 1890 places the colored population at 7,470,040, and it
is believed that they have increased to nearly 10,000,000.
_How many states in the United States have a majority of Negroes?_
Three--South Carolina, Mississippi, and Louisiana.
_How many more Negroes than whites in each of these states?_
The latest census gives the Negroes of Louisiana a majority of 798;
Mississippi a majority of 197,708; and South Carolina a majority of
226,926.
_What state is having the greatest increase of population?_
Arkansas.
_What state has the greatest wealth among colored people?_
Louisiana.
_How many Negroes on the island of Cuba?_
There are 480,000 Negroes on the island of Cuba.
_What does Dr. Palmore, editor of the St. Louis Christian Advocate,
say of the Negro as a race?_
He says: "Possibly no race that God has created has made such rapid
progress in the same length of time as the Negro. As a rule, they
should not be judged by the criminals among them who have become
conspicuous in the newspapers for their evil deeds, but they should be
judged from the honest, hard-working men and women, who, beginning
with nothing, have in the course of one generation accumulated over
$650,000,000 worth of real and personal property."
_How many Negroes in the 55th Congress of the United States?_
Only one--Hon. George H. White, of North Carolina.
_How many colored people own their own homes in this country?_
According to the census of 1890, there were 234,747 homes and farms,
free from all incumbrance, owned by Negroes; and since that time the
number has probably doubled.
_How many books have been written by Afro-Americans?_
More than 300 books written by Negro men and women have been
published, while probably not more than fifty have had an extensive
circulation. The "Afro-American Encyclopedia" has had the largest
sale.
_How many newspapers are edited and published by Afro-Americans?_
Over 400.
_Name one of the leading papers in each of the several states._
The "Colored American," Washington, D. C.; the "Age," New York, N. Y.;
the "Freeman," Indianapolis, Ind.; the "Gazette," Cleveland, O.; the
"Courant," Boston, Mass.; the "Planet," Richmond, Va.; the "Gazette,"
Huntsville, Ala.; the "Southern Age," Atlanta, Ga.; the "Progress,"
Helena, Ark.; the "Elevator," San Francisco, Cal.; the "Statesman,"
Denver, Colo.; the "Sentinel," Pensacola, Fla.; the "Appeal," Chicago,
Ill.; the "Herald," Leavenworth, Kans.; the "Standard," Lexington,
Ky.; the "Afro-American," Baltimore, Md.; the "Enquirer," Charleston,
S. C.; the "Woman's Messenger," Memphis, Tenn.; the "Republican," New
Orleans, La.; the "American Citizen," Kansas City, Mo.; the
"Progress," Omaha, Neb.; the "Gazette," Raleigh, N. C.; the "Tribune,"
Philadelphia, Pa.; the "Freeman," Houston, Tex.; the "People's
Defender," Jackson, Miss.
_By whom were Negroes first called contrabands?_
By Gen. B. F. Butler, on the 22d of May, 1861, at Newport News, Va.
_When did Hon. Frederick Douglass die?_
On the 20th of February, 1895, at seven o'clock p.m., at his home in
Washington, D. C.
_Who is the greatest poet of the race?_
Paul Lawrence Dunbar.
_Whose blood was the first spilled in revolution?_
Crispus Attucks, a Negro, was the first to lay down his life in the
defense of his country.
_What does the Washington Post say of G. W. Bryant, editor of the Race
Standard, of Baltimore, Md.?_
"He is one of the most gifted orators of natural compass, white or
black, in the United States. He has a voice that reminds men of Henry
Grady, and controls an almost inexhaustible vocabulary."
_How many building and loan associations are conducted by Negroes?_
At least forty building, loan, and co-operative associations are doing
business on a substantial basis, having conformed to the laws of the
various states in which they are operated.
[Illustration: John Q. Adams, Chicago Ill.]
_Who was the first President of the Afro-American Press Association?_
John Quincy Adams, editor of the "Appeal," was the first President of
the Afro-American Press Association.
_When did the Negro exodus take place?_
In 1879-80, when about 7,000 colored people left the Southern States
and settled in Kansas.
_When did the last sale of slaves lake place?_
In October, 1859, Pierce Butler, of Philadelphia, sold 988 slaves at
the race track, Savannah, Ga., for $303,850.
_How many Negro colleges in Mississippi?_
There are ten colleges in Mississippi for the education of Negro
youths, and they are all well filled with bright, progressive
students, who are fitting themselves for intelligent, worthy
leadership of the race.
_When was the Freedman's Bank established?_
In March, 1865. It was established in Washington, D. C., and had
thirty-four branch banks in different parts of the United States.
_How long did this bank live?_
Nine years, during which time it handled no less than $56,000,000.
_How many colored Catholics in the United States?_
Colored Catholics have two priests and over 200,000 communicants.
_Who are among the leading poetesses of the race?_
Mrs. Francis E. W. Harper, Mrs. Charlotte F. Grimke, Mrs. M. E. Lee,
and Mrs. Josie Heard.
_Who is the highest colored Mason in the United States?_
John G. Jones, who was recently elected Third Vice President of the
Cook County Lawyers' Association, a new but strong organization
composed of those admitted to practice by the Supreme Court of
Illinois. He is a thirty-third degree Mason, the highest in the United
States.
[Illustration: JOHN G. JONES, CHICAGO, ILL.]
_How many colored lawyers in Chicago?_
There are thirty colored lawyers in Chicago, Lloyd G. Wheeler being
the first, and was admitted in 1869. Miss Ida Platt is the only
colored lady lawyer in Chicago. She was admitted to the bar about two
years ago, and sought to make herself a first-class lawyer in every
respect.
_How many colored councilmen has Philadelphia?_
Six.
_Who is the richest negro bootblack in the United States?_
Thomas Gleason, of Baltimore, Md., is said to have accumulated $15,000
polishing boots and shoes.
_Who is considered the best colored mathematician?_
Prof. Kelly Miller, of Howard University, Washington, is the finest
mathematician of which the race can boast. He is the author of a
text-book on geometry, which is taught at Howard University.
_How many colored public schools in Washington?_
In his annual report of the colored public schools of Washington, D.
C., Superintendent G. F. Cook accounts for 242 schools; 297 teachers,
of whom 252 are females and 45 males; 12,876 pupils, with an average
daily attendance of 9,767.
_How many Negroes on the police force in Chicago?_
Twenty-seven.
_Can you tell how many colored troops there are in the United States
Army?_
The Negro soldiers in the United States Army number 2,400.
_When was the National Baptist Publishing Board organized?_
This institution was organized at St. Louis, Mo., on the 16th of
September, 1896, and the Publishing House established in Nashville,
Tenn., January 1, 1897, with Rev. R. H. Boyd, D.D., as Secretary.
[Illustration: REV. R. H. BOYD, D.D., SAN ANTONIO, TEX.]
_Of what is this organization composed?_
This organization is composed entirely of Negro Baptists, and is said
to be the largest Baptist organization in the world.
_How many colored men and women are employed by the city of Pittsburg,
Pa.?_
The city government of Pittsburg, Pa., gives employment to 233 colored
persons, 23 of whom are in the police department as clerks, patrolmen,
turnkeys, etc., and 9 are clerks in the courthouse.
_Who was the first colored man elected judge in Florida?_
Hon. Joseph E. Lee, of Jacksonville, Fla., enjoys the distinction of
being the first Negro to be elected to a judicial office in that
state. He is a lawyer of high repute, and has served in the
Legislature of his state for many years. He was elected city judge of
Jacksonville in 1887, and has been collector of customs there for some
time. He will doubtless serve in that capacity under the incoming
administration.
DR. WILLIAM KEY.
[Illustration: DR. WILLIAM KEY.
Shelbyville, Tenn.]
No colored man in all the South is more highly esteemed for his
integrity by all who know him than Dr. William Key. He is the very
soul of honour, and is a living example of what every colored boy
should strive to be. His word is his bond among all classes wherever
he is known. He is the inventor of Key's Liniment, so widely known and
used all over the Southern States.
JIM KEY.
In many respects this is beyond all question the most wonderfully
trained horse in the world. He was foaled near Shelbyville, Bedford
County, Tenn., May 1, 1888, and was reared and educated by Dr. William
Key. Seven years of close attention were given to his education. He is
a graduate, and is said to be the finest scholar of the equestrian
race, or possibly in the animal kingdom.
He gives all the symptoms of the common diseases to which the horse is
heir, prescribes the remedy for same, gets and delivers the medicine,
collects the money, makes the correct change (when needed), and puts
it in the cash drawer as correctly as any clerk.
He takes a silver dollar out of a full bucket of water without
upsetting the bucket or drinking a drop of the water.
He delivers mail correctly, allowing any person to call for it by
number.
He can play a number of pieces on an organ as correctly as an Italian.
He knows every piece of money from a one-cent copper coin to a
one-hundred-dollar bill, and can change any bill as correctly as the
average clerk.
He knows the deck of cards perfectly, and will get any suit or size
called for.
Jim is also a mind reader, and after reading the mind of a man, woman,
or child he will go to his wheel of fortune, turn it, and get the true
character of the person as well as any clairvoyant in the country.
[Illustration: Jim Key, Shelbyville, Tenn.]
Every coin from one cent to one dollar can be laid on a table
promiscuously, when any one in the audience may name the coin he wants
removed, telling Jim to give it to his owner or place it in the cash
drawer, and he will comply with the request promptly and correctly.
Kerchiefs of different colors may be tied on each hind foot, and this
intelligent horse will remove the one desired by any one simply by
naming the color.
If Dr. Key should say, "Jim, I am going to sell you, provided you are
a sound horse," Jim will immediately get so lame that he can hardly
move; but on being assured that he shall not be sold he is
miraculously cured of his lameness.
The above are only a few of the wonderful things this horse performs.
Dr. Key, his owner, has his horse now on exhibition at the Tennessee
Centennial, and he challenges any or all the horsemen of the world for
a wager of $10,000 to show on these grounds his equal, the winner to
donate $5,000 to the Centennial Committee.
Seven thousand dollars has been offered for the horse since the
exhibition commenced, but was promptly refused. We have learned that
$10,000 will buy him.
A SOUL AT AUCTION.
BY REV. JOHN HENRY DICKERSON, OCALA, FLA.
There is a very good story told of Rowland Hill and Lady Ann Erskine.
You have seen it in print perhaps, but I would like to tell it to you.
While he was preaching in a park in London to a large assemblage, she
was passing in her carriage. She said to her footman, when she saw
Rowland Hill in the midst of the people: "Who is that man?"
"That is Rowland Hill, my lady."