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DOT OF THE GOVERNMENT
Ittornej Edward Everett Brown Espousing
a Cause that May End Lynching Evil
lA Ifileu or me nisiory 01 aew K
and - Leaillcg Barrister and Race
ChamploD Jlob Violence Mot a Sec
tlona finest Ion Onr First Allegiance
II IXn Hip Niillon tlien the State An
Organization Supported by Constl
mMoa Congress Should Act
An Uro Ameiican now prominent
in the public eye is Edward Everett
Brown a leading attorney of Boston
Hewasburn in Doer N H in 1858
and is the son of Cbas J and Martha
A LMwn well known in that 8tatc
He was graduated from DoverHigh
Vhuil n 167S where he fitted for
Dsrtniiraih College and was class ora
tor Hh oration on Genius was
proniiiuced by competent critics to
have een one of the ablest and most
si tiiuar v ever delivered by any student
in tti state Mr Brown took high
rank in the languages he was consld
ereu ia the beat trench and Iiatin
echu ar m the class He early showed
an ap nude lor debate and a fondness
for the law and could always be found
m the fiont ranks of the spectators
when the session of the Supreme
Coun was held in his native city to
bear tie great legal lights expound
tli duirmes of Blackstone and Kent
He egan his legal sturtiea in the
law oiliee of Hon John B White a
dwinguished New Hampshire jurist
and Judge of Probate Court in the city
ofDr remaiuing in hi3 oiBce three
yea - applying himself diligently to
ma ttr ihe abstruse problems of the
law Iiie Judge took a special interest
m him and under his wise counsel
and re experience he gained much
pra i al aud valuable knowledge In
l1 Mr Brown took a special couse
at U tu University Law School where
he ai quitted himself well being very
po uar with the students and
While pursuing his studies at the
I u versity he entered the law office of
tui iiist distinsuished attornev in hp
Htuf Massachusetts one of the
v mors the late Hon William Gas
tin His fellow student in the olllce
wasion J awin L Jurtis ex Mayor
of Boston
Mr Brown was presented for admis
fii o the bar by Gov Gaston and
pafc ed a successful examination and
was adm ttcd to practice in
in 18S4 He opened a law
o in Boston In company with
Jan cm H Wojfl the present Judee
otate of the G AR of Mass
a few years afterwards formed the
i olored law firm in Massachusetts
inn bung known as Walker
x urown After a number nf
Jt 1 of successful pTacttce Mr Walk
ermiliurew from thn firm hit iron
V fl
w uw iv
and Brown still continue as
Iar i er Mr Brown is considered to
be je of the brightest young men at
the i Jr He is a keen cross examiner
a powerful eloquent and convinc
Qg ry advocate
14 I
uus inea many important civil
rminal cases and possesses in a
marfe degree the respect of the bench
aD e bar no is well known for
tDe great interest he takes in race mat-
aad is always willing to sacrifice
Te ability and monev to eeenra
eiua y of rights to the poor despised
wi pressed Negro He possesses in
et gnest degree the confidence of
t p e he is bold manly and un-
promising He framed the
n nug bln whIcll i8 now attracting
attention of tho whole country
nd
secured a unanimous indorsement
- auie speech he delivered at
ias before the Afro American
c He is working faithfully for
aeain l x0 makc 1yncblng a crime
g J SUbc Government of tho United
and to secure EiErnatnrM tn m
Anti lynching petitions which will be
presented to Congress in December
Mr Brown is president of the most
influential Negro organizations in
Massachusetts The Wendell Phillips
Clnb the Crispus Attncks Ulub he is
also Fiiat Vice President of the Na
tional League of the city of Boston
In politics he is a republican but one
who la outspoken when be thinks the
party is not acting right toward its
members
Mr Brown is married and has a
beautiful home in Boston Highlands
presided over by his charming wife
Many social functions occur at his
hospitable home which is the center of
attraction among strangers when they
visit Boston He is the brother of
Madame Nellie Brown Mitchell and
Miss Edna E Brown the well know n
vocalists
Mr Brown maintains his position
with strong argument why a National
Anti Lynching Bill should be enacted
by Congress He said in his speech at
Chicago
It Is no longer a Negro or sectional
question for the lynching mania is
spreading like a rancer over the whole
country sapping the life blood of the
Republic undermining American in
stitutions and degrading the manhood
and womanhood ot the land It teaches
our youth to disregarding the law
and order aud look upon our courts of
just ce with contempt and wilt breed
a rice anarchists aud nihilists for the
same element that would lynch a Ne
gro without the form of a trial for
Eome faucied grievance against their
neighbor would burn down his house
his store or his factory
He argues we are all National citi
zens before we are citizens of any
state Our first allegiance is to the
United States Government second to
the state In which we live ihls propo
sition being true the first duty of the
General Government which is supreme
upon every inch of American soil is
to protect its humblest citizen in any
state whether black or white rich or
poor
Article 14 Section I of the Constitu
tion of the United States reads that
No State shall deprive a citizen of
life liberty or propeity without due
process of law
Mr Browns contention is founded
upon a well established legal princi
pal that where the duly elected and
accredited officials of a stale sworn to
uphold and administer the law show
no deposition or make no honest ef
fort vo enforce their own police regula
tions allowiug prisoners who have been
detained for trial to be taken from
their jails by bands of lawless men
and murdered in their midst many
time3 participating in tho commission
of the horrible crime of lynching them
selve He claims that treason has
baen committed against the Govern
ment itself because the Constitution is
being violated with impunity and an
American citizen depnved of his life
without duo process of law by the
state because of the acts of state officials-
Therefore the general Government in
its great organic entity should rise in
its majestic power and interfere m any
state tc protect the life of an American
citizen asMt did in 1SC1 when Sumpter
was fired upon and the greatest war
of modern times was fought to over
throwthe doctrine of state rights aud
establish the supremacy of the United
States as greater than any one state
Bible Day Exercises
Last Sunday Bible Day was appro
priately observed by the Metropolitan
Baptist Sundayschool A symposium
of high literary merit expressive of the
effect and influence of the Biblo was
pretented under the supervision of
Miss E V JRussell superintendent
and Rev Robert Johnson pastor
Some of the young people participating
in the exercises were Charles Pryor
and Jesse Chase Misses Daisy Robb
Estelle Robinson Marie Johnson Mary
Leftwich E McKenny Lottie West
and Pauline Overton
Mr John L Johnston of Natchez
Miss brother to Mr W R Johnston
of the Recorders office will arrive in
the city shortly and will enter Howard
University
IMIIEILSr OIF THE ZEiOTTIR
EDWARD EVERETT BROWN
A Leading Attorney of Boston Mass Author and Champion of an Anti
Lynching Bill which Bids Fair to Work Great Good for the Race
M AI OR CHARLES R DOUGLASS
Asks that the Law Guaranteeing Equal Civil Rights to All American Citizens
be Tested Anew Rebukes the Washington Negro for Bartering
Away Dignity for Two Hours of Alleged Pleasure
New Drug Store Opened-
StLouis Mo Special E HTaylor
one of St Louis leading colored law
yers who has been very successful at
the bar in this city has opened a first
class drug store eomeibing St Louis
has never had before He has a first
class stock of drugs and everything
i3 fitted up very neatly He is doing a
good business Mr Taylor remains at
bis practice before the bar and W C
F Crews druggist agisted by George
Taylor has charge of the store Mr
Taylor has been one of the most suc
cessful colored lawyers before the St
Louis bar and during his six years of
practice has invested very hea ily in
real estate and is today estimated to
be worth 15000 and no doubt has a
greater desire now than he had six
years ago to push on until he has
placed himself among the greatest of
the nation Hurely he remembers that
favorite phrase of Shakespeares put
money in thy purse These are the
kind ot men we want to help the race
on to their goal
Every one I epeak to says he wants
Ihe Colored American and I hope by
the first of January to have it in one
thousand homes M J B
Rev O M Waller is taking a course
of medical instruction atHoward Uni
versity It is said that Mr Waller may
be selected to fill the next vacancy on
the Board of cchool Trustees No bet
ter choice could be made whenever a
change Is decided upon
WHERE THE BLUE BELONGS
Easily Satisfied Negroes Hake It EioGlable for
Prejudiced Writes to Discriminate
Major Chos It Douglass Reads a Time
ly Lcou to lUe Colored People Who
Paid Honey to Washingtons Jim
Crow Theater for the Privilege o
Being insnlted Karttrlng Manhood
Rights tor One Evenings Pleasure A
Deserted Gallery Wonld nave Been
a Proper Rebuke
Editor Colored American The move
ment initiated during last week by
Manager P B Chase of the New Grand
Opera House to re establish the color
line of ante bellum days In ourtheaters
haB bten fully indorsed by our own
Negro population beginning with onr
present prominent representative men
and going down the line to the boot
black and kitchen girl element of so
ciety from Quality Row to -Blood
Field indorsement came for the new
movement by hundreds yes thousands
flocking to this New Grand Buying
their tickets at the main entrance and
then being rudely ordered out again
into the Btrcet they wended their way
for fully two blocks to a dark and dingy
aide entrance climbed a fire escape
ladder aud got into the gallery These
Negroes took their medicine with a
single gulp and a grin and took their
seatB wherever ordered The thing
worked so smoothly and profitably to
the management that no surprise need
be felt if all the other theaters spring
the same dose upon them They have
fully earned it and deserve it by their
conduct in permitting themselves to
be proscribed for the sake of a few hours
entertainment
Bearing of the stirring scenes trans
piring at this routh side theater I went
down on Wednesday night and took
a stand in front of the main entrance
where I could witness for myself the
acceptance by hundreds of our people
of as gross an indignity and insult as
has been put upon ns here since 1865
and I saw crowds of well dressed and
rofined appearing males and females
of our race laughing and merry climb
ing the iron ladder to the Negro
ios to witness a vaudeville show Did
they have self lespeci Bah Some of
our leading literary lights who read
fine papers before our Bethel Literary
and Historical Association on our race
progress self respect higher education
manhood and other Negro problems
jostled each ether in their eagerxess to
climb the iron steps and get into the
gallery set apart for them Oh how
bumilated I felt at the scene It
seemed to me as though a quarter of a
century had been wasted on theso peo
pie Had it been only the ignorant
masses I could have found some conso
lation in the thought that they knew
no hotter but such was not the case
for there were professional men states
men men in high official positions
school teachers clerks and students
The firsr night they were excusable for
going but when they knew as they
did know what occurred on that night
there was no excuse for their continu
ing their attendance night after night
right on through the week- All of
them looked alike to Manager Chase
and they had to fare alike
The managers of the other theaters
will now call on Manager Chase and
inquire how he managed his niggers
last week Well he will reply
They kicked a little at first that is a
few of them who think they are as
good as white folks but the majoxity
of them went where I sent them
You know that they are a docile race
easy to handle when they see that you
are m earnest Tea they would not
have missed seeing that show for a
seat in paradise no matter where you
put them No we did not lose a dol
lar the thing worked so smoothly and
K3
Vol 7 No 35
WASHINGTON D C SATURDAY NOVEMBER 25 1899
Price Kive Cnts
besides they comprised about nine
tenths of our patronage
Thus it is that the prejudice that we
are continually bcmosnlng as being on
the Increase here in Washington we
ourselves are fostering We are con
stantly contributing to OHr own degra
dation by our acceptance of degrad
ing conditions In things that arenot
necessary to our welfare I cant con
ceive how a person can sit for two
hours and enjoy an entertainment
fresh from the presence of a deep in
sult from the manager to whom you
have handed pver yon money He
receives your patronage and inBUlta
you for thanks
I heard some ot our people boasting
that they got by tho ushers on the
lower floor unobserved because they
were so fair I saw something of this
myself I stood beside a policeman
who called my attention to two gaily
attired females as they strode up to the
ticket office He said to me They
are colored they live in the Division
and they will go on the first floor too
and so they did These were some of
Manager Chasers regular patrons of
whom he was so solicitous of their
comfoit and did not intend that their
company should be intruded upon by
respectable Negroes
The lack of soft respect Is our greatest
drawback in our march of progress
We act more like children than men
and women and are seemingly unable
to restrain ourselves of to deny our
selves
Some of our statesmen urged as an
excuse for accepting indignities at tha
hands of Manager Chase that they
could not afford to resent the inault
for fear of the consequences at their
Southern homes The thought never
occurred to them that they could at
least remain away and not be a party
to their own disgrace But no they
must see Williams and Walker Their
joy comfort and happiness depended
upon it and they must go at any
cost of money or self respect even if
they have to go on the roof and look
down the chimney And now Mana
er Chase is boasting that last week wa3
the greatest financial success of the
season and the insulted Negroes made
it so He eays that this is a Southern
city and it will remain so and South
ern methods must prevail here If the
ninety thouand Negroes here allow
it they deserve to be sIavo3 Patron
iz9j - i i ions Build you
own thaatcrs an you do your churches
and you Iwill find talent enough to
put into them The time is at hand
when we should think seriously of
this matter Are we forever to be de
pendent upon the whites for theaters
hotels cafes and stores of all descrip
tions Can we ever escape thsse in
dignities so long as we continue to
flood their pockets with our money
and look up to them beseechingly for
our every want I think not
Chas R TouaiiAES
In Memory of J Frank Boston
At their last monthly meeting Ban
neker Relief Association held memorial
exercises in honor r their late presi
dent Mr J Frank Boston Resolu
tions of the deepest respect were adopt
ed testifying to the high character and
worth of the deceased and touching
addresses were delivered by Messrs
Hamilcar Turloy Aaron Russell 8r
Leon Turner and several others
Mr Giles I Cufley and Miss Sarah
S Wells were married last Wednesday
evening by Father Dougherty at the
brides residence 16310 street north
west Many valuable and useful pres
ents were received by the happy pair
who left on a wedding tour at 11 p m
The reception will take place on
Thaksgiving Day at Portmouth Va
the home the groom They will reside
in the future in this city
Capt
health
P B Meredith is in poor
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