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Vol. XXII.
Attorney William L. Martin Eloquently Declared at Entertainer's Hall on
Wednesday Evening at a Meeting in the Interest of Alderman Oscar
DePriest; That the People Must Not Sit in Pre-Judgment of Mr.
DePriest, on Complaint and Indictment; That Indictments Are Not
Convictions ; That a Jury of Twelve Men Had Yet to Pass Upon
His Guilt or Innocence
AMONG OTHER THINGS HE DECLARED THAT IN MANY INSTANCES
A BLACK MAN HAS BEEN CHABGED WITH CRIME AND LYNCHED
TO DEATH WITHOUT A TRIAL, THEN LATER IT WAS CLEARLY
PROVEN THAT HE WAS NEVER GUILTY OF COMMITTING THE
CRIME HE WAS CHARGED WITH.
RE FURTHER DECLARED THAT ALDERMAN DE PRIEST MUST NOT
BE POLITICALLY LYNCHED BY COLORED MEN WITHOUT A TRIAL
IN THE CRIMINAL COURT OF COOK COUNTY.
MANY MEN IN THIS CITY HAVE REDDENED THEIR HANDS IN THE
BLOOD OF THEIR FELLOW MEN AND THEY HAVE BEEN LIBER
ATED ON BONDS RANGING FROM $10,000 TO $25,000.
THIS IS NOT TRUE, HOWEVER, IN THE CASE OF ALDERMAN DE
PRIEST FOR HE HAS BEEN TREATED T.TTTF! UNTO THE MOST
DESPERATE CRIMINAL, BEING REQUIRED TO FURNISH BONDS
FOR HIS FREEDOM FOR MORE THAN" $50,000.
MANY COLORED MEN ARE IN THE SCHEME TO ASSASSINATE HTM
POLITICALLY AND TO PREVENT ANY OTHER COLORED MAN
FROM SUCCEEDING HIM IN THE CITY COUNCIL. BY AIDING IN
THIS COLD BLOODED SCHEME, THEY ARE SIMPLY ASSISTING TO
BRING DOWN UPON THEIR OWN HEADS EVERLASTING WOE AND
DESTRUCTION.
IT WILL BE RECALLED THAT IN 1906 THAT HON. F. L. BARNETT WAS
SEAMLESSLY DEPRIVED FROM SERVING AS ONE OF THE MUNIC
IPAL COURT JUDGES EVEN AFTER HE WAS FAIRLY ELECTED
AND FROM THAT DAY TO THIS NO OTHER COLORED LAWYER HAS
HAD A LOOK IN THAT DIRECTION.
IT IS CLAIMED THAT COL. ARCH3BOLD NAPOLEON FIELDS WHO WAS
ONE OF THE CHIEF WITNESSES BEFORE THE GRAND JURY
AGAINST ALDERMAN DE PRIEST HAS SUCCESSFULLY MADE HIS
"GET AWAY."
IT IS ALSO REPORTED THAT COL. JOSEPH S. DAVIS WHO WAS ALSO
ONE OF THE CHIEF WITNESSES BEFORE THE GRAND JURY IS
TOTING AROUND TWO BIG REVOLVERS IN ORDER TO PREVENT
THE SPORTING ELEMENT FROM JUMPING ON HTM.
At this stage of the game when
i -itoinent is running high a most bit
ter feeling is continuing to be worked
up hot ween the "White and Colored peo
f If in this city by the daily news
papers, whose editors and wildcat
writers are successfully aiding the Col
ored people to belittle themselves to
bitterly hate each other and to turn
upon themselves like bloodthirsty
ravages. It is very risky and extremc
U dangerous for a Colored editor con
ducting a little one horse newspaper
to attempt to raise his voice in behalf
ot right and even handed justice with
out running the fearful risk of being
a nked up and thrown into jail by the
lowers that be, nevertheless we shall
niliere to at least a part of the abso
lute truth in this respect, though the
heavens fall and tho sun refuse to
"lime forth in all of its splendor.
Moro than four months ago it was
Mated in the columns of the daily
newspapers of this city that later on
or within two or three months from
ll.at timo an effort would be made to
Kill Alderman Oscar Do Priest off just
hefore the primaries, that the chances
w.-re ton to one that by the time he
w.in ready to make his second raco for
Hi. city council that he would have
several indictments hanging over his
independent head, it was also contended
at that timo that Alderman Do Priest
as very objectionable to some of the
powers that be; that at all times ho
:i ever ready to fight and contend
fur everything that morally or rightly
belonged to tho Colored peoplo; that
Ho timo had arrived for tho Colored
people to stop permitting milk and
water dishonest White politicians to
feed them on soft soap from the end
of a long silver spoon; that some of the
powers that he and many pin-headed
"Whito and Colored peoplo hate him
with all of their being simply because
ho has been successful in business main-
J tains his family in good shape and as
a free American citizen carries his
head up in the air and feels that he
is just as good as any other human
being on the face of the earth.
Right here we must pause for a few
moments to state for all time to come
namely that the vast majority of the
narrow minded and prejudiced ridden
Colored people always hate to see or
hear of any Colored man becoming in
dependent and they dearly love him
much better as long as he is dependent.
On Wednesday evening many of the
friends of Alderman De Priest held a
meeting at Entertainer's Hall, to con
sider the crisis existing at this time in
Second Ward politics and the leading
speakers at tho meeting were Dr. Ros
coe C. Giles, George W. Ellis, Louis B.
Anderson, Edward D. Green, Adelbert
H. Roberts, Attorney William L. Mar
tin, Dr. Spencer C. Dickerson, Edward
II. Wright, Rev. John T. Jenifer, Rev.
J. C. Anderson, Pastor of Quinn Chapel,
Mrs. Cordelia West and Mrs. Ada Mc-
Kinloy.
The result of the meeting was one of
confidence in tho integrity of Mr. De
Priest until proven guilty, and a con
tinuation of support to him politically
if he determined to be a candidate. In
a masterful address Attorney W. L.
Martin pointed out that indictments
are not convictions and that a jury of
12 men had yet to sit on the case; that
we deplore pre-judgment of a man on
complaint and indictment. Ho reas
oned that many instances have occurred
where a black man was charged with
crime and lynched to death without
a trial. Said he, are wo as black men
going to accept as true the complaint
and indictment against Alderman De
Priest and politically lynch him without
a trial f
2Sk. Martin related that which is
absolutely true, for almost every day
in the year in this country some Col
GHIGAGO,. JANUARY 27, 1917
ored man, woman or child are simply
charged with committing some crime,
then they are mobbed and lynched in
the most horrible manner and after
their bodies have been burned at tho
stake and slices of their quivering
flesh has been sold to the highly civil
ized White Christians for cash, it was
proven that they, the Colored men,
women and children were not guilty
of committing the crimes thej' were
charged with committing.
There is no desire on our part to con
trol the actions of any other human
being residing in this city in relation
to Alderman De Priest, but as far as
we are concerned we intend to give
the full benefit of all doubts until he
is proven guilty of committing the
crimes he is charged with committing
beyond a reasonable doubt.
On many occasions in the past many
men in .this city have reddened their"
i
hands in the blood of their fellowmcn
and after committing a thousand crimes
(as it were) they have been given
their liberty pending their trial on
bonds ranging anywhere from ten to
twenty-five thousand dollars, that is
not true, however, in "the ease of Alder
man De Priest, seemingly he is classed
with the most desperate criminals that
! have ever disgraeed the name of man
and therefore he has been compelled to
furnish bonds for his freedom for more
than fifty thousand dollars but in the
estimation of some people that is even
handed justice in this boasted land of
freedom and home of the brave.
Many short sighted Colored men it
seems arc in the cold blooded scheme
to assassinate Alderman De Priest polit
ically and to prevent any Colored man
from succeeding him in the City Coun
cil, they are so blinded to their best
interest that they are perfectly willing
to assist to pull down on their own
heads everlasting woe and destruction.
It will be recalled that Hon. F. L.
Barnett was elected one of the Judges
of the Municipal Court in 1906 and
afterwards he was counted out or some
way or other tricked out of that honor
and his election even after many of his
race loving friends donated money to
aid him to contest it, and the present
scheme is to kill off Alderman De Priest
at any cost and for all time to come to
prevent any other Colored man from
being elected to the City Council from
the Second Ward, for ever since the
election and the counting out of Mr.
Barnett no other Colored lawyer has
come within ten thousand miles of
securing the nomination for Judge of
the Municipal Court.
THE APPOMATTOX CLUB, THE
LEADING NEGRO ORGANIZA
TION OF THE COUNTRY IN A
BIG DRIVE FOR RACE UPLIFT.
Beauregard F. Moseley Appointed
Chairman of the Civic and Public
Affairs Committee. Big " Symposi
um' at Club Parlors, February 4th,
on "Negro Migration." All Ly
ceums and Literary Clubs of the City
Invited to Have Representatives
Present. President CoL J. H. John
son Requests Presence of All Mem
bers, Wives and Friends.
The Appomattox Club seems to have
at last struck the real note of the pur
pose of its organization, Raco Uplift,
and will commence it's 1917 program
on Sunday, February 4th, 1917, at 4
P. M., at the Club Parlors, in a big
"Symposium" upon the livest ques
X
tion now before the American people,
"Negro Migration."
The program is in charge of one of
Chicago's most active and public spir
ited citizens, Beauregard F. Moseley, a
lawj-er of repute and great practice,
who will be remembered as having put
the Club on record last year in a big
speech at Wendell Phillips High School,
on the occasion of the Lincoln and
Douglass anniversaries. He is sur
rounding himself as Chairman of -the
Civic & Public Affairs Committee, with
some of the best talent in the Club,
and purposes, with tho co-operation of
Col. J. H. Johnson, President, and the
Board of Directors, to make things
hum.
On tho occasion of February 4th,
next, the program will indeed be in
teresting, as not only the representa
tives of the Grace Lyceum, the St.
Mark's Literary and that of Bethel,
Olivet, Quinn Chapel, Wayman Chapel,
St. Paul's M. E., Mt. Zion of Evanston,
and other leading churches of the city
will speak or read papers upon this
subject, but each member of the Civic
Committee will be heard, thus giving
an opportunity to all who- may attend
to hear tho best discussions possible
upon this subject.
Illl clubs or literaries, desiring to
have representatives present, should
forward the name to Chairman Mose
ley not later than Saturday, February
3rd, or sooner.
On Sunday, February 11th, 1917, at
4 P. M., the Club will celebrate the
one hundredth anniversary of Abra
ham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass
jRPB&B&."- ''. vxvBBBn?3v?o-vvtyxSBWBiBt
ALDERMAN OSCAR DE PRIEST.
Still stoutly maintains that at no time since he was elected to the City Council
from the Second Ward has he accepted one dollar as graft or easy money
from any source whatever.
with speeches. The day will be known
as the "Douglass Centenary" and ap
propriate speeches will be made by the
Hon. Albert C. Barnes, of the Appel
late Court, upon the subject of "Abra
ham Lincoln," and Dr. Geo. Cleveland
Hall, one of the noted physicians of
the race, upon the subject of "Fred
erick Douglass" at the Club Parlors.
Dr. Dickerson promises a real treat by
first class musical program on each oc
casion. Tho members of the Civic & Public
Speakers Committee, as announced l3
President Johnson are as follows:
Beauregard F. Moseley, Chairman,
Hon. L. B. Anderson, Hon. S. B. Tur
ner, Col. John R. Marshall, Hon. S. A.
T. Watkins, Mr. D. French, Hon. II.
S. Daniels, Hon. Henry S. Anderson,
non. E. H. Wright, Hon. Oscar De
Priest, Dr. S. C. Dickerson, Hon. R. S.
Abbott, Hon. W. R. Cowan, Major R.
R. Jackson, Hon. A. L. Jackson, Hon.
A. A. Wells. "C. M. F."
It is hoped that the Hou. Henry S.
Anderson and the many other honor
ables will accomplish wonders in be
half of civic betterment. Editor.
ALDERMAN OSCAR DE PRIEST
WITHDRAWS FROM THE RACE
FOR RE-ELECTION TO THE CITY
COUNCIL FROM THE SECOND
WARD.
Alderman Oscar De Priest has with
drawn from the raco for re-election to
the City Council from the Second Ward
and Col. James H. Johnson will make
tho race in his stead. ""
No. 19
DEATH OF BEN SUMMERS.
Sunday, January 21st, Ben Summers,
who was well known on the South Side,
passed away at the Fort Dearborn Hos
pital after a spell of sickness lasting
for eleven weeks. Funeral services
wero held over his remains, at his lato
residence, 3426 Forest avenue, Wednes
day afternoon.
Mr. Summers was born in Quincy,
111., coining to Chicago when ho was
quite a young man. For a number of
years he railroaded, lately he assumed
the presidency of tho Pioneer Club,
3512 S. Stato street, which was organ
ized and is run in the interest or for
the benefit of railroad men.
Charles E. Morrison, special messen
ger to Mayor William Halo Thompson,
who was a warm friend of Mr. Sum
mers feels sure that he will bo greatly
missed, by his former associates and
friends.
GOV. STANLEY WHO DEFIED KY.
MOB WAS ELECTED BY AID OF
COLORED DEMOCRATS.
(Louisville News). Gov. Stanley
was elected Chief Executive of this
State by a very small majority less
than a thousand, and they do say that
to local Colored Democrats is due tho
credit.
At any rate in this instanco it was
good for Kentucky, good for Martin
and maybo good for Judgo Bush that
A. O. Stanley was Governor.
In fact nor fiction have wo ever
heard before the invitation "HANG
THE GOVERNOR FIBST."
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