The Seattle Republican. [volume], February 26, 1904, Image 5

About The Seattle Republican. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1???-1915

Image provided by: Washington State Library; Olympia, WA

                
AFRO-AMERICANS DEFENDED
Fannie Barrier Williams, one of the
ablest and most caustic writers we
have when defending her race, replies
to a writer in the Chicago Record-
Herald who advocated the driving of
the Negroes out of Illinois, etc. Fol
lowing is the article in full:
"To the Editor:—The article in last
Sunday's Battle Ground, under the
title "To Exclude Negroes," is but one
of the many evidences of a national
habit of endeavoring to make the Ne
gro race in this country an object of
apprehension and doubt, if not con
tempt.
"If the people oi 1 the world are to
form an opinion of the condition and
character of the Negro people only
from what they may read of them in
the articles, speeches and books, that
are given the widest circulation be
cause of their extreme and sometimes
wicked sensationalism, it will not be
long before the public will be ready
to accept as just any proposition that
will place them beyond the pale of
"Christian civilization."
"Just now, and for some time past,
a strong anti-Negro sentiment has
taken the form of the angry question,
'How can we get rid of him?' A dis
tinguished Southerner, recently be
came famous in a day by his daring
insistance that our government should
put us all on board of ships and
send us all to the dark continent or
some other remote corner of the
globe from which all hope of return
to America would be cut off.
"A recently elected governor of a
Southern state gained the ear of the
entire nation in his declaration that
education was actually making crimi
nals of the Negroes.
"In keeping with all this comes this
proposition from Mr. Erwin for an
amendment to the federal constitution
that would permit the state of Illi
nois to 'exciude all Negroes irom ahe
state.'
"This writer points out as a suffi
cient reason that the presence of the
Negro is a cause of "serious friction
between the races,' and that 'every
Negro on the average, is causing the
development of many white ruffians.'
This is altogether a new charge
against the Negro, that the prcud
and noble Anglo-Saxon cannot save
himself from becoming a ruffian in
the presence of an offensive Negro.
Is it proposed on the same principle
to banish from the state all people
whose presence causes friction and
seems to make some good, gentle,
white Christian citizen a ruffian? If
so, the Chinese, the members of la
bor unions, who certainly furnish a
good deal of friction, the socialists
and many others must also come in
for banishment.
"And after the Negroes are all ban
ished from Illinois, is the writer quite
sure that there will be an end of fric
ticn and an end of ruffianism?
Negroes Buying Homes
The house renting problem in Den
ver, which is fast developing surpris
ing conditions for the colored popula
tion to face, demands serious atten
tion. The prejudice against colored
tenants in all sections of the city has
increased so rapidly that finding a
suitable house for a colored family
is like hunting for a mustard seed
in a wheat bin. There is just one
loop-hole, and just one sensible thing
to do. They can buy easily in many
desirable sections on small payments.
The opportunity is golden and will
not last forever. Colored men and
women, buy homes. Stop wasting
your earnings on frivolous or useless
things. Get out of the very heart of
the city. Buy a cheap, cosy home,
anywhere in the residence district or
suburbs, and then you can defy prej
udice, see your holdings increase in
worth, and find a happy and practical
solution of a problem which other
wise is bound to disgrace you and
and drag you down. —Colorado States
man.
A similar condition confronted the
colored folk of this city for a num
"Of course the writer scarcely ex
pects to be taken seriously in advo
cating a proposition so utterly im
practicable as well as ouarageous as
a mode of treatment by a stronger
race toward a weaker race. The only
effect of the article is to make public
sentiment a little less tolerant to
ward this patient, hopeful and con
stantly progressive people. The col
ored people are carrying an awful
burden of prejudice, misrepresenta
tion and oppression, and this burden
is increased by every attempt to dis
credit their capacity to rise above
their miseries.
"The colored people cannot be de
ported, they cannot be excluded from
every place in deference to 'white
ruffians,' and their advancement by
means of education has put to shame
all false theories concerning their
mental and spiritual capacity. So
long as the Negro is forced to be less
than free, so long as his intelligence
is ignored and his virtues mocked,
so long will there be friction. Illi
nois can no more get rid of its share
of the Negro problem by banishing
its 85.000 Negro citizens than it can
get rid of its labor problem by ban
ishing the unions from the state.
"It should also be borne in mind
that the American people have never
gained anything by using drastic
measures to keep the Negro down.
From the fugitive slave law to the
present day efforts of restriction and
exclusion factions, as well as the ruf
fians, increase rather than diminish.
"As poor as he is, the Negro has a
way of haunting the American con
science for every wrong done to him.
The full weight of the accumulated
strength and intelligence of the col
ored people is being felt and will con
tinue to be felt, against every at
tempt to stifle his ambitions and
make him less than a complete Amer
ican citizen. The American Negro is
a patient trustful and peace-loving
citizens, but there can be no peace
until he can enjoy whatever rights
ho deserves.
"The colored people of Illinois have
proved themselves, in many ways, to
be good citizens, and the only way to
make them better citizens is not by
threats of banishment, but by dealing
more justly with Mm as a man and
brother.
"There is nothing noble or gainful
in a great nation, so abundant in op
portunities, in trying to force down
and under a part of its citizenship.
It is time for all to know that the
passion of this Negro is to grow and
not to degenerate—to grow in the
powers of usefulness as citizens and
to realize the hopes and prophecies
of the men, who in the presence of
Negroes, made liberty, justice and
equality the cardinal things in our
government."
FANNIE BARRIER WILLIAMS.
ber of years, and as it grew worse
they began to seriously cast about to
find some way to overcome such un
pleasantness and nothing else seemed
so feasible as the buying of homes'
in good localities, and they have done
so, and we believe we can say without
fear of successful contradiction, that
in comparison with the number of
colored folk who live in this city,
more of them own good homes in
Seattle than any other city in the
West. Without exaggeration, the col
ored folk of Seattle, who do not num
ber more than five hundred families,
own property valued at nearly $500,
--000, and the most part is confined to
homes, and not speculative property,
there being but one family among the
whole of them, that has more than
flve lots of their own. They went
to the suburbs where property was
chaep and purchased lots, then they
built themselves comfortable homes
thereon, which property has increas
ed in value at an enormous rate, and
it is safe to say that anyone of them
could sell their homes today at twice
the amount of the original cost.
PEOPLES' SAVINGS BANK
Second and Pike. Capital $100,000
Deposits received from $1 to $10,000; 4
per cent, interest allowed on savings de
posits.
E. C. Neufelder, President.
R. H. Denny, Vlce-I'resldent.
J. T. Greenleaf, Cashier.
SAFE DEPOSIT VAULT
THE NATIONAL BANK
of COMMERCE
H. C. Henry, Pres.
R. R. Spencer, Cashier
The Canadian bank of Commerce
Head Office, Toronto. Established 1867.
Capital ■ - $8,700,000
Kur|i I us • 3,000,000
London Office ... 60 Lombard St.
New York Offlfp • • 16 Exchange Place
Over 100 Branches In Canada and the
United States, Including DAWSON Cixx,
AIIJN, WHITE HOUSE, VICTORIA, and
VANCOUVER in Canada, and SAN FRAN
CISCO, PORTLAND, SEATTLE and SKAG
WAY In U. S.
Accounts of Banks, Corporations, Firms
and Individuals received on favorable terms.
Drafts, Letters of Credit, and Commer
cial Credits issued available in any part of
the world.
Interest allowed on Time Deposits.
Seattle Branch G. V. HOLT, Manager
The Pnget Sound National Bank
OF SEATTLE.
Capital stock paid In $528,000
Surplus 35,000
Jacob Furth, President; J. S. Goldsmith,
Vice-President; H. V. Ankeny, Cashier.
Correspondence In all the principal cities
of the United States and Europe.
The Scandinavian American Bank
Capital Paid up $ 300,000.00
Surplus 100,000.00
Deposits 2,250,000.00
Interest on time and Savings Deposits.
Drafts and money orders issued on all
parts cf the world.
Cor. Yesler Way and First Aye. South.
JAMES A. MURRAY, J. P. GLEASON,
President. Manager.
M M. MURRAY, Cashier.
American Savings Bank & Trust Co.
Corner Second and Madison.
Capital Stock $200,000.00.
4 per cent interest paid on deposits.
A general banking business transacted.
FIRST NATIONAL BANK OF SEATTLE,
WASH.
I'aid up capital $150,000
LESTER TURNER, President.
C. P. MASTERSON, Cashier.
MAURICE M'MICKEN, Vice-President.
F. F. PARKHURST, Asst. Cashier.
A general banking business transacted.
Letters of credit sold on all principal cities
of the world. Special facilities for collect
ing on British Columbia, Alaska and all
Pacific Northwest points.
We have a bank at Cape Nome.
CITIZENS LIGHT & POWER CO.
L. C. SMITH, Pres. J. W. CUSE, V. Pres.
C. R. COLLINS, Gen'l Mgr.
Up-to-Date Gas
Up-to-Date Methods
1425 FIRST AVENUE
Phones! Sunset Main 1186
Independent 75
John H. McGi-aw Geo. B. Kittinger
REAL ESTATE
Fire and Marine Insurance.
Room B, Bailey Building.
Telephone Main 695
Building Material
Of all kinds. Delivered on short notice.
STETSON POST MILL CO.
Eastabllshed 1875. Tel. Main 3.
It. M. Klnnear. A. L. Brown
Phone Main 822.
Kinnear& Brown
INVESTMENT BROKERS
lteal Estate and Mining.
205 Cherry St. SEATTLE, WASH.
IIMPI F IflF'Q Has Barrels of Money to
UINULt JUt O Loan on Valuables.
Phone John 1031
517 Second Avenue
J. M. Frink, Phone, Main 94
Prop, and Supt.
Washington Iron Works
Founders and Machinists
Worke, Grant Street Bridge Seattle
/Albert fiapsep
Jeweler and Silversmith
Diamonds, Watches, Clocks, Jewelry, Sil
verware, Rich Cut Glass, Etc.
BONNEY WATSON CO.
THIRD AND COLUMBIA
Preparing bodies for shipping a specialty.
All orders by telephone or telegraph prompt
ly attended to. Telephone Main 13.
Diamond Ice
Leaves no slime In the refrigerator,
because It Is Is made from distilled
artesian water
TELEPHONE PINK 159
LOOSE-LEAF LEDGERS
DENNY-CORYELL CO.
716 FIRST AVENUE
MORAN BROS. CO.
Manufacture and Sell
LUMBER
For All Purposes
SEATTLE, - - WASHINGTON
Printing
We are better equipped for turning out
satisfactory printing at satisfactory
prices tban any other office in Seattle,
and we do It.
A.orx»e Publistiing; Co.
Phones, Red 1971. Ind. 130
214 COLOMBIA STREET
R. W. BUTLER
CONTRACTOR and BUILDER
All work guaranteed and all
contracts lived up to.
Phone Huff 1267. 2022 Eighth Aye.
D. B. SPELLMHN
Practical Plumber and Gasfltter.
Sanitary Plumbing a Specialty.
212 Columbia St. SEATTLE
mm Walker Portrait and
LmmnA Picture Co. 1424 Third
I IHI IH^ Aye- Frames made to
I I UIIIUw suit you. Agts wanted.
Wheeler & Wilson
mm a ■ and Domestic. 11.
MnnninnA iinnson, 215 Co-
Yes Sir! here's the Beer, Sir!
HAINIER-the Only Beer, Sir!
SEATTLE BREWING & MALTING CO.
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