Awakening of the North
February 17, 1906
Summary
A meeting was held in New York to discuss suffrage, and the goal was to achieve "righteous liberty of political action without distinction or color.
Transcription
Awakening of the North
Remarkable Speech of Hon. John E. Milholland. A Ringing Condemnation of Existing Conditions. Rev. Dixon and His “Clansman.” The Constitution League and its Mission. No Compromise With Wrong.
New York, N.Y., Feb 5, 1906
The Constitution League held a mass meeting at Cooper Union Hall, New York City last Thursday evening with an attendance of 3,000 of which one fourth was white. The object of the meeting was to discuss the Suffrage Conditions in the South. Resolutions were passed demanding that Congress take steps toward constitutional representation and the restoration in all the states of chose conditions which shall insure a righteous liberty of political action without distinction or color or of race to the attainment of the highest individual aspiration and endeavor. Mr. John E. Milholland, presiding officer of the meeting, in his speech, said in part:
Ladies and Gentlemen:
A dashing brigand away off in Morocco decided one day that he needed a rich man in his business. So he kidnapped a certain gentleman of wealth and influence in the neighborhood, bore him off to the deserts and calmly declared that unless the terms of ransom were complied with promptly, he would return the unfortunate man’s body on the installment plan. (Laughter)
With this announcement came other startling news. Though Greek by name and ancestry, the stolen one, it appeared, had been born right; he was a native of Philadelphia. True, he has left his birthplace a mere [...] and always lived abroad, but he was still an American citizen.
Far Cry for Release
Instantly went up a far cry for his release. It was quickly heard in Washington almost before articulate expression could be given elsewhere. The government machinery for relief was set in motion, Our navy baume busy and the chancelleries of Europe grew nervous. A big warship was dispatched to the scene, and the civilized and uncivilized world was made to understand that this IMperial Republic would endeavor to curb Mr. Raisuli man stealing activities through the search for him and his prey had to be carried into the heart of Darkest Africa. “We demand Perdicaris living or Raisuli dead,” was the grim alternative of out State Department, over which the late Republican National Convention in Chicago went wild with enthusiasm...
Remarkable Speech of Hon. John E. Milholland. A Ringing Condemnation of Existing Conditions. Rev. Dixon and His “Clansman.” The Constitution League and its Mission. No Compromise With Wrong.
New York, N.Y., Feb 5, 1906
The Constitution League held a mass meeting at Cooper Union Hall, New York City last Thursday evening with an attendance of 3,000 of which one fourth was white. The object of the meeting was to discuss the Suffrage Conditions in the South. Resolutions were passed demanding that Congress take steps toward constitutional representation and the restoration in all the states of chose conditions which shall insure a righteous liberty of political action without distinction or color or of race to the attainment of the highest individual aspiration and endeavor. Mr. John E. Milholland, presiding officer of the meeting, in his speech, said in part:
Ladies and Gentlemen:
A dashing brigand away off in Morocco decided one day that he needed a rich man in his business. So he kidnapped a certain gentleman of wealth and influence in the neighborhood, bore him off to the deserts and calmly declared that unless the terms of ransom were complied with promptly, he would return the unfortunate man’s body on the installment plan. (Laughter)
With this announcement came other startling news. Though Greek by name and ancestry, the stolen one, it appeared, had been born right; he was a native of Philadelphia. True, he has left his birthplace a mere [...] and always lived abroad, but he was still an American citizen.
Far Cry for Release
Instantly went up a far cry for his release. It was quickly heard in Washington almost before articulate expression could be given elsewhere. The government machinery for relief was set in motion, Our navy baume busy and the chancelleries of Europe grew nervous. A big warship was dispatched to the scene, and the civilized and uncivilized world was made to understand that this IMperial Republic would endeavor to curb Mr. Raisuli man stealing activities through the search for him and his prey had to be carried into the heart of Darkest Africa. “We demand Perdicaris living or Raisuli dead,” was the grim alternative of out State Department, over which the late Republican National Convention in Chicago went wild with enthusiasm...
About this article
Source
Location on Page
Upper Left Quadrant
Topic
Contributed By
Emma Roberts
Citation
“Awakening of the North,” Black Virginia: The Richmond Planet, 1894-1909, accessed December 7, 2025, https://blackvirginia.richmond.edu/items/show/385.