History of the Negro Race in America from 1619 to 1880 Volume II Part 86

I designate as the first President of the corporation the Honorable RUTHERFORD B. HAYES, of Ohio. I desire that it may have power to provide from the income of the fund, among other things, for expenses incurred by members in the fulfilment of this trust, and for the expenses of such officers and agents as it may appoint, and generally to do all such acts as may be necessary for carrying out the purposes of this trust. I desire, if it may be, that the corporation may have full liberty to invest its funds according to its own best discretion, without reference to, or restriction by, any laws or rules, legal or equitable, of any nature, regulating the mode of investment of trust funds; only I wish that neither princ.i.p.al nor income be expended in land or buildings, for any other purpose than that of safe and productive investment for income. And I hereby discharge the corporation, and its individual members, so far as it is in my power so to do, of all responsibility, except for the faithful administration of this trust, according to their own honest understanding and best judgment. In particular, also, I wish to relieve them of any pretended claim on the part of any person, party, sect, inst.i.tution, or locality, to benefactions from this fund, that may be put forward on any ground whatever; as I wish every expenditure to be determined solely by the convictions of the corporation itself as to the most useful disposition of its gifts.

I desire that the doings of the corporation each year be printed and sent to each of the State Libraries in the United States, and to the Library of Congress.

In case the capital of the Fund should become impaired, I desire that a part of the income, not greater than one half, be invested, from year to year, until the capital be restored to its original amount.

I purposely leave to the corporation the largest liberty of making such changes in the methods of applying the income of the Fund as shall seem from time to time best adapted to accomplish the general object herein defined. But being warned by the history of such endowments that they sometimes tend to discourage rather than promote effort and self-reliance on the part of beneficiaries, or to inure to the advancement of learning instead of the dissemination of it; or to become a convenience to the rich instead of a help to those who need help, I solemnly charge my Trustees to use their best wisdom in preventing any such defeat of the spirit of this trust; so that my gift may continue to future generations to be a blessing to the poor.

If at any time after the lapse of thirty-three years from the date of this foundation it shall appear to the judgment of three fourths of the members of this corporation that, by reason of a change in social conditions, or by reason of adequate and equitable public provision for education, or by any other sufficient reason, there is no further serious need of this Fund in the form in which it is at first inst.i.tuted, I authorize the corporation to apply the capital of the Fund to the establishment of foundations subsidiary to then already existing inst.i.tutions of higher education, in such wise as to make the educational advantages of such inst.i.tutions more freely accessible to poor students of the colored race.

It is my wish that this trust be administered in no partisan, sectional, or sectarian spirit, but in the interest of a generous patriotism and an enlightened Christian faith; and that the corporation about to be formed, may continue to be const.i.tuted of men distinguished either by honorable success in business, or by services to literature, education, religion, or the State.

I am encouraged to the execution in this charitable foundation of a long-cherished purpose, by the eminent wisdom and success that has marked the conduct of the Peabody Education Fund in a field of operation not remote from that contemplated by this trust. I shall commit it to your hands, deeply conscious how insufficient is our best forecast to provide for the future that is known only to G.o.d; but humbly hoping that the administration of it may be so guided by divine wisdom, as to be, in its turn, an encouragement to philanthropic enterprise on the part of others, and an enduring means of good to our beloved country and to our fellow-men.

I have the honor to be, Gentlemen, your friend and fellow-citizen, JOHN F. SLATER.

NORWICH, CONN., March 4, 1882.

_And whereas_, said memorialists have further represented that they are ready to accept said trust and receive and administer said Fund, provided a charter of incorporation is granted by this State, as indicated in said letter;

_Now, therefore_, for the purpose of giving full effect to the charitable intentions declared in said letter;

_The people of the State of New York, represented in Senate and a.s.sembly, do enact as follows:_

SEC. 1. Rutherford B. Hayes, Morrison R. Waite, William E. Dodge, Phillips Brooks, Daniel C. Gilman, John A. Stewart. Alfred H.

Colquitt, Morris K. Jesup, James P. Boyce, and William A. Slater, are hereby created a body politic and corporate by the name of THE TRUSTEES OF THE JOHN F. SLATER FUND, and by that name shall have perpetual succession; said original corporators electing their a.s.sociates and successors, from time to time, so that the whole number of corporators may be kept at not less than nine nor more than twelve.

Said corporation may hold and manage, invest and re-invest all property which may be given or transferred to it for the charitable purposes indicated in said letter, and shall, in so doing, and in appropriating the income accruing therefrom, conform to and be governed by the directions in said letter contained; and such property and all investments and re-investments thereof, excepting real estate, shall, while owned by said corporation and held for the purposes of said trust, be exempt from taxation of any and every nature.

SEC. 2 Rutherford B. Hayes, of Ohio, shall be the first President of the corporation, and it may elect such other officers and hold such meetings, whether within or without this State, from time to time, as its by-laws may authorize or prescribe.

SEC. 3. Said corporation shall annually file with the Librarian of this State a printed report of its doings during the preceding year.

SEC. 4. This act shall take effect immediately.

COLORED EMPLOYeS IN WAs.h.i.+NGTON.

There are six hundred and twenty persons of color employed in the different departments of the Government at Was.h.i.+ngton, D. C., distributed as follows:

War Department 44 Treasury Department 342 Department of Justice 7 Department of State 20 Navy Department 40 Department of the Interior 106 men, 7 women Post-Office Department 54 ---- Total 620

NEWSPAPERS CONDUCTED BY COLORED MEN.

ALABAMA.

MOBILE.-_The Mobile Gazette_; Phillip Joseph, Editor; $2.00 per year; office No. 36 Conti Street.

HUNTSVILLE.-_Huntsville Gazette_;----, Editor; $1.50 per year; Sat.u.r.days.

ARKANSAS.

HELENA.-_Golden Epoch_; H. W. Stewart. LITTLE ROCK.--_Arkansas Mansion_; Henry Simkens, Editor; $1.50 a year.

CALIFORNIA.

SAN FRANCISCO.--_The Elevator_, Phillip A. Bell, Editor.

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

WAs.h.i.+NGTON CITY.--_People's Advocate_, established in 1876; J. W.

Cromwell, Editor; C. A. Lemar, Manager; $1.50 a year.

WAs.h.i.+NGTON CITY.--_The Bee_; W. C. Chase, Editor; C. C. Stewart, Business Manager; $2.00 per year; Sat.u.r.days; office, No. 1107 I Street, N. W.

FLORIDA.

PENSACOLA.--_The Journal of Progress_; Matthews & Davidson, Editors and Proprietors; $2.00; Sat.u.r.days.

KEY WEST.--_Key West News_; J. Willis Menard, Editor; weekly; five columns; price, $1.50 per annum.

GEORGIA.

ATLANTA.--_Weekly Defiance_; W. H. Burnett, Editor.

AUGUSTA.--_The People's Defense_; Smith, Nelson, & Co., Proprietors.

AUGUSTA.--_Georgia Baptist_; Wm. J. White, Editor; $2.00 per year; office, No. 633 Ellis Street.

SAVANNAH.--_Savannah Echo_; Hardin Bros. & Griffin, Proprietors; $2.00; Sat.u.r.days.

ILLINOIS.

CHICAGO.--_The Conservator_; Barnett, Clark, & Co., Editors and Proprietors; $2.00 per year; Sat.u.r.days; 194 Clark Street.

CAIRO.--_The Three States_; M. Gladding, Publisher; Sat.u.r.days; $1.50 per year; 190 Commercial Avenue.

CAIRO.--_The Cairo Gazette_; J. J. Bird, Editor; Wednesdays and Sat.u.r.days; $2.50 per year.