The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1882-07-13
CONCERNING THE COLORED
CLAIM

This paper was earnestly in favor o
the nomination OF Alfred Fairfax fOl
one Of the congressmen-at-large, and il
is glad to record the fact that the Igor
county delegation voted for him. will
one exception, as long as there was any
prospect OF their votes doing him any
good. But because of his failure nj
sensible cOlOred man will be influenced
by the Democratic chatter over his defeat
Il was simply impossible for hin
10 be nominated when there were e
many old and we'll known citizens ol
Of the state before the c)nvenIion. The
AichisOn Champion has sensible arli,
Gle on this subj, ct which we copy:
"The Democratic papers seem greatly
exercised because Rev. Alfred Fairfax
was not nominated for Congress by the
Republican state convention At 1OHka.
Will the Democratic papers inform US OF
any good reason Thy Mr.. Fairfax should
have been nominntcdg Could the Re-
publicans, Democrats or Greenback ers
Of any state have nominated u man for
congress who had been u n sidenL OF the
state but two years, who had never been
identified with its political affair, and
whose qualifications for the position
were unknown! II there Was no reason
why Mr. Fairfax should be Nominated,
then IL is silly and senseless tO effect
grief because he was not nominated
IL may be said that MIR. Fairfax
should have been nominated because lie
is q cOlOred man We do not under
stand that any such obi. CATION rests ON
n
party recognizes no such claim. II
does not recognize tho right OF any man
to prefermenI because he is n German,
or q SWede, or an freshman. ar AN
American OF African dt scent. WORTH
ness, fitness ami what is known rs avail
bility, are recognized, but not the acct
dent Of birth or color. Some day n
man OF color may represent u Kansas
district in congress; but if so, il will be
on account of his fitness for the place,
and because he is the strongest man, and
not on account at his complexion. All
hands ought To understand This
The mass Of the colOred people of
this country belong Ia the Republican
party, not because they expect IN obtain
Office by the connection, but because il
would be an absurdity on their part TO
belong To any other party. The cOlnred
man would be a fool to train with the
Democracy. and il is becauee he has
common sense that he goes with the Re
publicans Here in Kansas he owes
every right he enjoys to the Republican
party. We were looking over, the
other day, the proceedings of the Wyan-
doIte constitutional convention. and Il
WAI curious tO note how Zealously
and labOriOusiy and continually the
Democrats IN that body labIred TO in-
ject into the constitution some prOvis-
ion insulting or injurious tO the free
person of cOlOr Beaten in one attempt
they persistently returned To the charge.
First, they wished TO exclude him from
the state they were not willing he should
even live in Kansas. Beaten At that,
they wanted the constitution Ia shut the
school house door in his face; that hu-
name intelligent scheme nipped in the
bud. they at last begged that at least the
institutions of the counties
and state should be closed against
him. Don't let him into the
poor house; this WAS the
last and meanest thing the Democrats
wished provided for In the supreme law
Of the state of Kansas. Let the sight
less children grope by the wayside; let
The deaf and dumb go without shelter or
let the insane wander HOUSE,
les on the prairirs cold; let the paupers
die in the ditch, if they. be black; that
was the sweet ideal of humanity the
Democrats wished embodied in the con-
of the free state of Kansas. II
seems to us that cOlOrcd men have a
good reason for being Republicans and
for not being Democrats in Kansas,
even II they never get to congress.