Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1885-02-05
JUDGE FORAKER AND THE COLoRED
VOTERS OF sPRINGFIELD.

as the seiectlon OF a sthnuaru-peaSer LOT
The Republican party, in the great state of
Ohio. at such a time as this, all the ele-
ments which would be likely to contribute
to success or defeat, should be carefully
For this reason we under
took to ascertain, fairly and without preju-
dice, whether, if Judge Foraker were re-
nominated there would be any for
midable disaffecion in the ranks
OF the colored men, who objected
TO him, two years ago, on account of the
part he took in the Gazaway case. The
result of our investigations showed that
his denomination would cause decided dis
satisfaction, uot only in this city where
Eva Gazaway was shut out of the Shaffer
street school, but in Cincinnati, in Colum-
bus, and elsewhere; and this proving to
be the fact, it became question with us
and with others whether it would be wise
to take the risks apparently involved in
the nomination.
Still we have wished to treat Judge For
aker fairly and even generously, and We
have before us long private letter from
his pen, written to Mr.. S. E. Huffman, a
prominent colored man of this city, which
letter was given by Mr. Huffman to US for
publication in the GLoBE-REPUBLIo, and
which we intended to give in full. But
before it could possibly have appeared in
our columns the matter Of the letter
appeared entire in the columns of tie
Cincinnati Commercial Gazette, having
been furnished to that paper, undoubtedly,
By the author And as the letter was di-
rected to Mr. Huffman, and was his prop
erty, it seems to us that it was an act o.
bad faith on the part of the Judge to pro-
cure its publication in Cincinnati paper,
before Mr.. Huffman had been consulted
1t is not now necessary that We give the
entire text OF Judge Foraker's letter A
statement of its points will serve our own
purpose and give to our readers all they
will probably care to see.
Judge Foraker states, first, what is quite
true, that he has always been most rad
ical and uncompromising Republican"
The Judge further states that, when only
l6 years of age he enlisted as private in
the Union army and served with his regi-
ment for three years, or until the close OF
the war So far, So good, and very good.
During the canvass of 1888 some of the
letters the Judge wrote when in the army
were published, without his con-
sent, but from one OF these he gives the
folio wing extract: The pdr ought not
to stop until slaeery is abolished and
erery coiOred son is made citizen, and
is giren precisely the same ciril and po-
Htical rights that the rhite man has"
Again, in 1867, when it was proposed to
amend the constitution of Ohio by striking
out the word white" he reminds US of the
fact hat he took an active part in support
ing the amendment
The Judge refers to the old falsehood
to the effect that he left the University at
Delaware, Ohio, because a colored man
was admitted to the institution, and con-
clusively retutes it, as he had frequently
done before.
The Judge quotes as follows, from a
speech made by him, in 1874, in Cincin-
matt:
rhe object of the civil ril hts bill is to pre-
vent masked marauders from burning negro
school-houses, shooting negro school teachers.
aud keeping this innocent and inoft nsive
people in a state Of terror, which retards their
development and corrupts and demoraiZes
society and politics in hundred ways. And
it is night, and the Republican party is for it
because it is right.
Wh-n in Columbus the other day, l stood
in our Cspt building and looked with ad-
miriug gaze upon that magnificent painting,
which sdprns it, walls, OF "Perrv's Victory on
the Like" There, in the midst OF the death
storm OF that terrible coufllct as gallant look
ing as any one of the brave faces surrounding
the Commodore, is ful-booded representa-
i've OF the African race. And thus il has al
ways been since our government was iound-
ed, On land and on sea, in adv ersity and pros
periry, through peace and through war, this
race has been ever present with u, and never
ouce has its ia tn ialtered, i 5 devotion Jagged,
or its Courage iall-d.
They have justly earned their citiz nship,
and they have earned il in such a way as that
for us not 10 protect them in II would be the
asest ingratitude and wrong-ingratitude
aud wrong tor Which the Nation would de-
serve to sink To rise no more.
Judge Foraker then alludes to the Gaz-
away case, in which he defended Major
White, our superintendent OF schools, who,
as the agent OF our school board, refused
Eva Gazaway admittance to the Shaffer
street school, claiming that he had right,
as a lawyer, to defend white man, even
when a colored man was the prosecutor,
and he thinks Mr.. Gazaway does himself
a great injustice in maniiesting any dis
pleasure on that account" Especially
so" says the Judge, when it is borne in
mind that the Rev. Mr. Gazaway was rep
resented in the case by two colored men,
both of whom have testified. and will
again, that throughout the case neither
did nor saiI anything whatever that was,
Or could Ls in the slightest degree. disre-