Los Angeles daily herald., 1888-09-10

not be shown that ever minced my
English in denouncing Democratic op-
position to our rights, or in holding up
to scorn and reprobation of mankind, the
men who deny the Negroes his God
given prerogatives. l have not coined
my cheek to gain cheap favor of the poll
ticians of either party. For fifteen years
have been battling for my people
when the rights of the race have been
trampled underfoot l have not paused
to see who the offender was; 1 have
simply resented the injury by telling the
truth. do not expect men who have
grown gray in the service of this party or
that party to 60 after any policy which l
may advance; do not expect them to
see things as l see them. do but
echo the sentiment of vast army when
l say that the younger and more pro-
gressive men of the race are weary of
having a million and half of votes sac.
rifced annually upon the altar
of gratitude to give power and
emolument to an army OF men
who neither respect us for the
sacrifice made nor reward us for the
valuable services rendered. We want
value received for all we deliver, and
what is more to the point, we are deter
mined to have it. We have not deserted
any party; the party has deserted us;
we have not played fast and loose with
the politicians they have played fast
and loose with us. We are sick of the
farce, and we propose to work a chs n e,
and we do not much care who is offend
ed bee All we demand what is our own
and will not be satisfied with any
thing short of that. There are $4,000
colored voters in the State of
California. What good havs these votes
ever accomplished for us what
measure of respect have they gained us
from our white fellow-citizens. Point me
one colored man in California whose in
fluence is worth a snap of the finger
with either Republican or a Demo-
cratic politician. The Negro is simply
political cypher and voting machine.
Fred Douglass, ex-senator Bruce, John
r. Lynch, and John M. Langston and
the other high mucka-mucks who have
been following the party of their choice
have no more influence on the politics of
the country or the politics of their party
than so many Aunt Dinahs. The million
and half voters have no more poten-
tiality than they have. Why is this true?
1t is because the million and a
half of voters are entirely too
partisan they have failed to assert their
independence of opinion and freedom of
thought and have "bent the supple hinges
of the knee that thrift might follow fawn-
ing" The million and half of Negro
voters have habitually overlooked their
own interests in concerning the interests
of white politicians who profit by their
loyalty and treat them with contempt
after the election is over. The ultimate
solution of the race problem will be
reached only when the Negro divides his
vote. This is rather an advance posi-
ton for me to take, and l expect severe
criticism by statesmen who advocate
that the Negro is political chattel, but
say to the voters of my race,
''let us reason together" The car of
time rattles along at lightning speed, and
we cannot afford to stand still. We
must keep up with the procession, or be
crushed by it. We have slept already
too long while others have been up and
doing. We have allowed others to think
for us and to dictate our actions entirely
too much. That our interests have 80 long
been neglected and our faith abused is
due entirely to the fact that we have
stood in our own shadow, committing to
others the matters we should have looked
after ourselves. If we have rights denied
us that are ours, if we exercise no infu-
ence upon the politics of the country, if
We find enemies in places where we
imagined we had friends, it is all our
fault. "Who would be free, himself
must strike the blow"
B, G. 0, BENJAMIN.