The Washington bee., 1889-04-27
KILLING THEMSELVES.

bu1dl6 lSdluiS5 III OAO Ah~'AN
office seeking among our colored
politicians, is their apparent dis
regard for harmoniouscooporatlon
Every prominent ofiice-seeker (or
nearly SOY has picked out his plum
and is determined to have II
himselfor see to it that no other
colored man gets it. He therefore
gets his papers in order, presents
them, in the name of his constit-
uency, to the appointing power,
and then turks about to see if any
one is hankering after the same
place. The mere selection Of
theplace, he thinks, determines
his fitness together with his abso-
Lutte and only right, not only to
possess it but to see that no one
else shall contest his capacity or
his right, The result of this
method has been TO set our public
men squabbIing and wrangllng
and mudsIinging, one at the
other, to the utter disparagement
of their sagacity and their interests
as well as those of the whole
race.
1t is rumored that certain
prominent colored man was about
to be honored with an important
and influential Federal position
q position by which quite a large
number of colored citizens might
have been OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES,
hearing it, certain other promi-
nent men began belittling and
vilifying said about-to-be officer
The consequence was that the
matter was reconsidered, and the
prospects are that a compromise
will be affected by which, as usual,
a white man will be appointed to
heal the breach. Now it is unnec-
essary to say that this method
of procedure cannot succeed and
does not meet the appreciation OF
large constituencies which stand
in need OF official recognition.
Moreover it does the race great
injustice, In the first place 1t
argues against good judgment and
sagacity. In the second place, it
it makes the whole race appear as
set of grumblers and malcontents
and gives opportunity for harsh
and even unjnst criticism. 1t ALSO
argues against the possibility Of
proper leader ship, for it assumes
that those who are clammoring
are duly authorized to come to
Washington to present. the wishes
of large constituencies, when, as a
matter of fact, such persons are
largely self constituted delegates
of the people, and in fact do no.
represent any wishes save thell
own.
This Is apparent lnasmuch al
we find as many as a half dozer
persons coming from the same
city. each presenting conflicting
arguments and reasons why h'
and not the other shall receive
the deserved recognition, whel
In nine cases out of ten, the peo
pie of the city they claim to repre-
sent do not know that said person.
are in this city. 1t is a wei
known fact that the colored people
are loyal, that they are not selfist
and that it is their wish that suci
representation shall be given tnen
in the matter of Federal patronage
as is commensurate with thel
elective force. They feel tha
they should be honored not fol
the sake of any enc man or set o
men but for the devotion of The
whole people to the party which
is now at the head of the govern
meRt. 1t matters but little as tt
the personal so it represents The
best types of manhood and the
best mental calibre among the
race. And the men who by 6
dog-in-the-manger policy, embar
ass the Administration in Its
attempt to do squarely by the
colored people, and shirt recogni
ton from the colored people to
the whites. are not only pursuing
an unmanly and unwise course
but are bringing upon their heads
an avslanch which will soon bury
them in political oblivion.
What we want is harmony, co,
operative maRliness and the man
Hesitation of race-pride in the
spirit OF self abregatlon in favor Of
elevation and advancement OF the
race. Moreover it seems there
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