Wisconsin Afro-American., 1892-11-05
: poIiticaI situation in Racine, as
irf waved by an Independent Thinker
:" Of Racine County.

5onot have any say in running
D''-D ,r;+ic,I machine in either city or
'u .r only so far as our votes go to
"p-, y, lake ND the grand total. There
lsig so+ n, enough OF us to compel political
AZ nition from either of the two great
| We are blessed, so to speak,
P'.. -, ,onr parties in our city and county:
n,hIi,ap. Democratic, Union Labor
A'E p,onIes Party, and Farmer Alliance
. and Prohibition.
'I Troof the parties named above have
rizad us as race and also as a
,riticoI factor in their councils.
rnAe Republican party do its duty
4 aNMgro2
LET MS see what they have done
trsnd our advancement as voters
,jnod citizens of the Republic. I
-,,,to saw right here that l do not in
.,j+o discuss the political issues of
ebsr Of the parties, only in so far as
,sr tried TO show what has been done
ne as colored voters and lawabiding
citizens Of this state.
TbeRepublican party, we must admit,
he's done great deal for us. Our ad-
varc4ments have been nutured by the
Pepubljcan party to quite an extent.
an acts of Congress that were passed
which we're beneficial to us as a race,
especially the fifteenth amendment, was
done under or rather by Republican
administration. And yet some of our
civil rights are denied us, even right
here in the State of Wisconsin. Just
think of our going to war, offering our
selves to be sacrificed, if necessary,
on the altar of our country, and
for a flag that never has protected
Us. and to-day we do not have
that full protection that we should
. have under the flag of our country.
n This too in this bOasted and So called
free country of ours. Our rights are
. shamefully denied us in some states.
y Our condition in some parts of the
4 Southland is worst than slavery, and
y they dare not raise hand to defend
themselves or they are lynched or shot.
Our friends say, "Why don't you people
protect yourselves Z" The reason is
Z plain to any one that reads: The exc
cutiOn of the laws are in the hands Of
our enemy-the railroads, the tele-
graph, the newspapers; our enemy holds
the key to the situation. We have no
means Of concentration, we have no
backing; cur government says, can do
nothing, / am helpless, the state has a
night to make laws to govern itself. if
they do not conflict with the Consti-
tuition OF the United States.
When the nation life was in danger,
iAey called on Us colored men to come,
aldhep save it. And Horace Greedy
SAID, about $4,000 laid down their
lives
ana now when our lives are in danger,
ad We call on her to help us and save
Nfom being destroyed, she says, No,
@ntdo ii. State rights stand in the
w.
'oW, II our late war proved anything
Wall, 1t proved that the United States
SArger than any one state. If she had
NTer to coerce a state back into the
~oA she has power to compel that
@'e to protect its citizens.
N0|' 1t is the duty of the Republican
.A'!' and all good citizens, to see to it
.1'' We get the same protection in the
'Vl'l as we get in the North.
Al We ask is justice, and that we must
ave Ihe present condition of our
%V III some parts Of this Republic is a
-'6Face to our country, and to the ad-
1uceu state Of our civilization.
'eare thankful for all that has been
''-V lor us, but we want more. We
'4' To feel that wherever we go
~OuShout this broad land of ours
i We shall have all the civil and po-
,~'SI rights that our white friends
''Snow our gratitude to the Repub-
u Party. we have voted right along
- and for them ever since we have
10W franchise. Now, what has the
4, Uohe Tor our race politically in
Ii'S and county, or state? Nothing,
'a'e'g nothing. I do not think that
Inah one or two colored men have
il o7en nominated to run for an
on the Republican ticket in the
,''S ol the state. If there have been
~, Instances would be very glad to
n, IT, corrected. But think that I am
II l. IN making this statement.
VI, ~ net expect anything from the
Y yvIa'le party, for the reason that
III, lave heretofore voted against it
S Iut for all that, they have
N '-iLaled colored man to run for an
ngnt here in this county. The
. l,T VOlored man that was appointed
~ 'lerh IN this city was appointed
democrats. The Republicans,
Il, '"'er date, have done likewise,
". 'e"liy they should have been the
Ao. " 10 SO. If the Republicans ex-
" noId the colored vote, they have