The Washington bee., 1896-11-14
AN AFRO-AMERICAN IN THE
CABINET.
WHAT ABOUT THE coLoRED MAN?
lIrar, he n.iIv Post Nov >

WHAT ABOUT THE COLoRED MAN +?
From the Daily Post Nov. ~
There is one problem which Mr.. Nc
Kinley, if he be just and grateful
man as we think he is-will have to
consider, and consider very seriously.
We have in mind The problem of what
the republican party proposes to do by
way of recogizing its obligations to
the colored voter. The party has
| owed much to thesloyal and unselfish
devotion of the race in times gone by,
| but never so much as in the campaign
| it has Just conducted to a triumphant
| conclusion. What, cow, will Mr.. Nc
Kinley do to testify his gratitude?
At every stage of his personal fight
J Mr. Mckinley has been indebted to the
Negro. 1t was the Negro contingent
at St. Louis that made his nomination
certain 1t was the Negroes firm stand
for gold that forced the sound money
issue upon the convention. 1t was the
| Negro's vote in such States as Mary
land, West Virginia, Kentucky, Ohio,
Delaware, and Indiana that made his
| victory possible. We all know now
that Mckinley would have had next to
no chance at all had not the ST. Louis
convention declared emphatically and
unequivocally for the gold standard.
AS between a simple declaration for
| tariff revision on the one hand and for
free silver coinage without tariff dis
turbances on the other, the great Eas-
| tern an Middle States would have had
| but languid choice. 1t was the solid
sound money front presented by the
colored delegates that comp elled the
adoption of the gold clause in the
| platform, and furnished Er. Mckinley
with the issue upon which he rallied to
his banner the merchants, the manu-
factufers, and the great 'noneyed cor
porations throughout the land. Mr..
| Mckinley could not have been elected
butfor the course pursued by the Ne
| groes before, during, and after the as
/ sembling of the St. Louis convention.
| Now, in what fashion does he intend
to recognize and reward their service !?
| 1t seems to US that at least one cabl-
net position should be given to the
race Let us say the portfolio of Ag-
riculture, for example. There are
many colored- men of notable attain
ments, Of large experience in public,
| and of the highest personal character,
eminently qualified to discharge the
duties of this Office with credit to the
/ administration and honor to them
selves. We might name such men as
Hon. B. K Bruce and Prof. Booker 7.
ashington. Mr.. Bruce has been a
| Senator OF the United States, and it
may be truly said of him that in that
capacity he won the respect and es-
| TEEN of all his colleagues and served
his country with distinction. He also
served term as Register of Treasury
and another as Recorder of Deeds un-
der the District government, always
with notable ability. Prol Washing
ton is universally recognized as one OF
the foremost educators in the country.
The institution over which he presides
at Tuskegee, Ala, has become con
spicuous under his management, and
is today ranked with the m 1st useful
and admirable of our seats of learning
The appointment of either of these
gentlemen TO the control of one of the
executive departments would be a
graceful acknowledgement of the obliga-
tons which the republican party has
incurred, and which we should think it
would be anxious to discharge We
do not limit r. Mckinley to these two
There are many other cOlored men
abundantly fitted for cabinet position
1t happens simply that ex Senator
Bruce and Prof Washington occurred
to us first in running over the list ol
eligIbles.
| Returning to the abstract PROPOSE
ton, however, 1t is clear to us that Mr.
Mckinley owes his election, first to the
fidelity and wise foresight o the col
ored delegates at St. Louis. and sec
ondly to the loyal support of the col
ored voters in half dozen States nee.
essary to his election, which could moi
possibly have been carried for him
without their aid. He is under obi
cations which, as man Of feeling, he
can not we'll ignore and which he coulc
most felicuously acknowledge by ask
ing some truly representative Negro te
enter his official family.