The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1897-11-27

Gratis do not care for the Offices, anyhow;
its a personal sacrifice for a Democrat to
accept an office; he only takes it as a pas
triotlc duty he owes his country.
But this Democratic Gazette sees a
way out of the ofice-hni4ing embarrass-
ment for the long se~lf-sacrnclng patrl-
OTIS, Here" 1t, in effect, tells the color
ed voters of the state, you have been
voting the Republican ticket for years,
and they haven't been giving you as
many of the offices as you are entitled to.
True, for the first time in the history Of
the state, a colored clerk, a bright, intel
llgent man, who has won his spurs, holds
a good position in the state house; others
are members of state boards of public
institutions, and still others have been
appointed to various positions, and in
Washington they are found in govern
ment employ on every side; but this will
not do, Why doesn't the Republican
party make congressman and senators Of
you? Why doesn't the governor appoint
you as members OF his staff? They are
ungrateful. You should join the Demo-
cratic party, which has always loved
you with such intense devotion and will
give you anything you ask for. Demo-
Gratis do not want offices and they
will just fall over each other to tender
you the places. They are dying to see
colored mems faces In the public offices.
You know the Democratic party always
was that way, even II colored postmas-
tiers appointed by President Mckinley in
the south are shot down on the street for
daring to accept the places"
Perhaps the editor of the Gazette, be-
ing a comparative stranger in the state.
doesn't know that only a little more than
four years ago the Democratic state
committee was distributing throughout
certain portions of West Virginia enor-
nous posters on which was a large pic
ture. almost lIfe-size, representing a col
ored school teacher with a most brutal
countenance beating a white child, and
under 1t was the legend informing an In
credulous public that If a Republican
state admins riation should be elected,
West Virginia would have mixed
schools" and white children would be
taught by negro teachers.
Never, not even Immediately after the
war, was there a more desplcable at
tempt made to create a race prejudice
among the whites in the southern portion
of this state than there was no longer ago
than 1892. If the editors of the Gazette
will make some Inquiries he will learn
the truth of this statement, and nnder-
stand that the colored people of West
Virginia have not forgotten it.
This revolt against Re~publlcanism,
which the Gazette seems to think 1t Is
commissioned to stir up among the col
cred voters of West Virginia, will fail, as
a similar effort in Ohio failed only this
year. All the Democratic machinery
was put in motion in that state, and 1t
was hcralded that the revolt of the color
ed voters was unprecedented. Conyen-
tons were held, and colored orators were
employed to tell the colored voters that
the Republican party was their worst
enemy. The result was that the negro
movement received but $50 Of the $4,000
colored votes in Ohio,
Seriously speaking, suppose for the
sake of argument, the colored vote In
West Virginia has not received a fun
measure OF recognition, will the Gazette
point out to the colored people what they
might expect in this respect IL they
should In a body desert the Republican
party? Would the Democracy do for
the colorcd voterwhat the Gazette claims
the Republican party has not done?
Would the Democracy guarantee all that
the Gazette suggests ehould be done by
the Republican parly2 Does the Gazette
believe that It would be wise for a DEM
ocratlc convention to pledge this rccog-
milton IN It's platform?
Does the Gazette believe, In view Of
the Incident above referred to, that the
Intelligent colored people could be de-
celved by such a pledge? Doesn't tho
Gazette know thatIits sort OF politics In
dealing with the race question Is not In
accordance with D~omperahc precedent?
After an, can II be that the Gazette
knows tnat u was Senator Faulkner who
directed the RAGS prejudice campaign of
1902 In the interest Of hts own candidacy
for tho senate, and that now In the inter
, cgt ofhn opponent Of the senator Il pro-
poses to repudlalc his campaign methods
IN adyaned2