The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1898-05-22
M'Kinley Wants Colored Men,

! In spite of all attempts TO discredit il.
gossip al army headquarters stin hss il
thai We shall soon hear another cal Tor
volunteers, this time for one hundred
| thousand men. says reliable Washing
/ ton correspondent, Il is positively known
10 be the presidents desire 20 make use
of the services OF a large number OF ne
groes. Under the call OF issues. he OBJ
/ tanned only one company from MaSsachu-
sets and three from Ohio. both northern
states. What he would like would be 10
draw up the great mass Of sturdy. muscu-
1 lar southern field hands. men who have
spent their lives in the marshes and river
bottoms. and thrtved on il whose power
10 work hard under fierce sun, and TO
/ inhaIe utasmatic air without injury. es-
pecSally hts them for service in Cuba II
/ IS not expected 10 make them OF much use
in the aggressive campaigning. but for
I garrison service, 10 follow the advance
/ body and occupy and defend the captured
! points, 1t is considered by military experts
| THAI they would be Invaluable
The difficulty about getting the south
/ ern negroes lies in the survival Of a race
/ feeling in the south which has thus far
prevented the governors OF the states IN
( that port of the country from encouras-
I ing negro euliStments and appointing ne
+ gro officers. Unfortunately, there is moth
/ Ing in the volunteer act which authorizes
che president 10 designate specifically the
/ race or other distinctive qualifications
which we most desire In body Of volUn-
teers mustered under a call. and X is con-
sidered very unwiss to comphcate the re-
lations of the state and federal govern
nlentS by en- act which would call in
question unnecessarily the construction OF
I s. statute
/ II would be a simple enough matter to
get all the northern negroes, both as pTi-
Yates and officers, who felt disposed 70 go
10 war. for there is scarcely northern
! governor who would not welcome the
chance TO warm The hearts OF the negro
voters, but In the south IL Is different
and II is not negroes aS negroes, but
southern negroes as distinguished from
northern negroes. who are wanted in this
emergency.
II was this recognizes need. and the dit
fcuhy OF meeting II with the machinery
now at his disposal. which started the
story that special legislation for an in
crease OF the volunteer army from 25 coo
TO $1,000 men. Was in course % prepara-
ton. The persistence. however. OF the un-
dersranding In well informed quarters
that 1900 men will be called out sug-
gests that plan may be on foot for max
Ing the large can. and at the same time
privately notifying the governors north
and south of just what Will be expected Of
them. The northern governors might very
properly be told to get ready. although
their men may not be needed right away.
The southern governors mi ht in the mean
time be informed than they would confer
a great favor on the president and ma
terially assist in the vigorous prosecution
Of the war by seeing to II that a sufficient
contingent OF negroes are enlisted and Of
ffceTed by men of their own race. This
would spare the need OF special legislation.
and would be quite in accordance with
the precedent established by President
Lincoln, of confidential conferences with
the war governors of the several states
regardless of partisan differences.
President Mckinley has certainly paved
the way for a very good-natured reception
of any overtures he may make TO his fell
iow-citizens of the South. If the geograph-
ical distribution of military honors counts
for anything.