The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1900-05-02
REPUBLICAN STATE
CONVENTION
Continued From First Page

tons, many negroes managed to get
on as delegates. Some of these have
been quietly forced out since and
white men substituted in their places.
Others not so easily dealt with will
be in the convention today.
The only contest SO far as is now
known comes from Wayne county.
It's a contest of white man against
negro.
Charles Hagan. a negro teacher,
heads the negro delegation and Maj.
Hi. Grant champions the cause of the
white delegates.
Hagan says his is the true. only
original and altogether delegation
Grant saws his crowd is the only one
that's built on the principles of law
and modelled after the plan of organ
ization of the party.
Hagan claims that the negroes were
in the ma iority and the whites knew
it and so declined TO attend and take
part in the convention he called. but
egate, or GU he was hired to stay
at home. or CD he was forced" out
of the delegation after he was elected.
The argument most commonly used
in "persuading' the colored brother
not to come was that it would not
be good for the party in that it would
put a bad taste in the mouth of white
Republicans and thus make sure the
passage of the Amendment.
This argument ''went down"'in the
majority of cases, but here and there
negroes arose who pointed out the
fact that the Republican party was
the black mans party, and demanded
to know who was entitled to repre-
sentation in it if he was not. Such, of
course. had to be hired" to sur
render dat entitlement." Various
processes of hiring" were applied
but the method usually resorted to
was that of making the negroes dele
gates TO the Congressional conventions
The way adapted for doing this quiet
lly and not running the risk of a STAN
pede was by not calling a regular
convention in the negro counties, but
holding a secret meeting of the exec
utive committee. at which delegates
were selected.
got up one of their own and appoint
ed white delegates.
Grant asserts that Hagan. as chair
man, refused to call the convention.
and SO he and other members issued
issued then Hagan. he says. issued
one and seven members of the com
mittee met pursuant to that call and
appointed negro delegates. But under
the other call. Major Grant adds. pri-
maries were held and the convention
met and appointed delegates.
The committee on credentials APP
pointed by the convention today will
l. IL L.
delegates will be seated. no matter
what the ground of the contention
seemed to be a foregone conclusion
yesterday.
This routing the negroes out to
please the Western white man is rails
ing a mighty breeze in the black
camp already and bids fair to raise a
much bigger one in the near future;
possibly in today's convention.
All day long yesterday the storm
brewed. The white Republicans stood
in front of the Marlborough, looking
loftily over the top of the neighboring
building and whistling ''All Coons
Look Alike To Me-" while the negroes
congregated aroud the postoffce and
hummed: I've Been Hoodooed, I've
Been Hoodooed
''Oh this is ii white mans fight"
one of the Marlborough contingent de
clared, land we don't want no Mig
ger in it, an we amt goin' TO have
it neither
And he shot mouthful of tobacco
juice at a fly summing himself on the
pavement nearby.
"They say this is white mans
fight a negro told me, his black face
breaking into a grin, IAN Fspose it's.
If It's we ant gwine ter NEEDLE wild,
cept / want dis 'splained. Who's
gwine ter do de votin? Now dat's
what dis niger wants ter know.
Heretofore 'Publicans been Begin us
an Democrats been buying us. now
seems dat nobody wants us. Well eff
dem white folks over can run dat
convention by derselves now dis Mig
ger says jes' let 'em do it. Dey can
make all de nomination speeches an
motion dey wants to but we gwine
ter run de Congressional conventions.
Hear me-
The storm burst at o'clock when
the convention of the Fourth Con-