The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-10-16
FOR COLORED VOTERS.
Extracts from a Letter Written to n
Prominent C0lOred Man.

Prominent COlOred Man.
The Republican State committee has re-
ceived a copy of a letter written by Thomas
T. Taylor, general counsel for the Kansas
City, Watkins & Gulf Railway, to John
Waller. a prominent colored man of Leav-
enworth. Kan. The letter was written at
Lake Charles, Louisiana. In forwarding a
copy of the letter to the Indiana committee.
Mr.. Taylor remarks that this is my con-
tribution to your campaign"
In beginning the letter to John Waller,
the writer says: Quite recently / read in
a paper that you hav allied yourself to
Bishop Turner of the A. NJ. Il. Church, who
has boosted hat he will carry 900,0O voters
to Bryan. Hence this letter from a quon-
Dam Kansas friend, who supported you in
bygone days with his vote and influence"
The letter is INTENDED by Mr.. Taylor to
reach all colored voters who are uncertain
as to how they shall vote this election. The
letter is a voluminous one. 'Of course"
wrote Mr.. Taylor, "you may and doubtless
personally shed a portion of my life's blood
upon the field of battle to secure the bles-
sings of freedom to your race and after
ward cast my vote for its enfranchisement,
l propose to appeal to your unimpassioned
reason in the hope that l may show you
hat the professions of friendship for it by
the Democratic party and its promise to
extend TO IL equality before the law, are
is gangrened with prejudice toward your
people"
The writer goes into a discussion of the
'Black Law which used to prevail in some
OF the States. The writer refers to the
language of the Governor OF Virginia, who
in his message of 1916 to the Legislature,
said: "I regard our free negro population
as one of our greatest evils, and to get rid
of it is our highest duty" Concerning the
attitude OF the Democracy of the South to-
ward the negro, Mr.. Taylor says: THE
Democrats of the South proclaim that they
are the real friends of the negro race and
that they should be given a free hand in
their treatment OF that people. therefore, I
want to acquaint you with the nature of
that friendship. In 1888. a short time before
the meeting of the Louisiana constitutional
s sn Hn sdiaar tne Of 4a Witch, am 1tbie axf or ia IS city aby
keynote, said: The sphere of usefulness
of a negro is in guiding the destiny of a
mule across a cotton patch, About the
said: The paramount question for the ap-
preaching constitutional convention to
solve is unquestionably the suffrage ques-
ton. The niger must be eliminated from
politics. Until the black man is removed
from our politics, niger killing and ballot
box stuffing and regulating drastic as
those measures are, must not be too severe
"In ST. Landry parish a few months be-
fore" Mr.. Taylor continues. five hundred
regulators had been In the saddle. twelve
or thirteen negroes we're said TO have been
killed m about fifty whipped by them. A
Catholic priest was driven from his church,
because in the service held on account of a
victim. who was his parishoner, he de-
nounced them. and needing the note OF
warning they tackled upon his church door
fled for protection. to the residence of the
archbishop at New Orleans. The Demo-
cratic Governor Foster had been specially
urged TO suppress them. but did not inter-
fere. How the Democratic party does love
the negro race"