West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1900-11-01
DIsPRANCHIsED.
Taxation without Represention Right
Mt the Seat OF Government.
WASHINGTON, ID. c.,
October 77th, 1909.

Il
To the Editor of The Argus.
Since living in Washington tn,
one thing that has impressed m,
more than any other is the status o
the colored man in this great city.
The Republican party need no
throw mud at the South for il,
discrimination against the colorec
man, for their party was the first &c
enact law TO circumvent the 18th
amendment. L refer to the law thai
placed the District of Columbia
under the supervision of Congress.
For what purpose did the Govern.
ment enact such law2 Solely to
disfranchise the colored people oil
the City of Washington.
Think of the Government OF
Lincoln and Grant doing such a
thing Yes it was done simply be.
cause the negroes of Washington
outvoted the whites and ruled the
city.
What a crime was theirs nv
countrymen for freemen to vote as
they chose.
AS result of dissatisfaction in
Administration circles, Congress
was called on to suppress the negro,
and most thoroughly did Congress
do the work, even at the expense of
the white people of every State in
the Union who has temporary resi-
dence in the Capital. And all this
was done in the first term of u. S.
Grant, and within six years after
the negro was made freeman.
In Grants first term he appointed.
by virtue of an act of Congress, a
Governor of the District of Column
bla, namely, II. ID. Cook, who held
office from February a8, 1871, to
September Is, 1873; the second
Governor, II. +. Shepard, governed
the District from September Il, IA,
to January 30, IA, and since that
time Commissioners instead of a
Governor have been appointed by
the President. Then to see that no
white voters, more particularly Re-
publicans, who at the time were in
power, lost their votes. All were
allowed to go to their former homes
to cast their votes. But how MANY
of the colored people could 60 home
each election year, and how many
OF them had any other home but
Washington
What is the result in Washing
ton3 The city is ruled in more
despotic manner than Russia.
You have absolutely no voice in
the Government. You are taxed
and governed without your consent,
and that, too, by people from all
over the Union-from any other
place than Washington.
This was the first imperialistic
move by the Republican party, and
this was the first cold steel entering
wedge that made the first opening
into which was driven the huge glut
that has been driven deeper into the
outt-cut of our nation tree until
through Porto Rico and the Phil
ippine Islands the entire fabric is in
danger of being split from top to
bottom.
SO, little by little, the grand party
OF Lincoln and Grant has turned its
back on the black man until now in
the Unified States, namely, in the
Sulu Islands, one of our territories.
1t has actually consented to their
being held in chattel slavery.
Let the Republican party return
to its former moorings, then can the
colored men of this country who see
the Inconsistencies of their former
party, return to the fold whence
they have been driven by oppres
sion in their Capital City, and by
imperialism and trusts and the muir
dering of thousands of their color in
an unjust and unholy war, and by
like iniquities as concocted by
such men as now rule this land. not
the less iniquitous of whom is Mar
Gus A. Hanna, the acting President
of the United States.
GEO. N. McDoNALD.