The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1900-08-08
WILL SUPPORT BRYAN.
Rnralo Courier.l


club and viii stump the state for Bry-
an and Stevenson and the Democrat
ic state ticket
Fir. Thomas is a finely educated ne
gro. He was born in slavery, but ct
the age of s years escaped with his
father or a sAiI which carried the two
/ down the Ohio river into. 2 free state
Mr.. Thomas was a student at Lick
university, Tennessee, graduating n
1851 with the degree OF Master OF Arts,
and was also a graduate OF the Yale
law school, class of 1884, with the de-
gree OF Ii. 3. lie has resided in Buff
'falo since leaving Yale, and made
many speeches for the Republican can
didates. He was an original McKin-
ley boomer in 1885. and was strongly
recommended fer the post OF minister
| to Hayti. He was president of the
COiored Mems Republican league in
1895, 1896 and 1897.
Speaking of his reasons for leaving
| the Republican party last night, Mr.
| Thomas said:
/ My reason in a nutshell, is my con-
Viction that it will be for the best in
! tereSt of the whole country and Incl
dentally for my race to elect Bryan
and Stevenson this fall. To be more
| specific. 1 cannot agree with the ad
! ministratiOn'S policy toward the Phil
| ippines, Cuba and Porto Rico; 1 do not
believe, in the first place, that we
should have purchased for S2e, 600, 600,
or any sum, Spdin'S hopeless war in
| the Philippines, nor the avOwed pur-
pose of forcibly retaining the posses
sion of or SuZerainty over the islands
against the will of the people. after
| their subjugatiOn, purchased also by
some of the best blood Of our Ameri-
can citizens.
Il condemn the dilatory tactics to-
ward China. do not believe the Porto
| Rican tariff just to Porto Ricans or
even consistent with ourselves, and
condemn discrimination no less against
the individual than against any part
of our domain.
Entertaining these views it would
not be consistent for me to support the
administration, and, from another view
point, l believe the colored people, and,
incidentally, all the people, are handi-
capped by the prevailing opinion that
the colored voter should slavishly fol-
low the Republican regime without
stopping to consider present issues,
present platforms and present political
practices. l have for years been dis
gusted with the idea that the Repub-
lican party fought the war Of the re-
belliOn or freed the slaves and that,
therefore, we owe it a debt of eternal
gratitude. The assertion is absurd
and has been frequently disproved by
statistics showing that the Republican
soldier vote was less than 80 per cent
OF the enlisted men. I believe that the
political welfare of the country will be
materially improved when a citizens
political faith can no longer, north or
south, be determined afar off by the
color of his skin. l believe that the
people Of the south, as well as those
of the north, should live together har-
,
turbed by racial distinctions or polit
zeal differences.
Il am not unmindful of the fact
which has given me much concern in
my present purposes, that the colored
people in this country, and no other,
are mObbed and even burned at the
, stake, the innocent often suffering with
the guilty, and sometimes when abso-
lutely no crime has been committed,
while good Republicans look on with
appreciation and condemn those who
either in mass meeting or individually
cry out against these Outrages, and L
am at a loss tQsaccount for that anon
alOus condition of our national gov
eminent which affords protection or
redress for grievances to our citizens
D abroad, but is pOwerless to succOr or
' defend them at home. 1 am compelled
to condemn a president who, though
fails to utter a word, even for it's
= moral effect upon the nation, against
these OutrageS upon humanity.
Experience has fully taught the les
son that these things cannot be regu-
: lated by force of arms, nor even per-
haps by moral suasion, and 1 have
come 20 the conclusion that the race
problem can be solved by the negroes
of the country, in ali sections voting
= / with the Democrats, and especially in
I the south. where for thirty-fiVe years
/ the whites have looked upon them as
the everlasting enemies to the pro-
gress of that section. as opposing their
| manufactures and all branches Of in
dustry, by voting en- masse for the Re
publican party without a thought of
present great national issues, and car
ing little whether or not their votes
work havoc TO their locality and to
q their employers, or deprive themselves
of the means of livelihood, but go on
, and on in the straight Republican
$ track, regardless of the economic or
I financial results.
, I have had some observations dur
| ing a long residence among the people
I OF the south, and know that very many
t OF them have a natural kindly feeling
? for the cOiored man and desire his ma
! JeTial prosperity and his elevation TO
the higher stations Of life. as witness
4 my own tutorship under prominent
< | Democratic chancellor OF Memphis.
Tenn.
The election of a Republican presi-
dent has never yet lessened crime in
[ the south, either on the part of the
D guilty individual or the united acts of
:. the mob, and / think that statistics
, prove the comparison unfavorable to
: the present incumbent.
n believe that if at first, the ma
jority Of the blacks should take the
! initiative in the south and vote with
l the Democrats. it would not be long
0 till all the people enjoyed a new era
q of freedom, of individual political
9 thought and action, without racial d.
! vision or persecution, and the horrible
I crimes engendered by political hatred
} will pass into history, regretted and
deplored by all classes of the people.
= 1t is a source of much qualification
10 me that since my purposes have
been made known among my colored
r friends many prominent ones among
! | them have warmly congratulated me
for my 'tardy stand as they express
it.
Il have listened to both candidates
Y now before the people, and have been
\ decidedly more favorably impressed
with Mr.. Bryan as humanitarian and
L friend Of the common people than with
Mr. Mckinley, and 1 shall, if / live.
with all candor without hesitancy and
in the hope of helping to improve ex-
l listing conditions, vote for Bryan and
Stevenson"