Evening star., 1901-11-25
Texas Democrats and the Negroes.


To the Editor Of The Evening Star:
In an editorial Of the 14th instant headed
Texas Democrats and Negroes" the fol-
lowing questions are put: Are well-known
democrats in indorsing negroes for federal
offices indulging in malicious joke at the
expense of the negro and the President? Is
1t their object to fire the ambition of the
one and create embarrassment for the
other? Or are these men in earnest? Can
it be that, despite the robust Indignation
that finds expression in the southern press
and on the southern stump whenever a
negro is mentioned for office, there are
southern democrats who can control their
feelings when they find a man of color
holding federal commission and even find
it in their hearts and compatible with their
pride to help him to such distfnction?'
No one answer to any one of these ques-
tionS could furnish reliable information aS
to the position of the democrats of Texas
upon this subject. There are democrats n
Texas representing every possible shade of
sentiment that these questions indicate;
but, as a negro Texan. 1 feel authorized to
say, and feel it my duty to say, that the
present movement in Texas is an effort
based upon political malice to take advan-
tage of the tendency of the administration
| to ignore old-line republicans. The pres
ent activity in Texas comes from an effort
to remove Gov Webb Flanagan from the
position of collector Of internal revenues at
Austin. His only crime is that he has been
an uncompromisng republican through all
times and conditions. He was republican
when the party stood for freedom and i'm
partial Justice to all men, and insisted that
"a man is man for a that and "a that
For this he Is unfit to hold office at the
hands of his party, in the estimation of
democrats, and they want a negro. Well,
Mr.. Ferguson is negro, and stood next
to N. w. Quincy as a political leader and
is willing to take the collectorShip If Gov.
Flanagan can't keep it; but the democrats
say, mo, look at his record" He has been
identified with the republican party from
boyhood and has been elected to many po-
sitions of honor. The democrats know that
for them to offer democrat, white or
black for the place would be losing time.
So they take Mr. r. l.. Smith He is a gen.
tleman, a scholar and a republican-and
colored. He has struck democrats some
| blows, but they are few and light, and if
| he hadn't done little something he would
| be blunt tool with which to strike an old
| liner. Hence they indorse him, and if they
succeed in knocking out Flanagan and Fer
| ing of him later. EX-Representative Haw
| ley present national committeeman from
| Texas. would favor Flanagan or Ferguson
either but democrats would insist that the
administration could not afford to listen to
| him, for he has been republican all of his
| life and has been sent twice republican
| member to Congress. 1 agree with The
Star that this sort of tactics should fail.
am negro, and hope to see negroes given
| what they deserve in the way of federal
| appointments, but the disposition of south
ern democrats to make the negro an eN-
| cuse or tool for venting their spleen
| southern white republicans should be
promptly and emphatically ignored.
| VIM. r. PATTERSON.