The colored American., 1902-10-18
A MILD PROTEST.
A Subscriber Commends Obe
EdItorial Stand Of 66e Race
Greet st Newspaper.

EDITOR COLoRED AMERICAN:
My DEAR SIR: [ wish to congratulate
YOU upon your very able editorial OF the
4th instant. You ask that all important
question that should interest ten mill
ions of this much persecLted race OF
ours, "Where does the President stand i!
Then you went on TO say, AT no time
since the enfranchisement Of the Negro
has the race occupied so anomalous
position in the political equation as that
in which we find ourselves IN the year
of our Lord nineteen hundred and two,
etc, etc.
We notice, also, that the editor of The
Star of Zion, Rev. ]. w: Smith, d. d.,
is asking pointed questions along the
same line These are questions, gentle
men, that ten millions OF souls, who are
being prosecuted seemingly because God
saw fit to make their skin dark, would
like very much to nave answered.
But there is another question, Mr..
Editor, that you didn't ask, and 1t Is
Just as much important to the race with
which we are identified as the others,
and that is, Where do the leading Negro
politicians stand? Why are they Sc
Silent during this hour of trials and trIo-
ulations? Can it be possible that the
love of big positions have caused then
to forget their people, who are struggling
for their rights as American citizens
But perhaps they, like the god OF Baal
are asleep or gone off on a long journey
If there ever was time when this race
of ours stood in need of true leaders, II
is to-day.
Being driven about as we are to-day
God grant that the time be not far when
the Republican party will ind 1t neces
ssry to ask the question, Where do the
Negroes stand?
The leading politicians of our race arr
largely responsible for great deal OF tn:
abuse we are getting at the hands oI
our so-called Republican friends. Lead
ers who are too coward to lead III tht
hours of adversely, as we'll as when al
is going we'll, should be relegated to the
rear.
''They are slaves who fear to speak
For the fallen and the weak.
They are slaves who dare not be
In the right with two or three"
Your editorial, Mr.. Editor, should bt
repeated in the next issue OF your newsy
journal. 1t should be echoed on th'
editorial page of every Negro newspaper
in this country. You are right. 1t ::
time for the Negro editors to cease wait
ing around for hush money and beS1I
telling the readers of their papers thu
true condition of things. And the edito
or editors who would keep their people
in the dark for the sake of few dollar
and cents deserve to be perlshed out o
the business.
We believe President Roosevelt is al
right on the Negro question. Since th'
leading colored politicians who are hold
ing big Federal jobs have not put them
selves on record as being bitterly agan5
disfranchisement and turning their broth
ers out of conventions, and since tn
said colored politicians are looked upon
by virtue of the aforesaid big FederL
Jobs. to be the special saviors OF tn
entire Negro race, perhaps our goo'
President has come to the CONCLUSION
that the race is satisfied, perfectly SatlS
fed. These men have kept silent lon;
enough, and they owe it to their peopl
TO let them know how they stand. Som
of the colored newspapers are IN tn
habit of telling everything about wha
this leading Negro or that leading Negr
has done in the past. But they fail 1
turn on the light and say what they ar
doing to-day.
1t is not what they have done. w
are not bothered about that But tn
all-important question is, What are the
doing to-day? Where do the colore
politicians stand?
J. c. CUNNINGHAM.
Iroeb;rofor, n &