Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1903-10-17

are in the y itti States Government
: rvice AS mail carriers, having passed
the Civll Service examinations before
United States officers and yet are not
! permitted 10 vote bee ,uSe a Democratic
white registrar. who eau hardly write
his own naue LIGHTLY. sitting as judge
says thar ne dos NOT thoroughly under
s;uud the Virginia Constitution.
This SiIue white registrar enters ~
on the books every pp r.vhlte ruu suck
Ing male I, sldenr ia THIS locality, 20 the
eN dent disgust of The respectab white
people themselves. If the white men of
the south would make an honest. par
till effort to purify the 1ilio visIJing
its provisions aud peaalieS upon the
white and colored alike, muety per cent
of the col red leaders would be forward
in supp rang such an effort, but unsil
this is done, these same people will be
counted on the other side.
The average southern white mar
S arts out with the basic proposition
trat no colored man should be allowed
.
spec linen OF humanity to be entrusted
with the task of framing legislation IT
the purpose OF giving all citiz us. lie
gardleSs of color, the right TO vote 1t
is as absurd prop Dsjtlou as to expect a
crooked legged man To walk straight.
He couldn't do so. If he tried
ii Prof. WASHINGTON has approved of
legislation which takes the ballot ont of
the hands of the igno, amt, the shiftless,
and the irresponsible of both races, that
is enough to commend him in the minds
of matchmaking people everywhere
The Post observes:
Right h re we find the true material
of Judgment between the the two classes
of Negro leaders-the Booker Washing
ton class aud the Fortune Jones, sc,
class. WashiuA ton. who lives among
them, lGborS with them, and, according
To his Lights, endeavors to improve their
condition IN life, is willing TO see the
Negro s removed for the present from
the temptations and the demoralizing
influences of politics.
brother from the demoralizjug effect of
politics. How kind For the same
reason, the tiger would remove the lion
from the demuralIzDg effect of feasting
upon the carcass of IA young lamb. For
the same reason, TIE big by would re-
move the little boy from the democrat
izing effect of eating The plum pudding
when there is not enough TO Ego
round"
Oh, yes, we know something about
the demoraiizug effect of government
offices and also somelhing about the
white mans "winkiug the other eye"
: when he makes the statement. From a
careful observation of the situation, the
cuIoreG brother is very much in need of
great deal more Of that kind of demon
alization.
/ 1t wunld be well % remark that Mr..
& T THOMAS FORTUNE is a devotee, so to
speak, of Mr. WASHINGTON and seldom
fills TO endorse him or his policies. The
, Posi- says:
tiniteiy better for them to devote their
energies i'm the immediate future, to the
acquisition ofproperty, the accumulation
of the means of independence, and the
practice of the domestic virtues which
spring up in well-ordered homes. That
such term of preparation and probation
4 will fit them for the duties of citizen
, ship he realizes perfectly. That no
white man will find fault with voter
who has substantial reasons for pre-
ferring good to bad government goes
= without the saying.
Our esteemed contemporary seems to
/ forget that we have plenty of Negroes
: for the purposes above mentioned and
plenty more 20 vote and hold govern
ment Office. All of them never did vote
when they had the opportunity so to
do. We have plenty more who are alb
solutely willing to accept the democrat
ization of holding government office if
| some of these insignificant white Demo-
Gratis, whom President ROOSEVELT has
appointed in the Southland will ''turn
loose" long enough for the colored
brother to take hold.
The Posi- is in error when it says
that no white man will find fault with
a voter who has substantial reasons for
preferring good to bad government
You have only to come TO Richmond
and to step over into Henrieo county in
order to have your ideas knocked into
smithereens" and your fondest idol
shattered. White men are in both
places who are finding fault with white
men, who for substantial reasons are
preferring good to bad government
What would they say and do to Negroes
who held similar opinions? Come down
off your pedestal, Mr.. Posi-, and learn
about these Negro hating, Democratic
white people, with whom we come in
contact. You cannot mean to deceive
your readers, while knowing the fact.
J and we are charitable enough to believe
that you are too far away from the
} white southern product or else youl
| II