Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1903-06-11
The Race Question in West Virginia.

A recent issue of 1.-The Advocate" OF
Charleston-the negro organ in West
Virginia, contains a vicious attack on
Senator Campbell, of Jefferson, repre-
| sentative of this District. for his atti-
tude on the race question, and also ar
raigns Hon. George E. Price for his dec
| laration in the recent Municipal Demo-
cratic Convention at Charleston that it
was the duty of his party Ito nominate
a good white clean man, to be elected
by the good white clean citizens OF the
town"
The article, evidently penned by some
| degenerate white man, deliberately mis-
quotes Senator Campbell's remarks
made during the closing hours of the
recent session the Legislature. What
he did say was that in his judgment this
was white mans country, and that
| the negro under existing conditions,
and the execution Of the election laws
by the Republicans corruptionists,
ought to be disfranchised. He quoted
Booker Washington as saying that the
! Almighty had stamped the mark of in
| feriOrty on the visage OF the African,
| and strongly criticized President ROose-
welt for entertaining Washington on
terms Of social equality at the White
| House Senator Campbell claims to be,
and is, better friend of the negro than
those who have use FOR them for politi-
cal purposes only. It's a well anthem
| ticated fact that Booker Washington
! did make the remarks III question at a
Negro Church in Charleston, and Pres
ident Roosevelt glories in his recogni
tion OF the negro as a social equal, and
the attempted humiliation Of the south
ern people by appointing negroes to adj
minister responsible offices and boss"
the whites.
Only last month the press dispatches
announced that the Union League Club
! Of New York, of which Roosevelt was
| President in 1898, had adopted resOlu-
tions denOuncing the recent election
laws passed by Virginia, Maryland,
| North Carolina and Alabama. The res
olutions provided for large appropri-
alton to aid in testing the validity of
| these laws" &C, of which the renegade
and negrophile, John S Wise, whom
Virginia has spewed ont of her mouth,
is expected to be the chief beneficiary.
The Maryland election laws are practi-
cally those of Massachusetts,. and the
Stitutionalty of the Alabama law. The
dispatches state that at is understood
that large contributions will be made
by individual gentlemen Of the Club.
In the light of the unqualified success
of the similar Committees Of the Club
appointed to aid in the defeat of the
silver movement in 1896 and the cleo
ton of Roosevelt as Governor of New
York, some idea Of the importance Of
this movement may be had On these
two former Committees were such men
as John ID. Rockefeller, j. Pierpont
Morgan, Henry Clews, Joseph Fl. Choate,
General Horace Porter, Andrew Carne-
gle, and II score of others whose names
are household words in every American
home The Union League Club is GER
tainly the most conservative and eX-
elusive as well as the wealthiest Repub-
lican body in this country, and it is
said its action Will give a powerful i'm
petus 10 similar action elsewhere"
A nice aggregation Of patriots this, and
one Of course thoroughly cOnverSant
with the needs and aspirations OF the
people.
No one questions the fact that a ma
jority of the white voters Of West Vir.
ginia are Democrats, and therefore the
balance of power is held by the negro.
Is it wise or right that an illiterate, vi
cious, and irresponsible electorate
should control the deStinies of a great
State For instance, the county Of
Fayette with an overwhelming cOlOred
population, paying little or no taxes,
and which rolls up such Republican
10 l,I
that district, furnishes one-ffth Of all
the cOnvictS in the State Pententiary
from the tifty-five counties Of West Vir-
ginia, and at least 90 per cent. of these
are colored ; and yet it is by such negro
dominated counties that we are indi
rectly governed The better class of
cOlored voters owe it to themselves to
wipe out this reproach of their race and
to the State Take away the majorities
given by the pauper and criminal pop
uation Of West Virginia and it would
unqueStionably belong to the Democrat
ic column.
THE Advocate" criticzes Senator
Campbell for injecting the negro ques-
ton into the debate on the Jefferson
county free turnpike bill he was advo-
eating, but forgets TO state that the Re-
publicans brought about the race ques-
ton by adverting in the debate to the
so called "hold up" of the extravigant
appropriation bills by Democratic re-
sentiment TO the treatment memb ers OF
the House has been subjected TO when
the negro member of that body from
Fayette county became so offensive as
to almost preCipitate a riot.
The Advocate" closes its article by
advising its leaders that while divi-
sion of the colored vote might be good
policy sometimes to vote the straight
Republican ticket from poundmaster
to President" and adds that lit is our
business now TO shut of these people
who are crying for a clean white vote"
Senator Campbell may have been i'm
polite in his remarks, but he had the
courage to- express his convictions, and
in view of the conditions existing
under Republican misrule in West Vir-
ginia seems justified in his conclusions
-HGmbShire RCVieW.