Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1903-02-26
THURSDAY. FEBRUARY 2G, 1908.
NO TAUNT, BUT FACTS.

Temporary is disposed to treat the para
graph as taunt and declares that it was
so provoked as to feel tempted to throw
the clipping into the waste basket when II
WAS passed up to our desk, for we do moi
like the tone Of it," This declaration of
our esteemed contempor Try might be con-
.trued into a sheer at the Republican"
if we we're as ser s'tive to criticism as the
Timts Dispatch seems to be. But we will
not so regard it. 1t is true that We pub
lIsh an humble weekly paper and that orr
contemporary is a splendid metropolitan
daily; but, in our humble way, we try TO
direct pubic opinion on important ques
lions with as much esrnestness as does our
able contemporary. In performing that
work or duty we will as unheslsatlngIy
cross swords with the metropolitan daily, II
we think it is doing wrong, as We wou.d
with one of our equally modest weekly
contemporaries. With that spirit con
trolling us we will not be driven fIom the
arena by the closing declaration OF tie
Times Dispatch, 1--WE are not willing to
,,,,rcro tho d;scussiol -
Our charge was, that the Times-Dispat:h
was flagrantly inconsistent in crltlcling
President Roosevelt 80 harshly for APP
pointing negroes to Office aid for inviting
them to the "White House" as guests
when Mr.. Cleveland had done the same
thing, and still retained the esteem and
confidence of the Times. Dispatch. Our
contemporary says: 1--WE do not approve
all that President Cleveland did, and We
do not set up as his champion" But 1t
proceeds in immediately following SEN
tences to condone and defend Mr.. Cleve-
land by asserting that there is marked
difference between the attitude of Presi-
dent Cleveland and that of President
Roosevelt towards the negro question
The only argument it undertakes to present
is that the attitude" or offense was one
that differed in deglee and not IN kind.
Let us see from the record if the Times
Dispatch is correct. President Roosevelt
incidentally invited Booker T. Washington
take lunch at bis table. Grover Cleve'
land formally invited Fred Douglas and
his white wife to meet distinguished white
guests at lis table. Which was the great
er offense? If the one encouraged social
equality, tie other encourages both social
equality and misc genation.
But, speaking of President Roosevelt,
the Times-Dlspatch says: after that he
appointed Negroes TO positions where they
would have to come in daily intercourse
with large numbers of whites, and ap.
pointed them because they were negroes.
If this be correct what does the Times
Dispatch say about President Grover
Cleveland appointing three negroes,
Taylor, Trotter and Matthews, in sue
cession, AS Recorder of Deeds in Wash
ington City? Were not these men APP
pointed because they we're negroes, and
were they not put in an official position
that forced large numbers Of whites to
come in daily contact with them, many
of those whites subordinate officers. Be.
sides, in recognition Of the negro race, Mr..
CleI Gland appointed Astwood, Louisi
ana negro, as consul at Calais, France, and
also negro, Taylor, as minister to b.
livia. This is not ALL While Mr.. Cleve-
land was governor of New York he signed
q bill which established mixed Schools in
that State. If there is a marked differ.
e1ce between the attitude of President
Cleveland and that of President Roosevelt
towards the negro question" will our con.
temporary cay now which has the advant- |
age in that difference? 1t is useless to |
pursue this line further.
10 January, 1908, there was an editorial
discussion between the Richmond Times |
and Richmond Dispatch. That was be-
fore those two papers had been united in
the holy bonds Of Democracy. The dis
cussion was quite an amusing and heated |
one, calling in question the political
orthodoxy Of these papers. The Times
propounded a question to the Dispatch |
which the latter declined to answer, be.
cause it was in the class of the. sun
movable" The Times scored the Dis
patch for it's lack of courage and repeated
the question. That question was:
eff in the year 1904 the National
Democratic party should again declare in
favor of free and unlimited coinage of sill
yer at the ratio of l6 to and nominate
William j. Bryan as the candidate, would
the Dispatch do as it did in 1896 and
1900, and give that platform and candi-
date it's cordial support"
Now we are going to pursue the same