The Waxahachie daily light. [volume] (Waxahachie, Tex.) 1894-current, 1903-03-23
An OPEN LETTER 10
The PRESIDENT
TO His Exeellency, Theodore Roose-I
welt, President Of the United States

Washington, ID. G.
Calvert, Texas, March 10 1903, -
Sir: We all believe you to be honest,
and believe you have the
moral courage to express your con-
victions, and we will not put any
thing in your way to hinder your
usefulness as president of these
United States, for your success
should mean our peace and prosper
ity.
Judging from the past, / am salts
fed that you do not understand
Southern conditions, and If you did
/ believe you would be just and
brave enough to act differently in
your appointments.
/ am satisfied that you do not
know the Southerner, nor do you
know the negro, nor do you know
the relationship existing between
them.
Let me tell you who the Southern
er is: He is the true American, the
sen of the patriots of l776 and he is
brave, proud, dictatorial and loves
and honors his women and home,
with a devotion which makes him
superior to all other races of man
kind. Again, the Southerner feels
his superiority, because lie knows it,
and he will not submit TO be ruled
by an inferior race. Again, the
Southerner is the most generous Of
men and is charitable to fault, aud
cares nothing for wealth, bat loves
honor with a devotion sublime.
Again, the Southerner is the only
man IN the world, who truly knows
negro idiosyncrasies, and he knows
how to treat and handle the negro.
Again, the Southerner is the neg
ro's best and only friend, and has
done more, and VIII do more for the
negro than any other man living.
All the land that the negroes own in
the South they bought from the
and the worthy negro is
just as secure in his political rights
as worthy white man is in New
England.
Now the Southerner is opposed to
negroes holding Federal appoint
ments IN the South.
Well, why? Simply because when (
La GA,Flars1ap. 20 Eaal %
negro officials he tthe Southerner}is /
placed in an unnatural position, aud |
he is made to look up to what he has /
been taught for ages to look down /
upon.
Again, the Southerner is opposed I
to negroes holding Federal appoint /
ments in the South because be (the /
knows that the majority I
Of the negroes are in a degraded 4
and the negroes who are
TO hold Federal appoint
ments should be patriotic enough
aud have race love sufficient TO
make them dedicate their compel
sncy TO the lifting of their degraded
race into useful citizenship, rather
han having political aspirations be-
fore they exercise some industrial
perspirations.
Again, the Southerner IS opposed
10 negIoes holding Federal appoint
nents in the South, because South
srn education and Southern taste
are insulted every time a negro is
given a Federal appointment in the |
South, and the Southerner knows |
that the South is the negro's school |
house and that chaos reigns when |
the scholars run the school.
Again, the Southerner knows that |
the best element of the negroes in |
the South do not aspire to political |
for the best class of ne |
groes are land owners, and they are |
raising industrious sons and virtu- |
Gus daughters, and building intelli-
gent families. These aspire TO be |
good and useful, and this class of |
neg fbNs nave INC liSiPY lIitlld5ulps |
sympathy and protection of the
while that class of ne
groes who aspire for political pre-
ferment are the dudes and fungi of
the race Il except r.. l.. Smith OF
Texas
Again, the Southerner believes
that he is Gods vicegerent In the
arranging and settlement Of South
ern affairs, aud that the negro is
his the Southerner's) protege by
divine ordering, and he (the South
ernerj is trying to discharge his
whole duty, for he taxes himself to
educate the negro, he sells the ne
gro homes, he helps the worthy me-
gro, and teaches the negro by ex-
ample and precspt.
Now, sir, IL you wish to help the
worthy, competent negro, you tell
him to go to work, and teach the I'M
worthy and incompetent negroes un-
I'll they become useful citizens, and
vou will ha falling him mat What