The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1903-03-18
A Significant Admission.

The speech delivered by Secretary
of War Root before the Union League
club in New York, tends to confirm
the report that Mr. Roosevelt's adyls-
ers have warned him that he has gone
a bit too far Oh the negro question.
Mr.. Root took occasion to say that IN
extending White house courtesies to
the negroes. Mr.. Roosevelt had gone
no further than any Of his predeces-
sors. lie also invited special attSn-
tion to the fact that Mr. Roosevelt
has appointed fewer negroes 10 office
than did Harrison: Hayes or Mchin-
ley. MIR. Root declared that the four
teenth and fifteenth amendments
have utterly failed to carry into effect
the plan formulated to elevate the
black man by making him citizen
and giving him the right to vote. Mr..
Root said that he believed that within
few years the overwhelming domin-
ant white opinion in the south would
succeed in excluding the negro from
all offices in southern states and he
left upon his hearers the impression
that he did not regard it to be the
duty of the north tointerfere with the
inevitable result.
The Kansas City Journal. one Of the
leading Republican papers in the
west. commenting upon MIR. Roots
speech, says that because Mr.. Roo5e-
velt has had time to manifest bis dis
approval, if lie felt any, but has not
done so, the speech must stand as
the latest and most up-to-date Re
publican doctrine as announced from
the White house: The Journal fur
ther says: ''Tbis speech, where it
deals with the negro question, IS SO
absolutely contrary to the record OF
the Republican party it is difficult to
realize that it could have been de-
livered by one Of the party's leaders
so eminent in authority and high in
position as Mr. Root is. II the atti-
tude Of the Republican party is chang
ing the negro has himself to blame.
In the border states between the
north and the south, and IN all the
larger cities, the negroes are no longer
loyal adherents OF the party that freed
them. Republican leaders are begin
ming to feel that they cannot rely on
the undivided support of the black
vote. and so it is not strange that their
sym pathy should cool with this loss
Of confidence. But Secretary Root,
+ course, did not refer to this. He
meant that the racial benefits which
were expected to ensue from clothing
the negro with citizenship had not
materialiZed and that negro suffrage
had proved Disappointment from
patriotic standpoint
This will doubtless be interesting
reading to those who have imagined
that the Republican party was the
disinterested friend OF the negro. AS
the Commoner says it will be observed
that this Republican paper says that
the negro has himself to blame If the
attitude of the Republican party is
changing. The fault Of the negroes,
according to tnis Republican organ, IS
that in the border states between the
north and the south and in all larger
cities the negroes are no longer loyal
adherents Of the Republican party.
The fault, according to this Republi-
can organ, is that the negroes have
given Republican leaders cause to feel
that they cannot relyon the undivided
support OF the black vote.
And So" says this Republican
organ. 1T is not strange that their
sympathy should cool with this loss
OF confidence The Journal editorial
in which this comment appears is en-
titled X Significant Admission"
The Journal meant that the headline
should apply to Secretary Roots ad-
dress: and yet it is particularly ap-
plicable to the admission made by the
Journal itself. which is. in effect, that
the Republican party is the friend Of
the negro for political purposes only.