Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-01-02
ADVICE TO THE NEGRO
OFFERED BY FORMER GOVERNOR
G. S. BOUTWELL,.
He Tells Them to Join Democratic
Party and Fight Philip
pine Policy.

In an address at Faneuil Hall, Boston.
Yesterday morning, Mr.. G. S. Boutwell,.
during exercises in observance Of the for
tieth anniversary of the emancipation proc
lamation, appealed to the negro population
of the United States to abandon the repup-
ucan party, since it had become the enemy
of universal liberty. After minute de-
tail of the history Of events leading to the
complete emancipation Of the American ne
gro. in which it was shown that the trend
and condition of the times. rather than a
deliberate policy, precipitated this emanci-
patton. Mr.. Boutwell, continued:
Assuming that you are prepared to &C
cept the suggestion that l now make, l Of
fer further consideration which Is entire
ly appropriate. Should you be able, Dy
YOUR political action in regard to the Phil
ippine Islands, to bring the present policy
to an end, you will have SO established your
power in the country. in the opinion OF the
body of voters and of the politicians, as TO
give YOU consideration in reference to your
own right in every state in the Union. south
as we'll as north. By this policy and action
the white population of every state in the
Union will be called to consider the ques-
zion whether they can afford to ALLEVIATE a
tenth part of the population of the country.
IF you have any doubt as to the injus-
tice of the power We are exercising in the
Philippine Islands, or If you have any
In which that power is exercised, you should
read the report made by Storey and Cod
man, in which the enormities in crime per-
petrated by the army in the Philippine Is
lands are set forth with precision. Now.
after many weeks of opportunity, the ad-
ministration has not been able to impair
in any essential particular the truthfulneSs
of the statements made by those gentle
men.
I'm the Philippine Islands the right of
trial by jury does not exist; relief from I'M
proper and unjust Imprisonment by writ
of habeas corpus Is denied; men are tried
for criminal offenses including murder, by
a Judge who Is not even bound by his oath
to support the Constitution of the United
States In fact. the Constitution of the
United States. which by general statute
enacted in 1873 was extended over the ter
ritories, has been repealed in the first sec
ton of the act for the government of the
Philippine Islands.
your fortunes are involved In this strug
gle. Unless the freedom of the Philippine
Islands shall be secured. there can be
neither power nor justice for you in Amer
lea. The republican party Is Indifferent to
your fate.
lone republican senator has become re-
sponsible for the opinion that the abolition
of slavery was a mistake. Whether he was
wise or unwise in the expression. he is a
consistent republican OF the party OF Presi-
dents Mckinley and Roosevelt. Unless the
abolition of slavery In America was a
mistake. the seizure of 100000 unoffend-
ing Inhabitants Of the Philippines was a
crime: and that crime was darkened and
deepened by the policy of RECOMMENDATION,
by torture made fatal by intensity. by mill
tary orders for the indiscriminate slaughter
OF half-grown boys, by the burning Of
homes and the waste of cultivated fields,
followed by famine without hope and by
pestilence for which there was no relief.
THE republican party Is no longer the
friend Of the African race. but the time
has come when you are in possession of
power. Do not allow yourselves TO be mis-