Iowa state bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916, 1904-01-29

an adQreSS On the SuD1eCt, "A
House Divided Against Itself
Can Not Stand" declaring that
this country could not exist half
slave and half free, and that he
did not expect the house to be de-
stroyed, but he did expect It to
cease to be divided These
prophetic word Llncolus did not
and would not retract tor presi-
Dental nomination or election.
The position of the two men in
history and the esteem of the
American people is too we'll
known to be enlarged upon, and
shows the motives which impell-
ed them. All may not be Lin
coins, but in honesty of purpose
and sincerity Of conviction the
humblest citizen in the land may
| be the equal Of Lincoln.
SHOULD DECENT MEN AND
VOTERS ESCHEW POLL
TICS?
The above question is often
asked by my fellow citizens,
| and there is but one answer, an
Eemphatic NO. Decent men must
be on the alert and ever active
for the city, the county, the state
and the nation rests upon the
decent fireside, and in proportion
as the home rises in merit just in
that ratio will the community and
the nation ascend in good works
aud good example.
DU BOIS QUOTED.
There are few Negroes who
quote Prof. w. E. B. Du Bois
extensively and publish extracts
from his speeches and utterances.
1t is self-evident that such pub
LEGATIONS are made without any
knowledge of the professors
meaning. It is sad and unfor-
tunate, indeed, that'the professor
could not supply the brains to
such publisher, intellectual nom
entity and literary pigany so
that glimpse Of his (the pro-
fessor's me eaning could be seen.
! The follow is an extract from
"The Souls of Black Folk" and
it has almost direct application
to the conditions existing here:
i $50 fl ,grant became political scan.
dals that reputable men began to leave
politics alone, and politics consequent
lly became diEeputable. Men began
to pride themselves on having nothing
to do with their own government, and
to agree tacitly with those who re.
gard public Office as private perqui-
site. In this state of mind it became
easy to wink at the suppression Of the
Negro vote in the south and to advise
self-respecting Negroes to leave poll.
tics alone. The decent and reputable
citizens of the North who neglect their
own civic duties grew hilarious over
the exaggerated Importance with
which the Negro regarded the fran
chise. Thus it easily happened that
more and more the better class of Neg
roes followed the advice from abroad
ard the pressure from home, and took
NO further interest in politics, leaving
to the careless and the venal of their
race the exercise OF their sights as
voters The black vote that still re.
mainsd was not trained and educated,
but further debauched by open and
unblushing bribery or force or fraud,
until the Negro thoroughly iuosulated
with the idea that politics was a
method OF pri pate gain by disreputable
means.
Sand finally. now. today, when we
ore awakening to the fact that the
J perpetuitJ Of the republican institu.
tion depends on the publication of the
ballot, the civic training Of the voters
and the raising Of voting to the plane
Of solemn duty which patriotic oiti'
sens neglects to his peril and to the
. peril of his children's children--in this
day, when we are striving for re.
naissance of civic virture, what are
We going to say to the black votera
south and North7 Are We going to tell
him still that politics is = disreputsble
and useless form of human activity!
Are we going to induce the best slass
Of Negroes to take less and less inter
est in government. and to give up thei1
right to take such an interest without
q protest2"
The above clear, concise and
logical statement of Prof. Du
Bois should bring home to every
t voter his own Importance and hi,
individual duty.
Il I have written at some length
in an humble attempt to impres.
upon the Negro voters of thi:
t county and state the duty tha'