Daily Kennebec journal., 1904-04-13

Scott, hdiSdS, devoted himself to
reply to Gilbert. KY, who he said haG
lanimadverted severely on President
Roosevelt regarding the so-calleC
Booker Washington incident at the
White House. He referred to the recent
letter of eN-President Cleveland to Mr.
webb OF North Carolina. denying en-
phatlcaiiy that he had extended cour-
tesies to Z. ii. Taylor. a Kansas negro
politician, as Scott had charged in the
House.
Scott read several extracts from let
ters ne mad received from persons in
Kansas and elsewhere, which he said
would make it clear that the statement
made by him was not a fabrication.
These letters, he said, contained state
ments that it was the common boast of
Taylor in Kansas that he had launcla 1
or dincd with Mr.. Cleveland and that
Taylor made no secret of the intimate
personal relations existing between
them. He did not, he said. cite the let
terS to impeach Mr.. Cleveland and
gave Mr.. Cleveland full credit for tell
ing exactly the truth, and he hoped
that what he had presented would con-
vince the House that he also told tn >
truth when he previously said the allie
CATION was based on widespread rumor.
Bartholdt. Mo-, spoke of the fact tha t
Thomas Jefferson had honored a negro
with a formal invitation to dinner at
his family table. The only reason that
fact is not generally known, he said.
was because nobody thought anything
of it and no one saw fit to criticise Mr..
jefferson for it.
Mr.. Bartholdt said that if in the iudr-
mcnt of the Democrats President Roose-
welt had made a mistake in inyitinr Mr.
Washington to dine with him, then what
Thomas jefferson did must he an unpar
donahlc social sin. As between Mr..
Roosevelt and Mr. Cleveland he said IN
the one case we have Il President in of
flee upon whose time. attention and con
sidcration every citizen of the republic
irrespective of color. party or religion,
has an equal constitutional claim WHERE
as i'm the other We have a man out of
office who no longer has such obligations.
hut who lives in the enjoyment of those
greater privileges of private citizenship
and of greater freedom of action which
allows him to make social discrimina tions
The Presidents luncheon To Washington
he said. was a hurried. improvised affair."
while in the case of Mr.. Jefferson it was
Il well arranged, well prepared banquet
MIR. Scott rcSuminE, had read the laws
OF New York signed by Mr.. Cleveland
while governor. providing for mixed
schools. Although Mr.. Cleveland had de-
nich this. he said. it was easy for a man
to forget IA matter of % years ago He
was willing to conccde that the ex-Presi-
dent had forgotten about the law. He
also referred to the denials of Mr.. CIeve-
land of charges by Thomas Watson of
Georgia, that the eX-President had nomi-
mated Il negro Charles H. E. TAYLOR as
minister to Il South African republic. Mr.
Watson. he said, undoubtedly meant
South American republic, because in 1888
Mr.. Cleveland had nominated Taylor
minister to Bolivia. If the Democrats
did not wish To make an issue of the ne
gro question: why did they initiate dis
Arc you really afraid" he inquired Of
the Democratic side. "or are you only
pretending to be afraid?"
A rigorous defence of the South for its
attitude Oh the negro question was made
by Mr.. Williams (Miss). who said there
was one thing neither the Republican nor
the entire party could do. and that was
ito make the South consent to regard
social equality as a thing to be desired"
He declared the negro's rights in the
South are recognized much more abun-
dantly than anywhere else. his God
given. inaIcnahie born right to earn his
living in the sweat of his brow, and his
right to u fair trial"
No man, however, he added. mot
competent to exercise the right of Suf-
fragc should be armed with it. The Re
publican party cannot persuade South
ern white men that it is not a good or hu
name thing to purify in the South the
white mans civilization and to pcrpctuate
there the two things upon which. he said,
it was founded-thc white mans code OF
ethics and the sanctity of the white mans
family. All tho world knows. he said.
that social equality leads finally to racial
integrity and purity.
Mr.. Williams. referring to Mr.. Bar
tholdt's statement that President Jeffer-
son had dined a negro. provoked laughter
and applause when he said that every
man knows that if the nigger ate at Mon
ticello he ate in Jefferson's kitchen and
not at Jefferson's family table"
You can't deilect US from live pending
issues concluded MIR. Williams. God,
South as trust and that trust should be
kent There was not to he a hybridiZed
South. He wanted the country to know
that he was speaking as a Sontherner
with the best interests at heart of both
tho whit" and black inhahitant.
Mr. Bartlett Ga) had read the follow
ing letter from cX-President Cleveland,
dated March II, 1901. in reply to one from
himself:
"Princeton. N j. March Il, 1901.
Hon. Charles l.. Bartlett,
'WaShngton, d. G.
My dear Mr.. Bartlett:-1 have received
Il number of inquiries similar to yours
touching my invitation to Fred Douglas
governor of New York. bill providing
for mixed schools.
Il do not suppose that Mr.. Thomas f..
Watson believed. or had any reason to
believe. either of the allegations when he
made them. At any rate they are both
utterly and absolutely false.
II cannot afford to devote great deal
of time in denying such foolish tales. |
shall. therefore. attempt to cover every
phase of the subject now and for all 1t
50 happened that | have never. In my
official position, either when sleeping or
waking alive or dead on my head or on
nv heels dincd lunched or stIpped. or in
vited to a wedding reception. any colored
man. woman or child. If, however, | had
decided to do any of these things, neither
the fear of Mr.. Watson nor anyone else
would have prevented me. When | was
governor. a movement was made in the
legislature to abolish separate colored
schools in New York City. ! opposed the
measure ard it failed. | do not find that
I intcrposed a veto and have forgotten the
course the matter took; but ] know that
whatever I did. was in favor of maintain
ing separate colorcd schools instead ot
having them mixed.
Yours very truly.
After its reading Mr. Bartlett said that
Mr. Cleveland will not he nominated Il
know. too" he added. that he does not
desire. to he nominated"
He said he also knew that the Demo
cratic party would nominate some one
I ,-srf nd b.a Dh