The San Francisco call., 1904-03-04
CLEYELAND'S
IRE AROUSED
Former President Makes a
Sharp Reply to Accusation
That He Dined a Negro
WARM WORDS FOR SCOTT
Statement That Col0red Man
Had Lunch at White House,
Is Declared a Fabrication

House to-day in the committee of the 4
whole resumed consideration of the
District of Columbia appropriation bill !.
Webb of North Carolina, calling at
tention to the statement made a few
days ago by Scott of Kansas that a,
negro had dined in the White House
while Cleveland was President, an.
nounced that he had written the formers
President, sending him an extract from
the Record, and asking if the statee
ments made by Scott were true.
This morning" he said, Il received
the following reply" which he read.
amid applause on the Democratic side
as follows:
PRINCETON, N. j., March 2, 1904
Hon. E. Y. Webb, House of Repre-
sentatives, Washington, D. C.-DeaE
Sir: 1t is a matter of small concern
to me that Mr.. Scott has seen fit to
use my name in a display of his evir
propensities on the floor of the House
of Representatives
In answer to your inquiry, however,
have to say of his statement that thei1
colored man, c. H. J. Taylor. tookt1
that it is a deliberate Justification, out
of the whole cloth.
"As far as Mr. Taylor is concerned,
l understand, prior to his appointment
as Register of Deeds at Washington.
that he had served as an assistant in
the office of the City Attorney at Kan
sas City. His nomination as Register
was confirmed by the Senate and he
afa11i 1icraT 1oe1l
and with efficiency. He has since died
Some people restrain themselves from
abusing the dead,
SPEECH A "DIATRIBE."
MY inquiries concerning Mr.. Taylor
before his appointment, my observation
of him during his incumbency and the
little I have known of him since con-
vince me that his character is very un-
justly attacked in the diatribe of Mr.
Scott. One charge is made against
Mr.. Taylor by Scott which he doubly
clinches with truth, when he declares:
He was a black nego.'
81 am led, however, to doubt his ia
mliarity with his subject when he
adds, as black as you ever saw
Yours, very truly,
"GROVER CLEVELAND"
Webb said he wanted this denial to
travel, that the statement OF Scott
might be overtaken.
MIR. Cleveland was a friend of the
negro but not a fool friend,'' said
Webb. He never by word or action
encouraged the dream of social equal
ity in the breast of the black man..
This was greeted with. applause by
the Democrats.
Again" he continued. "he was the
friend of the colored man, but he was
also the friend of the Southern white !
man, and sympathized with us in our
race problems and race burdens, and
that, sir, is more than Mr. Roosevelt |
seems ever to have done"
Scott said he accepted the state |
men of Mr.. Cleveland as true and Of !
fered his apology to the former Pres |
ident In justice to himself, said Scott,
he desired to say that he never before !
heard the report denied.
Swanson of Virginia asked Scott
where he had heard the report, to
which Scott replied that he had
seen the statement in newspapers.
Swanson asked further for a copy of
a newspaper containing the statement.
Scott explained that these statements
were made several years ago, and
the papers might not be easily pro-
cured. He said that he had made
full apology to Mr. Cleveland. Scott
added that he had brought to Mr..
Cleveland for the first time in four
years applause from the Democratic
side. This was loudly applauded on
the majority side of the chamber.
PLANT FROM MINORITY.
Williams, the minority Leader.
charged that Mr.. Roosevelt had dined
with Booker T. Washington to carry
the light of example to the South,
which does not believe in social equal
ity. When a question is raised, he
said, against the appointment of a
negro to position in the South, the
statement is made that there can be
no discrimination on account Of color.
but, added Williams, the administra-
tion would not appoint a China
man as. a postmaster on the Pacific
Coast If he possessed the ability of Lii
Hung Chang.
II remember distinctly that when Mr..
Taylor came back from Washington"
said Scott. preceded by the an
nouncement that he had been appoint
ed to the office of recorder of deeds in
the District of Columbia by President
Cleveland, his friends met him at the
Union Depot, Kansas City, with car
riage to which was attached four white
horses. A committee was with the car
riage and he was escorted to a public
hall and then he boaSted, according to
the reports of the newspapers, that it
remained for Democratic President.
Notwithstanding the professed good will
to the negro always made by the Re-
pubicans, to entertain at his table at
the White House for the first time a
negro. The matter was published SO
broadly and generally throughout the
State of Kansas that it was impressed
upon my memory"
What evidence have you that he
ever made that boast % queried
Shackleford of Missouri.
mo evidence but newspaper reports"
replied Scott.