The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1904-08-05
BID FOR RACE HATRED,


Il vember. when the Republicans are
casting about for the causes that led
TO their defeat. they win not overlook
the negro plank that found its way
into their national platform. 1t is
doubtful if a more senseless or vicious
plank was ever adopted by a party in
The history Of American politics If it
has any object at all it is to array the
blacks against the whites for the ben
EFT OF the Republican party If it
means anything it is an appeal TO the
passions of the colored people. It
would be difficult for a party TO stOOp
lower to secure votes than the Repub-
lican party has done in this instance.
The worst thing said about William
j. Bryan by his most bitter enemy in
the most bitter day OF the campaign
OF 1886 was that he was trying to array
the west against the east; the poor
against the rich This charge was based
on scattered fragments of things said
IN the heat of debate. II was wholly
unjustihed. But here IS the entire Re
publican party in its platform of prin-
cipAes making a deliberate attempt TO
array the north against the south and
the negro against the white man for
party gain
1t is asserted and not denied that
Theodore Roosevelt IS personally re-
sponsible for the Republican platform
that ne either wrote it himself or
passed upon every line Of it before it
went TO the convention. If this is true
and the president gave this plank his
approval, with fun knowledge Of
what the consequences must be, he
should on this showing alone be driven
from office as a menace to the peace of
the country.
This is the plank:
we favor such Congressional action
as shall determine whether by special
discrimination the elective franchise IN
any state has been unconstitUuonally
limited. and if such IS the case, we de-
mand that the representation in con
sress and in the electoral college shall
be propOrtiOnaly reduced, as directed
10y the constitution of the United
States"
IT viii be noted that this entire dec
laration swings around the little word
'if." This cowardIy ''if' is set up and
denounced as though it shielded some
horrible crime Il would have been
Just as brave and just as sensible for
these Republican platform makers to
have said "If the people of any OF
the states are feeding their babies to
the hogs, we demand that congress put
an end to the practice by cutting down
the representation Of these states"
Negroes have been shut out from the
ballot box in Virginia, North and South
Carolina, Alabama Mississippi and
Louisiana. This has been done by set
ting up an educational qualification
This is a fact admitted. II needs no
congressional investigation TO establish
it. The Republicans who wrote the
negro PLANK knew what had been
done. If they considered il right. they
should have endorsed It: If they consid-
cred 1t wrong, they should have de-
nounced it: if they had no opinion on
the subject. they should have kept
quiet. They had 10 right to make an
appeal to ignorance and passion, and
then hide behind a cowardly ii"
The southern states named above
took the ballot from the negro by the
power given them by the law Of the
land. If the law was violated in the
matter. that is d question for the courts
Y,ittee as this senseless plank would
have the coIored people believe The
clear intention Of this plank IS to make
The negroes Of the country. especially
Of the doubtful states, believe that II
they keep right on voting the Republi-
can ticket this congressional committee
VIII 20 south after the election and turn
all the offices over to their brethren
The negroes are also 10 get revenge on
the. whites Of the south by helping take
away their votes IN congress and the
electoral college.
People i'm Utah have little conception
Of the feeling that has been aroused in
other parts of the country over this
matter. Under the wise policy of Pres
fdent Mckinley, especially during the
Spanish-American war, the north and
south were brought close together
Mutual trust was re-established and
the sections that had been long es-
tranged began to rely on each other for
sympathy and help. In three years
President Roosevelt has done much to
destroy this good feeling. His climax
in the adoption OF thsss iniamnatory
race issue plank is unwise, unstates-
manlike. unpatriotic.
Unless all present indications are at
fault the political effect Of this plank
win be disastrous 10 the Republican
cause. It has often been said that
the Democrats always make
bIunder at the right time to help
the Republicans into power. This
order must be reversed. Certain
IL this blunder Of the Republicans
casts into the shadow the worst the
Democrats ever did People north and
south resent this vicious play on me
passions OF a race in the hope OF WIN
ming votes Business men who have
large dealings between the sections,
and who realize the disastrous effect OF
such agitatlous on trade, are making
their influence felt TO the detriment Of
the Republican cause. The negro
plank" may be relied upon to do its fun
snare in bringing about the downfall OF
TIE Republican party in the nation this
scar.