Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-11-01
ASKS NEGROES TO
FIGHT TlLLMANISM
GEO. e. TAYLOR MAKES APPEAL
TO THE coLoRED VOTERS
OF THE DISTRICT
Does Not Look With Favor Upon Dan
w. HamiIton's Tribute TO South Car
DINA Senator as Sterling Represent
alive of the Common People.
Ottunwa Iowa.

|
Ottumwa Iowa,
Oct. 80, 1905.
4 Editor Courier:-With very great
Interest read your paper regularly
and commend the liberality and
breadth of your editorials on race and
other material policies.
We are all to some extent at this
! time, engrossed in the issues of the
political campaign now being waged
by the two dominant parties in Iowa,
and wish to occupy little OF your
space in the discussion of the situa-
ton as it appears to me.
Many years have lapsed q am glad
to say) since resigned the office Of a
| true blue-republican." And, have
yet to approach the altitude (?) of
true blue democrat" for which fail
ure am also very glad. My inter-
probation of true blue-republican"
votes the republican or democratic
ticket from top to bottom, In season
and out Of season, whether, he endorses
the issues advocated and has conf
dence in the personnel Of the ticket or
not. To this / most emphatically de-
muir, contenting myself with the pos
session of prevailing spirit Of loyalty
and devotion to the constitution and
unwavering fidelity to the declaration
of independence, the foundation upon
which the constitution rests.
Any party may be right and sound at
one time and wrong and unsound at
another time. Parties are made or cree
ated by men and consequently govern
| ed by men. These men (the politi-
cians) select the issues upon which
campaigns are made and it often hap
pens that many potential real issues
are omitted for purposes political 1t
must not be forgotten that the main
issue upon which each party wages
each and every campaign is, "the hope
:, OF supremacy" Enough said to estab-
!. fish my position in the premises.
1t appears to be conceded that the
present Iowa campaign is exceedingly
strenuous; indeed, it is unique Repub-
licans are arrayed against republicans
and democrats against democrats.
Governor Cummins, whose zeal and
1 great ability have for years been in
1 vested in terrific fight for the main
tenance and defense of the rights Of
the common people regardless of raca,
is being bitterly opposed by the inter-
ests of the men whose sole object and
desire is to continue to speculate upon
the peoples rights. He will not be
defeated, he must not be defeated To
i eiSae NAi' SutliillHS, is TO QeIeat the
true cause of the people, to impede the
progress of the masses to stimulate
the pernicious greed of monopoly
! graft, to issue semi-license to the prin-
clple OF Jim-crowism. Can we afford
to contribute in this direction?
Il realize that in this campaign the
Negro has peculiar interests, inter-
ests that reach far beyond the limits
OF party lines and I may say, beyond
direct itc nP
\ There is, and has been for a decade,
demon-spirit abroad in the land
whose untiring efforts and life-sworn
purpose are bent upon the distraction
of our (the Negro's) civil hope and
prosperity, the abridgment of our citt-
zenship-rights and the obstruction of
our political and race. progress. This
spirit is commonly denominated by US
as "Tilmanism."
."Tilmanism," like the hideous
, witches of old slavery DAYS, has an
:. peared in a thousand different forms
and IN every part of North America
except Canada. Its influence is mani
Test In every department of the gov
eminent, most particularly that of the
navy and war departments In the
south generally 1t has developed into
Jim Crowism and the lynching habit
IN Mississippi. Louisiana. South Car
oAiAAeA, @AAe'Huilifi tillO VIRGINIA, INTO the
> practical disfranchisement = Of the
race; throughout the east, north and
west, dncluding Iowa), into the par
tial abandonment of our civic com
mercial rights.
1t was decidedly a rare thing for
:. Negroes to be denied the rights of ho-
tel and restaurant accommodations in
, Iowa until "Tilmanism" made Its de-
but in this state. And now, it is equal
| gS rlr n mr. q 1,<1
man to secure decent accommodations
IN a first elias hotel or restaurant
AS the death dealing, eating cancer
gnaws and finally consumes the very
vitals of the human body, so "Tilman-
ism" Is gnawing and breaking down
the material tissue of Negro citizen
| ship. which means the ultimate con-
sumption of a vital sinew of the CON
stitutional government. Manifoldly
more frugal and prolific than the ia
nous Canada thistle and thousand
times more obnoxious, is this demon
spirit.
"Tilmanism" must be captured, it's
, power must be curbed its growth must
, be stopped, its influence must be de-
stroyed And all this must be done by
the hand Of the Negro. God never i'm
posed upon a people a duty without
establishing within them the ability OF
power to perform that duty. How car
; we do all this?. BY fighting to the
death every semblance of "Tillmanism.
everywhere and at all times. Whether
it makes its appearance in the field OF
politics, in commercial affairs in our
civil intercourse, in social circles O,
: in the church. But, in fighting, we
must be guided by cautious prudence
: at times possibly strained to the ex.
tent Of strategy.
Strike always when the iron is hot''
Act only when our action will be felt
speak only when our voice shall b,
I heard. Watch, work and fortify al
ways, with due diligence and untirint
4 perseverance.
Perhaps have not made plain tn,
! fact that "Tillmanism" figures in tn
campaign here tn Iowa, this year. Per
/ nit q little more light on this point
\ Two chautauqua speeches by Tillmal
i this year In ttis srres sianal distrioi