The Washington bee., 1907-02-09
OUR POLITICAL DUTY.
Wyoming-D. D. Moore.

T. Vernon Wednesday evening, January
go, Ex-yustice E. NJ. Hewlett spoke as
follows Of our political duty
I am asked to respond to the toast,
Our Political Duty 1t does seem
strange thar i'll a republic like this any
class or set OF citizens should have a po-
Htical duty to perform different from
the other citizens 1t is nevertheless
true
II has been said repeatedly that the
Constitution of the United States was
made exclusively by and for the white
race. 1t Is. nevertheless, a fact that in
five of the thirteen original States. col
ored persons then possessed the elective
franchise, and were OF course 4 part OF
those by whom the constitution was es-
tablished. This being fact the Con
stitution was not made exclusively by the
white race. 1t has also been said that
II was made for the white race. Is
this not Contradicted by its opening dec
laratiOn, wherein It Is stated that II
was ordained and established by the peo-
pie Of the United States for themselves
and their posterity? Now, as free col
Ored persons were then citizens of at
least fve states, and therefore part of
the people of the United States, they
must have been among those for whom
and whose posterity our constitution was
and established How did the
negro conduct himself as citizen and
soldier before. and how since the adop-
ton Of our constitution? When the
mother country was depressing the col
onies III every conceivable manner until
il became unbearable. Whose blood was
the first TO flow in the streets of Boston
in defense of our country? 1t was the
blood of ChrispuS Attucks. a Negro and
a runaway slave. At the battle Of Bun
ker Hill, on that memorable 18th of
June, I775. when everything looked dark
and gloomy for us, who WIS it that fired
the fatal shot that pierced the heart of
Major Pitcairn, and turned defeat into
4 glorious victory? 1t was Peter Salem,
4 Negro soldier, once a slave. Suffice
it to say that the Negro has fought |
Dravely and shed his blood freely in !
every conflict on land and sea in which |
his country has been engaged. During
he American conflict when our arms
we're covered with disaster, when the |
last hope Of success had almost fled, |
who was it that responded to a call for |
help and saved the Union cause? 1t |
was the despised American Negro. Who |
was it that was second to none, in bray-
cry, in the war with Spain, and So we'd |
our soldiers from annihilation at San
Juan Hill? 1t was the American Negro,
And in spite of our record as soldiers
in defense Of our country, in spite of our
advancement mentally, morally and ma
.erially, what, what, | say, has our coun-
try done and IS she doing for us in re
turn? The government that we fought
TO save shuts the door at West Point
and Annapolis in our faces, and throws
it wide open for the sons of those who
fought TO DESTROY the Union.
The government has allowed the Ne
gro to be disfranchised in many of the
States, Jim Grow laws are being passed
to humiliate him and Jim Crow cars are
allowed TO enter the Capital City of the
nation, and in sight of the White House.
In most places he is Disseminated
against in places of public amusement.
in hotels and restaurants, and all Of this
under Republican rule. What then, my
friend, is our political duty? The Ne
gro has been following gthe Republican
party in season and out Of season. This
party IS no longer the party of Sumner,
Wilson, Morton, Butler and that host of
mental giants who believed in and con-
tended for the political and civil rights
Of all men regardless of race, color, or
previous condition of servitlde. How
are we to regain what we have lost, and
lost largely through no fault of our own
Can we regain it by going over 10 the
Democracy? No, no, a thousand times
no There is no hope for the Negro in
the fiery furnace of Democracy. /
would welcome the advent of any party
that would offer more hope than the
party. What then is our
political duty? First, We must learn to
be men and hold the interests of the
race above self. Second, We must stop
fighting each other and turn our guns
towards the common enemy. Third, We
must contend for our every manhood
right within the aprty. The prominent
men of our race must be a unit in this
matter No office is worth holding, if
you hold it at the sacrifice Of your con-
science, at the expense Of your race
and your manhood I have found this
TO be true of many prominent men Of
the race; you may pierce their hands
and feet with nails, even stick them in
their heads, but they never cause the
f-,1----r- a. +L.-a -1r7a r,-a., H. -