The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1907-08-24
.ROOSEVEIT'S VIEW
ECHOED |: |: !: BY TAFT
President in Favor of an Electo-
rate Based on In
telligence.
FoRAKER's PLAY FOR VOTES
Ohio Senator Can Gain Little
by His Criticisms of
South.
=oRAKERis PLAY FOR VOTES
ny wALTER EDWARD HARRIS.

WASHINGTON, D. c., August al
Secretary Taft's speech at Lexington.
KY, yesterday. In which he came out
flatly in approval of the suffrage
clauses of the Constitutions of the
various Southern States. practically
disfranchising Southern negroes, or
the majority of them, naturally ex-
cited much interest and comment
among Southern residents of Wasn-
ington.
Additional interest is lent the posi-
ton of Secretary Taft by the fact that
Senator Foraker, In his speech the
day before, criticized the Secretary OF
War for his failure to let the public
know how he stood on the disfran-
chisement of so many Southern ne
groes, who never drew disloyal
breath"
1t is very evident that Senator To-
raker proposes to make disfranchise-
ment of the negroes a feature of his
platform, hoping thereby to capture
Southern delegations 10 the Repu0li-
can National Convention. 1t is scarce
ly less patent that Secretary TAFT pro-
poses to tickle the ears of White DEM
ocrats of the South with his declara-
tion of approval of disfranchising Con-
stitutions, provided Ithe qualifications
and applicable to whites and blacks
alike.
1t is not doubted thaA President
Roosevelt approves fully the position
taken by his candidate on this sub
ject. In fact, President Roosevelt, IN
several private conversations, has de-
clared emphatically that he did not
disapprove of any suffrage qualifca-
tion, provided that in practice as well
as in theory 1t were made to apply to
all alike, without reference to skin
color. In one or two public utter
ances the President has taken similar
ground.
1t would be strange state of af-
fairs were the white Democrats of the
South to unite to defeat such s. radical
as senator Foraker by supporting Sec-.
| retary Taft, whose views on the ALL
| Important negro question are similar
I to their own. p
But as a matter of fact Senator
| Foraker's position of champfoning the
| Southern negro cannot help him much
| in efforts to capture Southern Repuo-
| lican delegates. The negro has been
| so generally eliminated from the cleo
| torate in various Southern States that
| he no. longer cuts much figure In the
Republican party In q single State ot
| the South Accounts OF sessions OF
Republicans conventions in the South
In the course of the past three or four
years show that they have been lilly
White" bodies, and negroes have either
not attended or have made no attempt
| to take q hand In the deliberations.
Il 1t is an open secret that white Re-
| publicans in the South arc glad to
lose the black brother. There will not
be o negro delegate In attendance on
the next Republican National Conven-
ton, and but few at the State con-
ventions or district conventions to So
/ lect delegates from the South.
Senator lroraker's pleas for the
lnegro appear to be plainly intended
to aid In capturing delegations, not
only from the South, hut from other
States where the negro holds the bal
ance OF poWer,