The Washington bee., 1907-07-06

I
institute meetings, attends summer nor
mails, and in heart and soul with her
State association. She is alive; and
what surprises her unprogressive sisters,
she is constantly growing.
SECRETARY TAFT AND THE
JEANES FUND.
From the New York Age.
1t is of general interest that Secretary
William Howard Taft felt that he could
not we'll shirk the duty imposed upon
him by the request that he serve as a
trustee of the Jeanes fund, that he will
devote much of his time to the proper
work of the board, and that he has a
good opinion of the Afro-American peo-
pie and the progress they have made
since the war. In order that our read
ers may get at the views of Secretary
Taft on this whole matter we reproduce
in another column of the Age today al,
interview with him given to the New
York Evening Post through its Wash
ington correspondent AS this is the
first pronouncement by Secretary Taft
of any sort on the Afro-American ques-
tiOn that he have seen it will have add
ed interest, especially in view of the
fact that he Is a conspicuous aspirant
for the Presidential nomination to sue
ceed President Roosevelt.
A few AfrO-American newspapers
have expressed dissatisfaction at the Sc
lection Of Secretary Taft as a trustee of
the Jeanes fund as we have already in
timated; taking the ground that he is
unfriendly to the Afro-American people
and accusing Dr. Washington of playing
politics jim making the selection, the
Washington Bee has the following to
say on the subject:
"a man who has no thought Of his
own is unfit to be at the head of anything,
Mr.. Taft not excepted Any man who
has acted as Mr.. Taft has is not the man
to disburse funds to colored people Mr..
Washington knows, as we'll az the editor
of The Bee. that the President and his
Secretary of War are inimical to the
cOlOred Americans. Mr.. Washington
knows that Secretary of War Taft is
| Objectionable to the cOlored Americans.
However, Mr.. Washington will discover
before long that the appointment of Mr..
TAFT is not appreciated by the colOred
americans, no matter if he has been
made the custodian OF the funds to be
distributed for educational purposes
among the Southern colored people. The
Bee has right to criticise the acts Of
Mr. Washington as we'll as anyone else,
when he does something to warrant
criticism. The Bee has said heretofore
that it will support Mr. Washington
when he is right and condemn him when
he Is wrong. The Bee wears no mans
collar, small or great, rich or poor The
Bee wants it distinctly understood that
it cOmmends the educational work at
Tuskegee, but it will not be a party in
defending any man who attempts to
humiIate the colored Americans. no mat
ter if it is the king"
1t is unfortunate that politics should
be brought into this question of the
Jeanes fund. All fair-minded persons
will believe that in selecting the trustees
DR.. Washington and DR.. Frissell acted
for what they thought best for the in
terests concerned.
Secretary Taft is, after DR.. Washing
ton, the most conspicuous member of
the board. If anybody thinks that Sec
retary Taft does not think for himself
he thinks so in ignorance of the man;
if anybody thinks Secretary Taft is ''in-
imical to the colored Americans" he is
badly mistaken. We know that Presi-
dent Roosevelt is just as good friend
to the Afro-American people as he ever
was, and Secretary Taft in consenting
to act as a trustee of the Jeanes fund
and in the published expressions of his
reproduced in The Age today, shows
that far from being "inimical," he is
highly interested in the race and appre-
ciative of what it has ard is accom-
plishing.
We believed at the time that Presi-
dent Roosevelt made a mistake in the
Brownsville order, but there was moth
ing for Secretary Taft to do but stand
by his chief or resign from the Cabinet.
That is great deal to ask or expect of
any public man. In similar position
would William Calvin Chase have stood
by his chief OF resigned from the Cab
met? That is the only fair way to look
at the question. We condemned the
President and the Secretary for the or
der and their attitude on It, because we