The Washington bee., 1907-01-26
OPEN LETTER
To Theodore Roosevelt President %
the United States:

Your Postmaster General ulS
,r-, George B. Cortelyou, formerly
man Of the National Republican
-.-.~,ttee. is regarded to be the near
~, man to you. He having been trans
s--.4 TO the Treasury Department.
.s.-. g.. no doubt that he will be able
., n. q greater factor in the Amer
,-,n body polite.
desire to call your attention IN this
..rs-rlon that the Treasury Depart
n.rr and all other departments under
....- administration have established
.r.,, Crow" system. | am impressed
..s ,hr idea that this color-line policy
.-s.- r.nr administration meets with
....,- ano-oval. There never was so
rr-5 prejudice against the colored
American an YOU assumed control of
This Government There IS no depart
...rr under this Administration that
hasn't q lin Crow" section. If you
A, NOT approve this, will you kindly
issue an order or ask your seveTal
chiefs whether such exists in the de-
r.rtment referred to by me in this
letter.
von have pretended to be a friend
,, the roIored Americans, but you must
admit that your recent trip South has
caused you TO change your policy. viii
var kindly STATE the cause Of this sud
den change of front? II you have an
idea that you can appHase or change the
o5f,y Of the South by your pauonizing
r1rfry you are mistaken. You can
change thc spots on a leopard as quick
rs Won can change the Democratic
South It has been said by several
Democratic Senators from the South
that Senator Tillman doesn't express the
sentiments of the South. | am sure |
sec no more difference in their indorse-
ment Of you than | do of the Senator
from South Carolina. You both are
against the negro. Your secretary Of
War as well as yourself has said as
bad things against the dismissed negro
soldiers as the Senator from South Car
Dina The Senator from Tennessee,
Mr. Mccormack, has declared that the
c0.orcd Americans are ungarteful. To
what extent ! am unable to discover,
unless It is that we don't tamely submit
and indorse your unconstitutional acts,
that YOU have already admitted by the
revocation Of the latter clause of yom
order Of dismissal. What has the col
ored man to be grateful to you for:
You admit yourself that you have ap-
pointed less colOred men to office than
your predecessor. the late President Nc
hlnley Must We be grateful for this
mcharitable act? The Senator from
Tennessee stated that you invited Prof.
Booker T. Washington to the White
House to dine. Must the entire Colored
race get down upon their knees and
thank you for it2 How does this social
act benefit the colored race? 1t has
done more to inhamc the South against
the negro rather than to benefit him.
Following your subsequent acts of po-
hucal discrimination is like a cow that
gives a full bucket of milk, etc. You
know the moral You started out to
defend the colored Americans and lead
INN 10 believe that your door Of hope
policy would be carried out But when
The Democratic South presumed that
'omeihng must be done to close this
'o-cl.0ed door-of-hope policy which you
mad naugurated, you were invited to
go south. On your second visit the
American negro looked TO you to say
something against the revised constitu-
lions IN the South which disfranchised
thousands Of your faithful black allies,
10 their surprise said nothing against the
unconstitutional acts of the South. but
you did admonish the students of Tus-
Aegee to follow industrial education,
which they intended to do without ad-
Homuon from you. As president of a
great republic don't you think that it
VAS your duty to have condemned the
Democratic South? want to say that
Inc negroes owe you nothing and they
nave nothing to be grateful for so far as
!oa are concerned. It certainly would
'e an act of ingratitude if the colored
americans failed to give their entire
support to the Senator from Ohio, Mr.
IoTaker, who has so manfulIy defended
,ae rights of the colored soldiers. +
understand that a few resolutions have
'eta passed by a benevolent colored So
oe'y IN the South indorsing your order
VI dismissal If such resolutions have
'5sA passed they don't amount to very
much because the colored vote doesn't
count IN Louisiana. Some southern
democrat must be interested in this be-
-5'o-ent society. In the North the
negro IS sane and | don't believe that
-. sane colored man wilt adopt reso-
.~'lons condemning himself 1t IS not
.''-IaL You have made everv effort