The advocate. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1901-1913, 1907-06-27
Of Office Cut No
Figure
With the Colored Voters in
Ohio who are Lined up
With tho Foraker
Forces

lucky StaCe convention and the DEM
Qnstration at Wilberforce University, !,
the greatest attention Is being paid
TO the colored race question. That
Senator Foraker has been 4bfe to
make serious political issue out of
the first seemingly trivial occurrence
at Brownsville there now seems to be
no doubt. If President Roosevelt
thought that he could sweep the Sen
tor out Of his path by the usual
methods used in dlsciplining mem-
bers of Congress at -Washin gton,~ he
made a mlscalculation. Foraker ap-
pears to have stirred the blacks into
state Of open belMgerency against
Roosevelt and his Secretary OF War.
What Is needed now Is direction, ana
that does not seem to be altogether
lacking. The claim Is made that 1t
was due to the clever handling Of
this colored question by former Gov
ernor William o. Bradley and the re-
dictionaries in the Republican State
Convention In kentucky that the
Taft supporters were outmaneuvered
in the matter Of an Endorsement Of
their candidate. A lesson was TAX
en- from the Ohio book and the Taft
men were told that If they insisted
upon their candidate being indorsed
now that it might mean the loss Of
the municipal elections and the state
ticket because the colored voters
would skunk, and without them vic
tory was, impossible. Defeat this
year would have a bad effect upon
the Secretary's chances next year.
Taft Men Gave Way.
Faced with this situation, whether
it was real or false, the Taft men
gave way and took the alternative
of nd in nd 70 hi
cal Roosevelt man. This is precise.
ly the propaganda that the Foraker
folio wing Is preaching In Ohio. Can
dtdates and organizations, are being
Threatened with the loss OF the color
ed yote>in the large cities where it Is
a factor. This course was openly 8d
vised by Charles aerrish, OF this city,
one of the Foraker Heutenants in a
letter to Harry c.. Smith, editor Of a
colored paper In Cleveland, who has
been travelling about the state Or
ganizing his race against Roosevelt.
At Wilberforce: Senator Foraker add
ed emphasis and force to this advice.
1t may be said that he spoke gener
ally, and that he addressed himself
to the policy Of opposing the prac-
tice Of Observation-Disclosures under COL
or Of law, but his words were accept
ed in literal sense and his advice
will be applied in Ohio and not in
North Carolina. The effect Of the
Wflberforce speech has not yet BEEN
fully realized.
In the assemblage were many cler-
gymen who are natural leaders Of
their race, which, as many political
students have discovered, mixes RS
politics 8hd it's religion in the same
dish. These men heard a powerful
argument from their standpoint, and
were furnished with many thoughts
for elucidation and emendation.
These they will spread among their
flocks. The seed Of revolt sown in
the winter by Senator Foraker, has
already become fruitful, and If indi-
cations stand for anything the sec
Ond crop will be greater. BY cap
turing the colored troops which he
seems to have done, the Senator Is
now in q position to dictate to the
politicians of the cities. The Taft
managers have done nothing to Off
set this work, for the simple reason
that 1t was impossible to do so. If
the appointment Of Ralph Tyler, of
this city, to be Auditor OF the Navy
Department. was intended to act as a
check it has failed absolutely.
Rejected the Offering.
in this part of the country has re-
fused to accept it as peace offering
from the President. 1t was q job,
and good job, that went to waste,
at least for the present. The reac-
t1onary leaders In the border States
will be quick to follow the tactics Of
Senator Foraker, and the country
may soon expect demonstrations in
Indiana, Illinois, West Virginia, Vir-
gin1a and Missouri. In all q them
the colored voter is a factor Of no
mean proportions. There are some
Republican leaders who can forsee
danger in this fomenting Of insured
ton by Foraker being fearful OF the
consequences at the general election
in 1909 The alarm, however, Is not
overpowering, the extreme danger to
be expected being only the refusal of
the colored men to vote the ticket.
1t Is not believed that q dozen For
akers could get them to vote the
Democratic ticket at the, national
election, even II he and his prOto-
types were willing that they should.
Elsewhere in the country the fever
has not reached the black voters, say
the Taft managers. They point to
the fact that the real colored lead
ers, including such men as Booker
Washington, have not shown any
sympathy with the attack upon Sec
retary Taft. They say that the real
1y intelligent colored men deplore tAe
raising of this issue by Senator For
aker, feeling that the only result
that can come out OF 1T will be one
disastrous to the Negro race.
At the, present time one oR the
great political parties Of the country
the Democratic party--~Iis not in,