Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1908-02-22

Republic. When you talk about g
Eliminating any of the War Amend
ments or multiplying them. the old
time fire returns to the eve and the
feeling OF resentment and protest IL
ever present. It is this sentiment
that Secretary Taft will meet in far.
away Michigan.
When you come South, there Is
another element TO be dealt with
We refer TO the old slave own
ers. whose love and affection for the
black nanny who nursed and in
structed them. surpasses human un-
| derstanding and in the light OF past
] experiences IS destined TO last forever
more. When the family servant makes
an appeal TO this cltss of white people
IL is always answered and there are
bold. fearless white men down here
VINO viii take up the cause Of their
/ Negro servants OF the old school,
giving time and spending money in
behalf of either them or their or
spring.
A man must understand these an
omalous conditions in order 20 deal
properly with existing conditions. II
means that The man or statesman.
who attacks the Negro virulently and
violently will be assailed in the rear
by the slave owners If he speaks In
the North and he vii; be criticised by
the Grand Army men. who know HIS
worth as a comrade, If he speaks in
the South.
II Secretary Taft wants to know
why the Negro was invested with
the right to vote he has it here in
the words OF Gen. B F. Butler. and
they will be echoed from every Grand
Army Post in the United States. He
referred 20 the charge n his Negro
Brigade at Fort Harrison in 1864:
cit became my painful duty, sir.
90 follow in the track OF that charg-
ing column. and there. in a space not
wider than the Clerks desk and three
hundred yards long, lay the dead
bodies Of FIVE hundred and forty
three OF my colored comrades. fallen
In defence OF their country, who had
offered up their lives to uphold its
flag and its honor. as a willing sacri-
fee. and as I rode along among them
guiding my horse this way and that
D, Oh b re-
hoof what seemed 90 me the sacred
dead. and as ] looked on their bron-
zed faces upturned I'm the shining
sun TO Heaven. as if I'm mute appeal
against the wrongs OF the country for
which they had given their lives, and
whose flag had only been Co them
a Gag of stripes. on which no star OF
glory had ever shone for them
feeling I had wronged them i'm the
past. and believing what was the
future OF my country 10 them, al
moug my dead comrades there I
swore 90 myself "a solemn oath. May
my right hand forget its cunning
and my tongue cleave 60 the roof OF
my mouth. ~ I ever fail to defend
the rights OF these men who have
given their blood for me and my
country this day. and for their race
forever and. God helping me. I viii
keep that oath.
From that hour all prejudice was
gone. and an old-time States-right
Democrat became a lover of the Ne
gro race. And as long as their
rights are not equal to the rights OF
other mon under this Government,
am with them against all corners:
I.f vi flfN
as other mems rights are held sacred
then. I trust We shall have what we
sought TO have. united country
North and South. white and black,
under one glorious flag. for which
We and our fathers have fought with
am equal and not TO be distinguish
ed valor."
This then was the cause OF the
great contest for the enfranchise-
ment Of the Negro. He had bought
it with his blood that had moistened
hundreds OF battlefelds. Il had
flowed in rivulets and it had emilia
zoned the way TO the maintenance Of
the Union.
The same story came from the bat
tlehelds ia Cuba. where the valor of
the black troops made It possible to
free the islands. White soldiers tes-
tilted TO this and white newspaper
correspondents recorded the truths
as they saw them. With the song.
"ThereW be a hot time in the old
town. tonight" making the welkin J
ring and the sbarp crack as the hull !