Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-09-26

find a sentence or a word to justify any
such statement as Mr.. Taft makes.
In view of Judge Tafts statement I
trust l may be allowed to repeat what
l have said number of times that in
this whole matter / had no revengcs to
seek or personal ends to serve, but was
anxious to see that comman justice was
done to the representatives of d noble
and loyal race, every one of whom is
by nature a republican. The colored
voters are known to be more or less
displeased with the action OF the re-
publican party in not passing some re-
lief measure for these soldiers. and
to vote against Judge Taft because of
his official relation to the matter. Much
work has been done to overcome this
trouble and to induce the colored re-
publican voters of the country to stand
by the party with which they have al
ways affiliated. And now comes the
President and publishes Judge Tafts
letter containing his unfortunate refer
ence to this unfortunate case. What
does he mean? Does anybody imagine
that the President Is unable to see that
he Is rubbing a sore when he should
have bought a plasters Does he i'm
agine or can anybody suppose, that
the republican colored voters of this
country can be brought to the support
of Judge Taft by parading IN these
Tafts belittling of their chief grew
ance by mentioning it as an incidental
matter which has been seized upon
and magnified, using in this without
scruple blind race prejudice" and
then adding the charge that all this is
done only to "embarrass the admins
tration" of President Roosevelt? Can it
be possible that the President wants to
defeat Judge Taft? That cannot be.
and yet he could hardly do any other
one thing better calculated to lose MIN
votes. for no self-reSpecting negro read
ing what Judge Taft says in this letter
and adding 1t to all that has gone be-
fore can vote for him without feeling
that he is making greater sacrifice
than most men, white or black, are
willing to make.
In any event the Presidents action and
comments are a wrong toward the re-
publican party, for they amount to a
charge against the party at a critical
hour of the campaign of an unworthy
purpose in connection with matter that
every colored man who has any pride of
race holds of highest value and in deepest
appreciation. What Judge Taft says in
his letter is the equivalent of any asser-
ton that the colored people of the coun-
try who have been gratified because of
what was done in the Brownsville mat
ter have simply been hoodwinked by de-
signing selfishneSS. This is bad enough,
but the President makes 1t worse when
over Brownsville was in large part not a
genuine agitation on behalf of the COL
ored men at all. but merely one phase
of the effort by the representatives of
certain law-defying corporations to bring
discredit upon the administra ton because
il was seeking to cut out the evils con-
nected not only with the corrupt use of
wealth, but especially with the corrupt
alliance between certain business men of
large fortunes and certain politicians OF
great office
In other words. the Brownsville pro-
ceeding was not only all Judge Taft
said it was. but in addition to being
designing and selfish it was prompt ed
by the Representatives of law-Gefying
corporations to bring discredit upon
the administration of its policy with
respect to them" This is worse than
the Presidents claim that the panic of
last October was precipitated by lot
of rich men in Wall street who wanted
to bankrupt themselves and the whole
country that they might discredit him;
and worse even than the story that
these same men raised fund ol five
million dollars with which to prevent
him from naming his chosen successor.
I happen to know better than anybody
else can know that there is not the
slightest ground for such a charge. 1t
Is invention pure and simple, and judg-
ing by the frequency with which the
President Is bringing the matter 4" the
to the conscience when there IL con-
seriousness of having done a great
wrong.
Except only the Brownsville matter. the
rate bill and the joint statehood. l voted
for all the measures the President emu
merated among the achievements of his
administration, and some Of them l was in
charge of on the floor of the Senate
when they were passed.
| have said enough. l hope. to justify my
course both as to the rate bill and as to
Brownsville, and it is not necessary that
/ should say anything in justification of
my course with respect to joint state
hood. except only to point to the ma
tiona1 republican platform upon which Mr..
Taft stands. one plank of which declares
in favor of the separate statehood for
New Mexico and Arizona.
If. in making this defense, i have said
anything that will work the slightest in
jury to the republican party l shall regret
it, but | shall always feel that those who
have no consideration for me. my family
or good name but would gloatngly re-
joice If they could accomplish the shame
and humiliation they have attempted are
not entitled to any consideration at my
hands. and that my duty to the party
should be subordinated to duty to family
and the good name | have striven to make
that | may leave II to them as their heri-
tage more priceless in their estimation