The Washington bee., 1908-09-19

together unfriendly attitude toward
it. He held them largely responsible
for much Of the feeling that manifests
itself in the contumely heaped upon
the black man; at times entirely un-
! justified by his orderly conduct and
for the actual cruelty visited upon .he
race by mobs, and the uncalIed for
denial of civil privileges by individ-
uals.
Judge Tafts concluding remarks
indicated a tender realization of the
heart-throbs of the Negro race-a
sympathetic comprehension of the ira
gedy that lies in disappointed hopes,
thwarted ambitions, and restricted
opportunities-aD because of the
color of his cutcle, but added that I'm
spite of all, you should be of good
cheer. The future is brighter for you
and is more in your own hands than
ever The nation must deal with the
problem that the presence of the
Negro presents and solve them Justly
fairly, and charitably
Though brought here against his
will and now, in a sense, the ward of
the nation by reason of that fact, the
Negro is not therefore relieved from
the burden of responsibility that he.
mus. assume to win his way in the
community by industry and thrift, 20
a place in which he becomes too val
liable a part of society for his depre-I
ciators to ignore his rights and we'll
earned position"
The speech has doubtless strength
ened the Judge with the colored peO-|
pie everywhere. The warm reception
accorded it by representative Negroes
of Cincinnati indicated that the Judge
is a prophet who has an abundance Of
honor in his own home The small
contingent of the race who insist that
the election of MIR. Bryan offers the
only relief from the alleged indifer-
ence and neglect of the Republican
party are left without a leg to stand
on. Like "Othello," their Occupation
is gone"
The charge that Judge Taft'sI
triumph means an endorsement Of
disfranchisement and "lily-whiteism, -
vii now be but sounding brass and
tinkling cyml an 70 annoy the ear
and convincing to nobody who has 4
taste for real melody. The speciou5
cries Of Greensboro and 'Lexing
ton - and "Tuskegee !" vii fall flat
when the Taftites hurl back the echo'5
Of Cincinnati Cincinnati !''-for it
will be remembered that in this his
toric Queen City the Judges two
bugle calls to the race were sounded.
Until Mr.. Bryan disavows his New
York approval of disfranchisement,
and explains the failure of the Denver
convention to declare for the consti-
tutionaI rights of the Negro, as we'll
as his own silence on the subject II
Negro citizenship, any notice paid %
the COlOred HeSsians who are trying
to earn the pittance handed them by
the Democracy, will be a sheer waste
of valuable time
Judge Tafts Cincinnati keynote
has given the Negro spell-ginders Of
his faith and order" enough matter
to TAX about for the remainder #
this campaign of education.
It may not be out of place to remark
once more, in this connection that the
speeches delivered by Judge Taft at
| Greensboro, Lexington and Tuskegee,
which the Negro Democrats have
chosen to distort for personal reasons,
were simply candid, straightforward
, and impartial analyses Of an exasper-
ating situation, for which no immedi-
ate remedy could be found. His in
vestigation uncovered foul state of
affairs, but he could not, as an honest
man, promise instantaneous relief; he
would treat it as best he could, but
the solution must be for the future
! Judge Taft dissected conditions in the
South as a surgeon would disclose the
diseased tissues of the human body,
without responsibility for their ex-
istence, yet prescribing, according to
his judgment, a course of treatment
that might in time lead to restora-
ton of health. His penetrating eye
noted the evils of disfranchisement,