The Washington bee., 1908-10-24
Sensible Talk

for nearly twelve years Collector ol
Internal Revenue for the District OF
Georgia, was in the city few days
ago and kindly consented to talk on
a number of pertinent issues for the
benefit of the public Col. RuCker is
q recognized leader of thought and
action in his state, and is one of the
best informed and most highly regard
ed men in the country, irrespective Of
of race. His opinions are deferred TO
bv the substantial forces, white and
black. in Atlanta, and what he has TO
sav is listened to at all times with
credence and respect In response to
d question as to the extent of his ira
vels in the North, Col. Rucker said :;
81 have touched at number OF
points in New York, Pennsylvania,
New Jersey, and Maryland and am
only resting here for a short time be
fore returning home. 7 enjoyed every
moment of my stay in the North, and
cannot describe how deeply I was i'm
pressed with the solid prosperity of
the men | met at the Baltimore con-
vention of the National Negro Busi-
ness League, and the scientific knowl-
edge shown by the professional forces
at the National Medical Associations
meeting at New York. While in New
York I had the pleasure of coming
into contact with Mr.. Frank II. Hitch
cock, the very capable and resource
full chairman of the Republican Ma
tional Committee, and found him to
be as affable and as genial as one
could expect of a man with the great
responsibility he has resting upon his
shoulders. He knows men and what
they can do and has no time for CHM
erical schemes that will not stand the
acid test. Yet he is tactful and be-
hind gracious smile there are evi-
dences of an unusual strength of char
acter. reserve force and natural exc
cutive ability. There seemed to be a
commendable degree of harmony be-
tween the men associated with Mr..
Hitchcock and the headquarters were
redolent with that sunshine and cheer
which presage a victorious outcome
of the campaign they are carrying on.
Did you sound public sentiment
during your travels and learn how the
colored voters are feeling about the
situation?" your correspondent asked.
Eyes. | have talked with scores OF
our men in various walks of life and
think | was able to sound sentiment
with some assurance of accuracy.
Wherever | made inquiries or noted
conditions, l was gratihed to find a
marked change of sentiment toward
Mr.. Taft. Many spoke OF him IN
eulogistic terms, and confessed that
thev had been led into error concern
ing him by the clamor of hot-headed
persons who had painted him in colors
he did not deserve, both as to the
Brownsville affair and the suffrage.
l think this change of front is largely
due to two things: first thePreSident
assumption of the entire responsible
ity of the Brownsville episode; and
secondly, our people ale opening their
ewes to the fact that the Democratic
party. not contented with our eliml-
nation from politics as far as It IS
concerned, is now doing its utmost
to get the Republican party to drop
us. This latter plan would mean Our
exclusion from participation in any
and all politics and ultimately bar us
from all means of protection and de
fense enjoyed by other American
citizens, whether naturalized or unto
the manor born"
"What effect is the advent of Prof
Du Bois having upon the pohtica
equation?"
DIR. Dubois? He is a fellow-townS-
man of mine, and the people hav(
more respect for his scholarship thar
for his political wisdom. The trouble
with Dubois is that he waited toe
long to make a beginning in politics
A man commencing at his age IS just
as apt to begin wrong as right-otten'
er the former than the latter. Ht
started at the wrong end to serve the
race with which he is identified. He
is a strong, learned man, and knows
much that is in books; but he is
weakling in politics, for of that i'm
portant and intricate science he know:
Il mill h. Iae