The advocate. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1901-1913, 1908-04-30
(By the National Negro Press Bur
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Wy lHe NaClonal negro PreSS Bur
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Washington, b. C., April 20
William Jennings Bryan, the proba-
Bile democratic nominee > for presi-
dent, has opened his mouth on the
Negro suffrage question, and has
put his foot into it, The. demo-
ctratic propensity for blundering at
this right time is again made mani
fest In the 'narrow-gauged, utterance
Of The Peerless" a few days ago in
New York, in wich he Undertakes to-
square himself" in the South, where
he has been losing caste, bys Justify
ing the state, constitutions that dis
franchise the Negro. NotwitRstand-
ing the voeiferous' demonstration Of
the handful Of subsidized colored
men who met a few days at Pht1a-
delphia and declared they would
vote for him IN preference to. Secre.
tary Taft, the. peerless bidder for,
democratic support, unbosoms him.
self in this wise when interrogated
In New York as to the suffrage:
The white man in the SOUTH"
says Mr.. Bryan, has disfranchised
the Negro In self-protection, and
there is not republican in the north
who would not have done the same
thing under the - same ,circum.
stances Those republicans IN
the north who dispute this or
say that they are different from
the south either are, not frank
with themselves Or: are assuming
what Is not $true. The white men in,
the south VIII Rolts allow "a few. men
to use the ;Roaa afsate TO further.
their own ahaneiai and political ia
terests. And. that is2what is being
done" 'r ~ l.
Thus Mr.. Bryan at one fell stroke
destroys every "rhan OF straw set up
lin his behalf, by his Negro admirers
who gathered at Philadelphia to offer
his camp as a refuge for the disgrun-
tied ones OF our race. Out Of his
own mouth he, has enunciated 4 doc
trine which makes it impossible for
any Negro however dissatisfied with
the probable nominee OF the repub-
licans, to rally to the standard of the
democracy. =, \
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The Washing gton Star, which is al
ways sound on questions of moment
touching the Negro, in answer
to Mr.: Bryan's plant about the evil
Of allowing "a few white men to use
the solid black vote to further their
own financial and political interests"
says editorially: -
But how, about allowing a few
white men in the south to use the
solid black population of voting age
to further thett own financial and
political t1teEests by making it a ba-
sis, contrary .to the constitution, of
power in national affairs? And how
about using that = unconstttutiona
power to help elect Mr.. Bryan pres
ident of the United States? What
sort of a guardian Of the constitu-
ton would that man be who was in
office as the result OF violation of
that instrument In, other words,
If men are unfit to vote In local mat
ters, should they be made the unWiTl-
ing basis for the control Of national
matters? d" - u.s.. . ga .
Mr. Bgah's attitude on this uues-
ton is that. of his supporters. and
his arguments that: with which they
have made the country familiar. He
does not disuess It from o constitu-
tional standpoint, (Sic.) He cannot
do so with good results to his per-
sonal fhttests. On that score the
case is, against him. His friends con-
cede as much. It was only last week
that Mr.. COCHRAN, Of New York, in a
speech in the hodse,, reminded his
party associates, that in dealing with
this question they hAS 1ynched the
constitution.'"..,. =.
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The star in this and other editori-
ais, ,1nakes it plain to, Mr.. Bryan that
he is not dealing candidly with toe
Negro suffrage problem in the south,
and that he employs the tactics Of
the "artful dodgerS when he seeks to
shuttle out Of the subject into dis
cussion OF the evils Of earpet-bag
rule, which Is no longer an issue. or
when be fails to see in the votes of
the tlliterate whites as great q dan
ger as In the votes of tlliterate Me-
groes He begs the question miser-
obly when he concludes his argu-
ment with the statement that "the
white men 6R2 the sotrtf are determ-
ined that the Negro shall be-disfran-
chised everywhere 1t is necessary to
prevent the recurrence Of the hor-
rors at carpet%bag rule" The Gods