Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1908-04-11
NEGROES THREATEN BOLT FROM
TAFT.
DcnounCe His Candidacy and Say
They VIII Carry Opposition
60 the Polls.


They VIII Carry Opposition
60 the Polls.
Philadelphia Record. April s. 'OS.l
y concerted movement by colorei
voters against the candidacy OF Sec
rctary OF War Taft for the Repub-
hcan nomination for President, which
viii be carried TO the polls should
he be selected, was revealed last ev-
ening when Negroes OF prominence
from twenty-five States assembled in
convention at lions BAPTIST Church,
Thirteenth and Wallace Streets and
placed themselves on record at unal-
terably opposed TO the Secretary.
They denounced President Roose-
welt as a "Herod who had destroyed
the innocent without mercy" and the
speakers without an exception strong
ly asserted that the time had come
when the Negro race must assert its
independence, or it would be COM
pletely eliminated as a political fac
tor.
The convention was called the
National Political Conference OF Col
ored Americans, and brought togeth-
er lawyers, editors and clergymen of
influence from all parts OF the coun-
try. AT an afternoon executive ses-
sion Professor William NJ. Trotter.
or Boston, was elected as President
and Bishop Alexander Walters. Of
New York, as President of the
Convention. Among the delegates
who took part in the conference were
DR.. George W. Lee, Of Washington;
James NJ. Summers, OF Xenia, o.:
Rev. +. l.. Gillian, DR.. w. G.. Wren.
capt. VS.. Thomas of Columbus,
o.; DR., J. C. Jordan, National Sec
retary of the Afro-Baptist Church,
and DR.. o. w. Harper OF Dayton, 0.
WOULD PREFER TILLMAN TO
TAFT.
a public mass meeting was held
at the Zion Church in the evening
the auditorium being crowded 10 it's
fullest capacity, and ex-Congressman
George II. White, who presided, a
reused the meeting TO a white heat
in his opening speech by the declara-
ton, Il have been a Republican all
my life, but / was Negro before /
was Republican, and i am proud
still TO be Negro. We are not here
in partisan capacity, but j want TO
say that / would sooner vote for an
avowed enemy like Ben Tillman than
for a hypocritical friend who had
stabbed me in the back"
He then pointed out that while
the Negro race was entitled by nu-
merical strength to SO Congressman
and II United States Senators they
had been deprived of their last Re-
preventative in Congress at a time
when the Republicans were in full
control Of both Houses. of the Su-
preme Court and the Presidency.
Rev. ]. NJ. Waldo of Washington,
ID. C., spoke upon the discharge OF
the Negro Battalion OF the Twenty
fifth Regiment at Brownsville, Texas
describing IL as an unspeakable out
rage. He could find but two paraf-
lels in history to President Roose-
velt's action, that of Nebuchanezzar
when he destroyed the soothsayers,
who could not remember his dream.
and Herod, who slaughtered all the
innocent children of Bethlehem.
Rooseveit's action he regarded as en-
tirely without warrant or precedent,
and he said the Negroes of the coun-
try would never condone the affront
until every man of the battalion had
been restored TO his position with
full back pay.
Secretary Taft, in his judgment,
could have prevented the outrage,
but he had the collar of Roosevelt
around his neck, "and we say to you,
Mr.. Taft, that as you could not be
trusted with the interests of the
black soldier, you are not worthy to
look out for the white soldier, eth
err"
James H, Hayes. an attorney of
r. IL. n
when he said, In stentorian tones.
that "if the Republican party does
not treat us right at Chicago by re-
pudiating Taft, we will act as did
Samson of old, and wrapping our