Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1908-09-19

even in business and professional life
are continually closed to black apph-
cants of proven fitness. simply on
the bald excuse of race and color.
This is the spirit and practice
which the Niagara Movement is fight
ing, and viii never cease TO fight.
This then is an open declaration
of war upon caste prejudice and all
Of its attendant evils. 1t gives sound
advice when it says:
First: We say 70 our own: Obey
| the law. defend no crime, conceal no
| criminal. seek no quarrel; but arm
yourselves. and when the mob in
vades your home. shoot, and shoot
to kill"
This has been our doctrine for
more than twenty years. It is our
advice. freely given today. II then
delves into the political arena and
lines up squarely against the Repub-
lican Party and all that it stands for.
IL evidently believes and virtually so
announces that Hon William II. Taft
viii not be true to his promise when
ne declared that he does and shall
continue 90 stand squarely upon ev-
cry plank OF the Republican Party
platform. u says:
Secondly We say 90 voters. Reg
lister and vote whenever and wherev-
fsfar en-
Che past. but in the present. Re
member that the conduct Of the Re
publican narty toward Negroes has
been a disgraceful failure TO keep
Just promises. The dominant RoOsc
welt faction has sinucd in this respect
beyond forgiveness. We therefore
trust that every black voter viii up
hold men like Joseph Benson Fora
lcr. and viii leave no stone uuturncd
TO- defeat William H. Taft Remcm-
bor Brownsville, and establish next
November the principle of Negro in-
dependence ina voting. not only for
Furnishing enemies. but for rebuking
false friends"
The Niagara Movement is waEing
"a battle of revenge. It viii ignore
principles and disregard candidates
and their uttorances If 10 can only
strike the object of it's hatred. This
is not a laudable or O. commendablo
position to take and yet &c viii do
good en- some quarters. while it is
doing much harm I'm some others.
If VIII Doe an awakening go those Ne
gro-hators within the ranks OF the
Republican Party. who profess TO be-
lieve that the Negroes of this coun-
try are afraid to- support any other
Party than the one hat was idon-
tilted with the emancipation of the
black men in this country
la this respect. this movement will
do great good. on the other hand
&C. viii eudanger the political posi-
tions of thousands of colored men.
who after they landed the offices for
got The colored people on the outside
who were the means of placing them
there. Unless MT. Bryan is one hun
dred times stronger than his party.
| colorcd men, who go. out OF service
viii never return Ia any such num-
beers as they have in the past. Wheth
or this viii work for the better. the
future only can ten.
President Roosevelt openly an
uouucod that DE had appointed few
or colored men to Office than any OF
his predecessors and there can be
NO doubt. but what his attitude In
the Brownsville affair is largely re-
sponsible for the feeling that has set
in SO steadily against as. The Ma
CARA Movement is justified in much
that Go has said and 80 remains for
the Republican leaders 20 send able
Republican leaders OF color in 90 all
OF the States i'm order 10 hold firm
the colored people who are waver-
ing ia their allegiance TO a party
that is now manned 10y a sea OF Ne
gro-haters. who even now wear the
Announcements of the Democratic Ne
gro-hatilg army from which they
have recently deserted.
The address is signed by Freder-
lex L. McGhee OF Minnesota. Charles
+. Bentley of Illinois. Gertrude w.
Morgan OF Massachusetts. William +.
Henderson OF Indiana and w. T. B.
Dubois of Georgia.
The only thing that puzzles us is
how a people, who would give voice
20 such utterances could go to the
Democratic Party for support and
comfort. Opinions like these openly
uttered in a Democratic convention
in Texas would result in the eleva-
ton of all of the signers ten feet
from earth with hemp rope collars
and singing bullets as music to their
deafening ears.
These are troublous times and the
scenes now being enacted are as
strange as the stories told in the A
rabian Nights of long ago.
-O-