The morning journal-courier., 1908-06-09
NEGROES RAP TAFT
Roosevelt Also Scored at Mass
Meeting Held in This City
Last Night.
WILL OPPOSE SECRETARY
Adopt Resolutions Urging All Negroes
TO Demand Some Other Can
didatc.

President Roosevelt. Secretary Taft
and the entire republican party with
few exceptions were roundly criticized
at a mass meeting of the New Haven
County Foraker league held at the
Bethel A. M. Il. church last night.
Senator Joseph r. Foraker was the
only republican In the llmelight to-
day, to be applauded and for trying
to investigate President Roosevelt's
action in discharging the Twenty
fifth infantry after the Brownsville af-
fair. Every time his name was men
toned It was greeted with cheers
from the several hundred coored cit
izens Of this city who were present.
The cause of the scoring Of the pres
ident was his dismissal OF the colored
troops. That Of Secretary Taft be
cause he didn't have backbone enough
to throw his cabinet portfolio at
Roosevelt's feet and stick by his orig
inal movement and refuse to dismiss
the troops without a hearing" The
republican party got 1t because 1t had
thrown the negro down in his demand
for his rights and thereby practically
kicked him out Of the party ranks.
The roasting was ended with the
adoption OF resolutions expressing
the sentiment of the meeting and the
election of a delegate to, attend the
Chicago convention and protest
against the nomination Of either Taft
or Roosevelt
The meeting opened at s o'clock
and was addressed by several speak
ers whose remarks were applauded to
the echo. Every time some particu-
larly scathing statement was made the
speaker was interrupted by cries of
Yes; Yes!' That's right" That's
what he did" and the Nike. At times
great excitement prevailed. The
speakers were the Rev, r. c. Ransom
of New York, Joseph P. Peaker
James w. Stewart, Mr.. Barnes, Yale
wood, pastor of the Bethel church
The latter was elected delegate to
| Chicago, and after the meeting con-
! tributions were made by the audience
to assist in defraying his expenses.
The speakers, except Mr.. Barnes
who talked about the unity of the hui
man race, all went after Roosevelt
and Taft. One Of them, Mr.. Stewart
stated that Taft was not flt for the oc.
casion at the Brownsville episode and
was no man to be elected president OF
the United States mo self-respect.
ing negro will stand by and see him
nominated" he said "On the Other
power to prevent his nomination OF
to secure his defeat at the polls i
he is nominated. The republican part,
Of Lincoln's day Is not the party o
1908. and it's time we woke up to tina
fact"
The other speakers expressed lik'
sentiments They rehearsed the his
tory Of the negro in this country anc
his freedom from slavery by the civi
war. They stated that now, however
by the wholesale disfranchisement o
negroes in the south the race wa,
being put into even worse SLAYER!
than that of anti-bellum days Roose
/ YplI, l. dit BIlu lHt tulllt lCpuDiliul
party, "the self-asserted protector o
the negro rights" were flayed 70
refusing to stop this disfranchisemen
when appealed to, to do so. Th
speaker charged that the soutl
through this wholesale disfranchise
ment had secured a false misrepre
sentation in congress 1t was agree'
that Taft could not secure a. one
hundredth part of the negro vot
of the country.
During all the roasting the demo
Gratis did not get away unscathed. Be
Tillman and Hoke Smith, the tw
most fiery southern members of con
gress had to bear the brunt Of tn
party at present both being charge
with being now hypocritcally ready t
take the negro by the hand and sa
"Welcome Brother" with the hope c
dividing the vote and turning 1t int
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