The advocate. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1901-1913, 1908-07-09

Jr Washington, July S.--All eyes are
turned toward Denver4this week. The
Nomination Qf Bryan is assured, }, and
the convention will merely ratifyS the
choice of the democratic party for
president and saddle the vice; nresi-
dency on some tc6nfidmg REPRESENTA-
Ftiye-of the yery> respectable Cleveland
win gss a ter VIII tings: Il. form de-
tgIiAiS the guitaiess voter
bot Qmin ! and$ wyne.nn Our peo-
are not less INT efsesgIsd fhafk Tie
whites. What disposition WIFI the
dam mocratic conventions make of the
Negro question? VIII it accept the
"open door" policy proclaimed by
Henry Watterson, and Invite the Ne
gro to help them elect their candi-
date? Orr will the cohorts bark
back to the narrow, >counsels of Till
man, Heflin, Bailey and John Sharp
Williams and insist that defeat with
out the cooperation offthe black vo-
ter is preferable to q chance for vic
tory, If the recognitfoh Of the Negro
as citizen must g6 with it. Win
the Negroes, themselves listen with
patience to this death-bed repentance
Of a lifelong antagonist, with a rec
ord ,,reeking with"di disfranchisement,
jim-crow legislation and lynching,
even If a sop should be thrown out
by. the Bryanites, with the idea Of
catching the vote Of the disgruntIed
colored republicans in the prvotal
states Will the democrats haye the
gall to offer maudlin sympathy in
connection. with the. Brownsville af-
fair, in the face of the fact that ev~
cry democrat In congress was oppos-
ed to the restoration of the dis
charged soldiers, and might have at
tempted to have all fonr of the Ne
gro regiments eliminated from the
army establishment II an opportuni-
ty had presented itself?
These are the problems with which
political Washington ie3wrestling to-
day, while the remnants of the Jeffer-
sontan democracy are wrestling with
one another on all sorts of wildcat
propositions. The issue relating : to
us will doubtless be sestled ere this
reaches the eyeHof our readers; but,
asAthe problem has as many lives as
cat, We are likely to thave it with
us for some. time to come, though the
scene may change from the rockies to
the hills and >dales OF the several
states, and the cast Of characters may
undergo ssome radical changes.
= + s'. --~----z<------A- :
= I'm the meantime; the "stalwarts''
las the ladmihistrauon, A Afro-Ameri-
cans herea bouts have come. to be
-styled---are awaiting the selection of
a chairman Of the national commit
tee, and gre eager to get down to
work. Everybody realizes that the
battle Will be no picnic, and an early
start Is urged by those who want to
see an Yd-fashioned campaign. AS
TO the .cEairmanship, individuals un-
doubtedly have their preferences,
but none Of those mentioned for the
place has been aggressIyely opposed
by any colored man Of prominence.
At this writing it looks like Hitch
COCK. His ability and >H4tive shrewd-
ness have been amply tested and, If
chosen by Judge Taft he will take up
the duties with full knowledge OF
the, weight OF the task that confronts
him; He knows the strengths and
weaknesses of the party fabric and
can be depended upon to mass his
forces where they win do the most
good He has no prejudices and will
handle ardle the campaign In such man
ner as to bring out of each element