The advocate. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1901-1913, 1908-02-27
League to
: -, Beat Taft

! washington. D. c., Feb. 19--"We.
the colored ministers OF the A. M, f..
the A. M. E. Zion, and the c. NJ. r.
churches OF the United States IN
conference assembled In" the city OF
washington, do hereby raise our
voices In stern and solemn warning
10 the coming republican national
convention not to put in nomination
FOR the presidency either President
Roosevelt or Secretary Taft on pain
Of having arrayed against either OF
tnose gentlemen at the polls next
November the almost solid colored
vote OF the North" 49,.
SThe% bishops Of the African Metho-
dist Church. in concluding their an
nual sessions Mt the METROPOLITAN
African Methodist Episcopal Church
yesterday, passed resolution yigor-
ously opposing Secretary of, War
Iaft. and asserting that the Negroes
OF the entire country would be in
structed to vote against. any candi-
date named by the President.
1t was decided to make an effort in
every State In the Union to control
the Negro vote. In the States of
New York, New Jersey, Indiana,
Oh1o,- Delaware, Maryland, West Vir-
glnla, Idaho, Illinois, Massachusetts,
Kansas, and Missouri there are more
than 100000 Negro votes. These
100000 votes are to be asked to cast
{ their votes against Secretary Of War
Taft, or any candidate that the
president may name.
Advice toEaSouthern Negroes
In all these states an effort will be
made to organize state leagues. In
the states Of Alabama, Arkansas,
FLORIDA, Georgia, Kansas, Louisiana,
Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklaho-
ma. South Carolina. Tennessee, Tex
as and Virginia, where there are to
be 2S0 delegates elected to the ma
tional convention, the Negroes have
been advised to so into every coun-
ty and state convention and demand
recognition, and where not accorded
their full rights they are advised to
hold separate state conventions and
to elect delegates.
The gisf of the resolution was
this:
That we enter now and here our
solemn protest against the monstrous
injustice done the black battalion
by President Roosevelt when he dis
charged its 167 brave men without
honor or trial of any kind and mere
ly on suspicion of their guilt in
the Brownsville ARRAY, and against
the hardly less wrong done these
same mon by the plant and coward
iy Endorsement given by Mr.. Secre-
tary Taft to the huge injustice of the
president.
o.. Threat of Defeat at Polls.
That in consequence Of the many
slns Of commission and omission OF
the republican party against it's faith
ful black contingent in the south. of
its lily white movement and the
countenance and support given that
movement by the present admins
.trat1on Of the unmerited and illegal
punishment Of the black battalion
ny the president and the approval of
the same by his secretary Of war, we,
the colored ministers of the A. M. f,
the A. NJ. E. Zion and the G.. M. E.
churches Of the United States. in
conference assembled in the city of
Washington, do hereby raise our
voice In stern and solemn warning
to the coming republican national
convention not to put in nomination
for the presidency either President
Roosevelt or Secretary Taft on pain
Of having arrayed against either of
those gentlemen at the polls next
November the almost solid colored
vote of the north"