The broad ax., 1908-07-04
THE REpUslIcAN NEGRO PLANK,

49,
whatever prompted its insertion. no
little Importance attaches to the plank
in the Republican platform declaring
its friendship for the Negro. demand
ing" equal justice to the race; deelar-
ing without reservation for the en-
fOrcement 1n letter and spirit" Of the
War Amendments. and eondemning as
unfair. un-American and repugnant
to the supreme law Of the land" all
devices that have for their real aim
disfranehisement Of the Negro. Taken
as a whole, the moderate. yet reason
able and uneQuivocal tone Of this plank
free as it is nom the rsmotsst eaOrt
&c Islander or lecture the Negro with
out which deviations no document
emananng from The Republican party
concerning Negroes. has Of late years
been considered oompletel. wfn have
a great moral innuence. and define. Is
has not been done II recent years,
the only sensible and logical IDEAL
toward which this country can lock
with reference to tie race question
As important, perhaps. as any other
situation produced BY this plank Is
the fact that It irreVocabIy commits
the Republican party to this broad
gauged policy toward Negroes. not
merely because it conforms with the
spirit and letter Of the Federal Con-
stitution, or because of empty claims
for equality" but because it tthe
Republican party) believes that his
fthe Negroes noteworthy progress In
intelligence. industry and good citi-
zenship has earned the respect and
announcement Of the nation"
Aside, however, from the inevitable
moral eject which win Of itself attach
to such a pronouncement, the plank
is without weight as a campaign doc
ument because Of the palpsble insin-
cerity with which it was proposed and
adopted. and because there~is not the
remotest ground for assuming that,
after the election. the Renuhlicsz
party WIN be any more inclined than
It has been In the past to lend either
its active or moral support to the
abolishment Of the iniustices to Ne
groes over which it now processes
such great concern The bowling
farce, not to say hypocrisy, Of the en-
tire situation is apparent when, not
withstanding the solemn condemn
aion Of measures destined to dis
franchise the Negro. It Is recalled that
Candidate TAFT IN q speech At Tus-
kegee two years ago. after branding
Negroes as ignorant political children.
declared his belief that "a policy Of
the southern people IN adopting laws
which exclude impartiaIly both the
black ana white ignorant and ire
sponaIble, could not be criticised"
Indeed, we're there anything SAVIOR
ing Of sincerity in the Republican
demands for the enforcement 'in
letter ana spirit Of the war amend
ments, It has all along been wholly
within their power to substitute en-
forcement for demand But instead
Of this, the Republican Federal SUI
preme Court has persistntly lodged
the disranchisement issue and has
upheld the separate car laws, being
joined Ia this latter stand BY the Re
publican Interstate Commerce Com
mission. IS wen e. in substances. II
not in fact. By President Roosevelt
IN short, the plank, forced upon the
party as a means Of placafing a dis
gusled Negro constituency, Is perhaps
the safest ever adopted By the Re
publican party. though the principles
for which It declares win. IS usual
Be straishtway forgotten after No
7ember s.-Ihe plot, PhIiadsIphia,
= The Pilot has sized up TIE sltaa-
tien Just about right Tor IN 1898.
Roosevelt vas elected On q platform
n favor q cutting Representation n
Congress down On account q tie e.
clusioa lLho Nero votar1 IN many /
Of tie southeTn states. BIT after hs
wss elected Sc md ne cthsr leaders
q tie RspublIean party eomrletei7
i,1ored fhsf ssc,ion a ne platform
And Il TaH Is slsctsa. IS um SIT
mon that portion q ne plati1tIs
FhAuh eopsa'aa - SOP fof ths Ne
SO.