The Washington bee., 1908-08-22

zen must ADMIT tnat the Negro IS
creature of politics, and if it had
not been for the great political strug-
gle that led to the division of the
country, the black maR would have
been a slave today. We own much
to agitators of political opinions or
the past, and our future depends up
on the political independence of the
present.
6. - Men of God must be fear
less. We are face TO face with the
most important period in the history
of our race in this country. In
twelve States in this Union we are
disfranchised, Jim Crowed, and sub
jected to many insults that are al
most intolerable, and the question
arises, What shall we do to be saved?
For forty years we have been
taught to confde wholly and to fol-
low without controversy the Repub-
lican leaders, but | regret to say
that after all these years of devo-
ton, we find ourselves betrayed, de-
serted, bound hand and foot and left
to the mercies of the men we have
been taught were our enemies. Be
fore us stand forty years of unfaith-
fulnesS on the part of the Republi
can leaders: Brownsville, standing
like smoking Sinai, lily-whiteism,
spreading itself over the hope of the
Negro like the blackness of the dark
ness of Egypt.
6. - Thank God, one star of hope
remains. From every section of this
broad land the news comes that if
the Negro is to break away from
political slavery and 70 become an
independent American citizen, vot-
ing for men and measures rather
than political parties, the door of
opportunity shall be open to him.
desire to call attention to the
editorial appearing in the Columbia
State ,one of the leading newspapers
in the South. It reads as follows =:
so far as this paper is concerned
Negroes are welcome to the Demo-
cratic party. When we open the
door to the Negro we follow the
leadership of Alexander Stephens
and John B. Gordon, Of Georgia !;
Wade Hampton and Richardson, of
South Carolina; Zeb Vance and
Matt Ransom of North Carolina.
"All who know the South must
acknowledge that the State is IN
pretty respectable company"
AS a further evidence of the wis
dom of our policy, we invite your
attention to the advice taken from
the writings of Booker T. Washing
ton in the Evening Star of April
10. 1890. Booker T. Washington,
answering the request of promi-
neat colored man in North Carolina
as to what should be done to allay
the present conflict between the
races" says:
Il have been asking myself late
ly some serious questions, and l
want to put one or two of them to
you. Is there any reason why the
| Negroes in the South should contin-
ue to oppose the Southern white man
and his politics? Is not this the
source of nearly all the trouble? ?"
"Unconsciously we seem to have
gotten the idea into our blood and
bone that we are only acting in a
manly way when We oppose South
ern white men with our votes. In
Scme way, by some method, we must
bring the race to the point where it
will cease to feel that the only way
for it to succeed is to oppose every
thing suggested or put forth by the
Southern white man. This | con-
slider one of our neal problems. I
believe that there are thousands of
white Democrats in North Carolina
who are fifty percent better friends
to the Negro than Governor Russell.
see no necessity in continuing to
follow Governor Russell, who has no
power to protect, or if he has the
power does not exert it, rather than
these other white men who can pro-
tect us if we cease continually and
forever to oppose them"
Booker Washington says in his
book, "The Future of the American
Negro" !" page 1873: $50 long as the