The Clarksburg telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1874-1926, 1908-10-01
And An United Front on the
Partof coloredsVoters
in the State.
MINISTER WARNS HIS RACE
Against Falling Into the Trap
Democracy Has Set for
Their Suicide.

tBy Rev. George Thomas Smith,
colored. pastor of Pride's Chapel A.
NJ. q. church. Clarksbnrg, w. Val
We are confronted by a political
situation the country over. that calls
for exceedingly great wisdom, and a
careful study of the conditioner the
Negro in this country, past and pres
ent. and look forward to the future
with the gravest apprehension.
The Republican party has nomi-
mated for its standard bearer the Hon.
VIM. H. Taft. with James Schoolcraft
Sherman for his running mate. There
is no question about the race as a
whole suffering injustice at the hands
of a few individuals in the Republf-
can party, but the important ques-
ton that Is agitating the minds OF
the leaders of the race is, what are
we going to do about 1t? Knowing
that We hold the balance OF power in
some states, should he no excuse for
jumping over the political traces
now, and creating political confusion
among US at this time. 1t is no time
to try to retaliate for injustice by
boiling the Republican party and the
ticket that has been nominated.
Now is the time for us to rise super
Tor to mere politics and sensibiy and
considerably look into the situation,
with a glance backward at what has
been done for us by the Republican
party. Then we should look with an
leye piercing the future, and see that
the Republican highway is the only
way of hope or promise for us.
Whatever the Negro Is today in
this country, he owes 1t all to the Re-
publican party. 1t stood by us when
we were not able to stand alone. 1t
freed us from the shackles and chains
of cruel bondage, and put into our
hands the weapon Of defense. It
wrote into the organic law OF the ma
tion the 18th, 14th and 18th ameni1
ments to the national constitution. ii
you want tot know what has not been
done for us as race, you only have
to look at the Democratic party, lis
ten to its leaders lat their purposes
to keep us in our places" And.
again, in this state they promise, II
elected, they will pass a Jim Crow
law on steam and electric cars, and
also Acknowledgement law, so that
the Negro in particular" will not be
able to vote. Seeing these and other
dark phases of the situation, the
Negroes in West Virginia will, as they
always have, stay in the Republican
ranks. with their more than $4,000
votes for the regular" Republican
ticket. tits nos question any long
er, as to the way the Negro will vote,
especially in this state, but. what are
the white Republicans of the state go
ing to do? Will the leaders lay
aside their personal and selfish inter-
est? The Negro will not throw away
his vote on any side Issue at this
stage of his development. The Dem
ocratic party has promised If elected
to block our onward march, and to
curtail our rights in every possible
way, and to put us where the political
dogs" will not bark at us. They
are making some very fair promises
in spots about in this country, hut
the Negro should not heed or be de-
ceived into their hypocritical traps.
Never mind partial failures of some
individuals in the Republican party,
this will not cause us to listen to the
braying OF the Democratic-mule
Bishop Walters, of the A. M. E.
Zion church, not the Bethel A. NJ. E.
church, went with a committee OF
prominent colored men from New
York City to Denver, Colo, to con-
Ter with the Democratic committee on
resolutions, and they asked them to
put just a few words in their plat
form about Negro manhood-rignts,
and some OF the members OF the COM
mittee replied that they would rather
see The Democratic party go down in
defeat than to put one word in their
plat to catch one Negro vote.
But the Grand Old Republican party
put into their platform these words OF
burning fire: THE Republican party
wrote into organic law. the declara-
ton that proclaimed the Negroes
civil and political rights, and today
their remarkable progress and devel-
opment in every field of endeavor has
earned the respect of the nation. we
therefore guarantee to the colored
citizens of the United States fun en-
joyment Of their citizenship under
the constitution"
With this plain and pertinent state