The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-05-22
Topeka Negroes Will Send Rep
resentatives to Chicago.
Will Protest Against the Noml'
nation of Taft.
THEY WANT FORAKER
Sentiment, However Is Not
Unanimous Among Negroes.
Mrs. Burton VIII Accept NOmi.
nation for superintendent.

At a meeting of the Afro-American
League held in Topeka Thursday nlgnt,
James H. Guy, the attorney, and Kew
w. H. White. pastor of the North To-
peka Colored Baptist church, were
elected as delegates from the league TO
attend the Chicago convention Of the
Republican party and protest against
the nomination of Taft as the Repuon-
can candidate for president.
The league had previous endorsed
Foraker for president, and the two To-
peka delegates will stand for his NOM
ination at Chicago.
1t is planned that similar meetings
of the league will be held in other
parts of the state, and other delegates
chosen to the national convention Inc
league will pay the expenses of all such
delegates. In Topeka the league has
800 members, and meets twice month.
Throughout the state the league is said
to have several thousand colored vot-
ers on it's rolls. -7.~--'-- -
John M Brown is president of the
Topeka league and John M. Dorset is
secretary. But James H. Guy presided
at the meeting at which the two dele
gates were elected.
One of the leading members OF the
league said today: THE negro voters
have no use for Taft, and hope that
ton We are for Foraker, and Will go
to Chicago to fight the Taft sentiment,
and put the negro race on record
against him. This fight isn't over yet.
We may be able to stir up enough OPP
position to Taft to defeat him. The
southern states are going to send Il
large number of delegates to Chicago
to protest against Taft, and we want
to express our sympathy with the
movement"
The sentiment against Taft among
the negroes is not unanimous. now
ever. Nick Chiles. the editor of the
Topeka Plaindealer. is for Taft, out
Chiles does not seem to be In good
standing with the Afro-American
league. One of the negroes who attend
day:
''The negroes don't want Taft be-
cause he represents Roosevelt. Inc
negroes have had no use for Roosevelt
since the Brownsville affair. l don't
know who the people at that meeting
favored but 1 suppose they want For
aker. For my part, 1 think 1t don
amount to much. We were all for
Roosevelt when he ate dinner with
Booker Washington. i don't think ne
is to be turned down simply because
of the Brownsville affair. 1 am for
Taft myself"
Mrs. Ella G. Burton of this city,
whom the Democrats Will nominate
as their candidate for state superin-
tendent of education, says that she
will accept the nomination and it is
with the distinct understanding that
If elected, she will conduct the office
on a non-partisan basis. She says
she is in sympathy with the stand of
the Democratic party on the school
book question.
IT served as county superintendent
of Cowley county as non-partisan,
when all the other county officials
were Republicans said Mrs. Burton
81 believe that the state superintend-
ent's Office should be conducted with
out regard for politics"
Mrs. Burton has fine record as
a teacher. She took three years
work at the State Normal school in
one year John T. Buchanan, princi-
pal of Dewitt Clinton High school. in
New York city, in a letter dated
November 10, 1907, says:
''This is to certify that I have
known Mrs. G.. Burton, nee Miss Ella
s. Kelly, for about Is years. My first
acquaintance with her was as institute
conductor in Cowley county, Kan. In
this institute there were some two or
three hundred teachers and 1 am
frank to confess that 1 have never
taught a body of more interested
workers than they. They enjoyed
their work and appreciated Mrs. Bur-
ton. their county superintendent She