The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-04-03
BREAKING AWAY,

The New Haven Register. which is usually very careful in it's observations and statements. declares that the me- groes are breaking away" that they are thoroughly aroused in their op- position to Roosevelt. and that they of Roosevelt's choice who may be nom- mated The Register quotes the fol- lowing telegram which was sent by Prof. Burghardt Dubois. a prominent negro educator. to a mass m eeting of two thousand negroes which was held in New York recently. The telegram read '1f Taft beats Foraker and Hughes negroes must vote for Bryan. Avowed enemy better than false friends"
 That telegram. The Register says, was received with cheers of approba- tion and avowals of approval Hereto fore" it continues. republicans have felt safe in the belief that negroes would stand by the republican party. whoever it's nominee. And so the, ne- groes of the south. such of them as are permitted to vote, will do. But in some of the crucial states of the north. where the negro really counts there is no such control and loyalty. It Is prudent to believe that this de- ,,o,,st ra t;a,, in Na- vorly oit1S is n iy dication of what the negroes of the northern states will do. Their vote couldn't swing such an election as that of forty years ago. but it could swing close election.
 Then there is a contingency which the republican party, if it really is it's own master and not the tool of President Roosevelt, would do well to frankly face and provide against. How humiliating, and yet, possibly, how deserved. 1t would be to Mir. Roosevelt to have his candidate beat en by the negro vote"
 It would be humiliating, of course, but as we have more than once point ed out. 1t is by no means impossible. So far as the negroes of the South are concerned, their influence as vot- CTS is a matter of small importance but in another way they might be an important factor if they should break away from their white bosses. If the Southern negroes had the independ- the Republican convention-as they could do in practically all the South ern States they could send anti Taft Roosevelt delegates to the Chicago convention and defeat the administra- tion forces. We hardly expect them to do this, but they may control enough of the Southern delegations to defeat the Roosevelt combinations at Chicago.
 It is true, as The Register intimates, that if the Republicans put out d strong ticket on a popular platform, and the Democrats do just the oppo- site thing the negro defection would have little weight in the total vote, but if each of the parties puts out a strong ticket. and one that will ap- peal to the voters of the two paries, 1t would not be impossible for the ne- | gro vote to decide the result. If The Register is correct in its views about the negroes "breaking away" the chickens of Republication may come home to roost with vengeance. And it would be deserved retribution.
 Of course. in what we have said about the power of negro delegates to influence the Chicago convention we have only meant to suggest what they might do if they would. but We have | little thought of their doing it, much as they might feel inclined that way. As a general proposition the Northern 1 Republicans who are long range low CTS of the negroes, do not send them as delegates to their conventions. What they do is to put out the ticket and expect the negroes to vote it with out comment or hesitation. It is get ting to be pretty much the same in the South. The white bosses in the party have their colored dupes so | completely dominated that the latter