The Washington bee., 1908-10-24
Bishop Caldwell says in part:

opinion especially to the voters OF my
own race. l speak not as a clergyman,
but as a citizen interested in the wei
fare Of my people
We are being called upon to eX-
press ourselves by vote in the forth
coming election. We are being told
by many OF our own race that our sal
vation depends upon our deserting the
Republican party in November next.
This is such an important question
and the step we are asked to take is
so far-reaching that we ought not to
act without seriously considering the
results of our action. | call upon
colored men everywhere to look be
fore Ieaping, or you may take a leap
in the dark. Let us call for the his
tory of bl.h the Democratic and Re-
publican parties and see which OF
them has done the most for and been
the greatest friend to the Negro.
The Democratic party has been a
party of merely promises. The Dem
ocratic party makes platforms to get
in on. The Republican party in the
last fifty years. has made platforms to
stand on.
In the first place, to secure his free
dom. it stood alone Abraham Lin
coin had the fight of his life to get
the people to accept the Emancipation
Proclamation. Who rejected it? The
Democrats. Who stood for it? Re
publicans, like Greeley, Sumrfkr, Phil
lips and many others. They stood for
the Emancipation and the Democrats
stoood against it because it stood for
human freedom. Now is the Dem
ocratic party better than the Repub-
rcan party on that issue?
When Abraham Lincoln issued his
famous proclamation,wh opposed it?
Democrats. Who supported it? Re
publicans, and thereby, we were lifted
out of the darkness into light
Then came the great question, whe-
ther our manhood would be recogniz-
ed. They were preparing for the eX-
ercise of franchise in 1868; the great
question was whether or not this peo-
pie should exercise this franchise. A
Republican. Thaddeus Stevens, GntrO-
duced the 18th, I4th, and 18th Amend
ments into Congress. Who put them
into that splendid document? The
Republican party. Who opposed them?
The Democratic party Sent to the
states for approval and three-fOurths
OF the states gave their consent and
they became a part of the Constitu
ton. The States that would not give
their consent were Democratic but
they had to submit because the Re-
publicanS had the majority, but every
year since, the Democrats have been
trying to have the 18th 18th and 18th
Amendments taken out of the Consti-
tuion
Then came the question whether OF
not the Negro could hold office in the
United States. The Democratic party
contended that he ought not and
should not; but the Republicans fixed
it so that a member of our race was
admitted to Congress.
What has the Democratic party
been doing since the Republican party
made us citizens? They resorted 10
every subterfuge to disfranchiSe US
in the States of Mississippi, Louisiana,
and South Carolina and kept on until
one state and then another had slip
ped from us ere we knew it. They
have also tried year after year to dis
franchise US in Maryland and West
irginia, and as soon as they get strong
enough they will try to disfranchise
us in every state. Is this the record? :?
Is this the truth? Is there a man liv-
ing or dead who can dispute it?
What Republican state has disfran-
chised a single Negro in the history
Iof the country? What Republican
state has passed laws saying that no
Negro shall be elected to office? What
Northern state has passed laws to
have Jim Crow Cars?' There are
so few Democrats in the North that
they are unable to do anything. They
are powerless because they are not
Democrats, because they are notDem-
ocratic in their tendencies, not Dem
ocratic in their history.
The Democratic party has done as
} much for the Negro as the Republi-