Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-07-27
! INTIMIDATION CHARGE|BANNER YEAR COMING
Republicans Threaten Coored industrial Zenith Due 1910
i Voters, Says Preacher Says W. A. Garrett.
ATTEMPT TO MDZZlE THEM ILL WIND HAS 81 OWN GOOD
Government Employees Listed President Urges Public
mssal If Bryan Wins. Confidence in Railroads
so SAYS REV. J. NJ WALDRON HE ENCOURAGES EMPLOYEES
Chances
That High Po- Than Ever-counses
! Have derstandinp Of Conditions
ATTEMPT TO MUzzLE THEM
Government Employees Listed for Dis
missal If Bryan Wins.
Pastor Of Shiloh Baptist Church
Charges That Men in High Po-
sitions Have Been Active.

f1Cials and employees" are using threats
I to stop him and other colored churchmer
from opposing republican success at the
polls next November, and that lists OF
government employees are being made
with the idea of discharging all who dc
not remain loyal to the party in power
Rev j. Milton Waldron pastor Of the
Shiloh Baptist Church, last night preached
a sermon advising colored voters not tc
vote the republican ticket at the presi.
Dental election.
| When asked today to name these ''gov.
eminent officials and employees" who have
tried to intimidate colored preachers to
cease work against the republican party
i Mr. Waidron declined
II am told by friends of mine that
| these threats have been made by govern.
| ment employees" he said. But my in.
should tell the names of the men trying
| to intimidate us. those who told me would
lose their positions. But I regard the In
| formation as reliable"
Men Of Wide influence.
He added that he had not been directly
approached and that his information
came from others. Two Of the govern
ment officials. he said. are employees OF
the Interior Department. One is high UP
| and has much influence. The other 9
colored man. has much influence among
| the members of his race.
Several men in this city holding high
| positions under the government. have re-
| Gently approached members of Shiloh and
them. and advised that they put muzzle
on these preachers declared the min
lister in one part of his discourse.
1T is well for the colored man to re-
member that 1t is not sin to be demo-
crat, nor Is 1t an act of Righteousness to
vote the republican ticket" he said later.
I'VE advise our people to cast their votes
| where they will count the most in defeat
| ing the party which has proven itself to
| be false friend
Political Duty Of Clergyman.
Dr. Waldron's subject was What
| Position Shall the Colored Voter Take in
the Present National Political Contest -
| At the beginning he declared that politics
| In this country have become corrupt be-
cause ministers have tabooed the subject
| and failed to instruct their people in
political matters. and because many good
Raen, following the lead Of the ministers.
have paid little attention to such affairs.
He maintained. therefore. that his duty
ton is necessary.
Il preach this sermon as a protest
against the effort on the part of certain
government officials and employees to in
Church and the few other ministers in
this city who are opposed to the party in
power because of its hypocrisy, corrup-
ton and high-handed jugglery with the
Constitution" continued the minister
Several men in this city holding high
positions under the government have re-
Gently approached members of Shiloh and
of one or two other churches. who are
under them, and advised that they put a
muzzle on these preachers
Some of the members of the churches
referred to above. under the inspiration
of their government bosses. have threat
ened these preachers with trouble If they
did not eschew politics in their sermons
and cease their activity against the party
in power.
Government Employees Listed.
Il was informed only last night
whether truthfully or not I cannot say
that a list Of the members of Shiloh Bap-
tist Church and of Galbraith A. M. E.
Zion Church who are in the employ of
| the government is being made up, and
| that after the election is over, If the re-
| publican party is unsuccessful, these men
are to be dropped from the government
pay rolls because they support preach
ers who are opposed to the republican ad-
ministratiOn.
Free speech and an untrammeled pull
pit are among the things dearer than
| life to every true American citizen, and
we do not propose to yield these rights,
or see them taken from any one else
without entering our protest and doing
everything in our power to dethrone the
party that countenances such despicable
practices.
Opposition to the pastor Of Shiloh
Church first manifested itself when 1 ac-
cepted the position of president of the
National Negro American Political
| League. because this league sought to
have the party in power do justice to the
discharged innocent negro soldiers and to
secure to the colored citizens of America
the rights guaranteed them under the
Constitution"
Advises Vote for Bryan.
Continuing. he read from a pamphlet Of
that league in which the colored race Is
advised to support w. J. Bryan for Pres
ident. This was. in part. as follows:
THE colored people in this country are
at crisis in their history. They are
disfranchised in twelve states in the
Union The party that saved the Union
and liberated the slaves has practically
abandoned its black allies. and its leaders
have given public approval to the dis
franchisement Of the race by the south
ern states. and have expressed a deter
mination to eliminate the black man from
poutlcs. For forty years the cOlOrad man
has voted soidly for one and the same
party, and by so doing has won the
contempt of that party and the hatred of
the second strongest political party In
the country: and. having been deserted
by the republicans. he cannot reasonably
expect the democrats to receive him with
open arms until a large majority of the
race at least let 1t be understood that
they will not always vote the republican
ticket"
Independence in Politics.
The preacher concluded by saying:
II always have and always shall adj
wise that the colored people Of America
be Independent in politics. and that they
vote for the measures. candidates and
party WHICH will best serve their interests
and those Of their country. We have
been crying to God Almighty for forty
years for deliverance from oppression in
| this land OF our freedom He says to US
| as He said to Moses. What Is that in
thy hand? God has given the race the
] ballot: now he says to u.s. Use 1t for
| your own defense and advancement And
| until we heed the teaching of the text
| we may expect to be ignored, Ill treated
and exploited by political parties and
| their leaders"
COMES BACK AND SHOOTS.