The Washington bee., 1908-09-12
DER TO Mr.. DOUG
LASS.
Editor The Bee ;

concerning which were prOpOunded
by me and still remain unanswered
by the Taft supporters, but merely
desire to call the attention Of the
general public to the substantial veri-
fcation OF the contention raised bv me
in a former letter to The Bee. In
that letter the speakers at the True
Reformer Hall Taft meeting were ac-
cused with meeting our argument
with 'ridicule, vituperation, and abuse'
as we'll as shallow sentimentality."
The substance of the communication
from Mr.. Charles R. Douglass, in
the last issue of The Bee, and the
sickIy methods employed by that CO.
terie, are more than verifcation OF
that contention.
Having invited Mr.. Douglass et Al.
to answer four questions which I had
asked, we had a right to expect q
full and candid reply from one who
has 'risked something" for US, md
who has all the ordinary common
sense that most people credit. him
with possessing" in order that We
might again be benefited by his ser
vices" But we were doomed to dis
appointment, so far as solid argument
IS concerned. Not a single question
prOpounded by me for the edifcation
OF the voters did he attempt to an
swer; nor will he do so. By answer
ing them, and attempt a defense of
Judge Taft, he will simply stand con-
victed before the world as false TO.
his race, and as being cowardly in
clined. Where has Mr.. Doug ass land
my services been, during all this
discussion of the Brownsville matter
and the defense of the colOred troops7
My voice and pen have been almost
continuously heard in their behalf.
Douglass says if our efforts con-
cerned only ourselves ,e
would not care whether we went
to theDemocrats or some other place"
Phew! This is torrid talk! But the
anti-Taft Negroes will be more char
liable and indulgent with Mr.. Doug
Ass than he to us. We would not
consign him to a place so hot as that
selected for us. As a lover Of his
race (of which we are humble mem
bers) Mr.. Douglass should be trying
to save us, instead of sentencing US.
He asks why was l (the writer Of
the article criticised by him there, at
that True Reformer meeting. Really,
Thought it a public meeting, design
ed to win converts as we'll as TO exto1
the virtues of their candidate; and,
being open to conviction by those who
could furnish the strongest argument,
l thought | would attend The meet
ing, as I understood it, was not so
much for the believers in the faith az
for the unbelievers.
But while we went to hear argu-
ment and reasons for supporting Judge
Taft, we heard none whatever. Mr..
Douglass letter, now under discus
sion, was fair sample of what was
said.
Mr.. Bryan has never denied that
he said to a delegation of Negroes
that he would not veto a bill restor-
ing the colored soldiers to the rolls,
but would enforce the law, He did
say il, and acknowledges it. What
he did deny, and the thing that Mr..
Douglass probably saw in print and
now refers to, was that he (Mr. Bry-
an had made no promise of Offices TO
Negroes, iii return for votes, if elec:-
ed. He would have been big fool
to acknowledge it. UnreasOning Taft
Negroes and a few hot-headed South
erners Of the Vardaman type, would
have seized upon it to do Mr.. Bryan
all the injury possible.
Mr.. Douglass says that we are "al-
ready burdened almost beyond endur-
ance." This is true; but Negroes
like Mr.. Douglass, together with the
Republican party, are partly respon-
sible for it.
Mr.Bryan, in his Labor Day speech
at Chicago few days ago, says: 1T
is a poor head that cannot find
plausible excuse for doing the things
the heart wants to do" There are
thousands of Negroes who, in their
hearts, daily complain of the "unen-
durable burdens" of which Mr.. Doug
lass speaks, and want to do something
to rid themselves of them; but who,
80 AZ Dz..z-f,rc ora aEltcfad vt+L,