The Washington bee., 1909-10-30
Correspondent, Boston Guardian.
COLORED CITIZENS OF NEW
ENGLAND PETITION CON
GRESS

GRESS.
Also Ask Colored Race to Celebrate
Nationally the goth Anniversary of
John Browns Execution.
At the sixth annual meeting of the
New England Suffrage League, w.
NJ. Trotter, president, held in Boston
this week the following address was
adopted, and was ratified by mass
meeting of over a thousand colored
citizens.
Whereas, present conditions repre-
sent a serious crisis in the lives of
American Negroes, it is necessary
that we should consider what some of
these conditions are, and ways and
means of meeting and overcoming
them. The great dangers they re-
present are the lowering of colored
Americans in the general esteem,
and the Strengthening of public pref
udice against them. Some of these
blows at the welfare of the Ameri-
can Negro are the many decisions
by the Supreme Court which denied
justice to the Negro, which may be
summarized as follows: Supporting
the disfranchisement clause in the
constitutions in the several Southern
States, especially the Brickhouse
case in Virginia, supporting the
State law in Kentucky, which made
coeducation of the races in Berea
College a crime, the case involving
the rights of the Brownsville dis
charged Colored soldiers which the
u. s. Supreme Court refused to con-
slider, thus sustaining the unjust rul-
ing of the United States Circuit
Court, and refusing to allow the 18th
amendment to cover lynching.
Presidents Taft's policies in his
statement in his inaugural address
that he would not appoint any col
ored citizen to federal positions
where there was objection from the
white people, are more oppressive
to the Negro than were Mr.. RooSe-
velt's policies, as are his special eff
forts to comply with the demands of
the Southern oppressors of our race
in filling hundreds of offices with
white men which offices were here
tofore allotted to the Negro. His
approval of lily white party in the
South means the elimination of the
Negro Republicans. who have been
faithful to the party for many years,
from all its councils and finally rob
him of the ballot. This we regard as
the "unkindest cut of all" which
gives the league occasion to con-
graduate itself for opposing his
nomination and election and to re-
joice in the fact that many of our
race who opposed our efforts have
been convinced that our stand was
right, and that the Negro race can
no longer depend upon the Republi-
can party to which it has proven its
loyalty for nearly fifty years by vot-
ing for its candidates in dangers
where he often risked his living, his
home and even his life.
He must eventually divide his vote
with such parties as may have men
who will stand by the Federal Con
stitution including the 18th, 18th
and 18th amendments, and who will
assist in maintaining our rights as
American citizens. We deplOre the
terrible increase of lynching and
mob violence in this country, and es-
pecially in the Southern States, which
have put to death more than four
thousand of our race, many of whom
have been proven innocent of any
crime.
We cali upon Congress to reduce
Southern representation as required
| bv Sec. of the I4th amendment and
enforce the 18th amendment in those
states which by revised constitutions
have so plainly denied the ballot be-
cause of color. We also demand
that Congress end national sane
ton to iim-crow cars now given by