The gold leaf., 1910-10-06
A Republican Victory Means Return
of the Negro in Politics.
Raleigh News and Observer.


Raleigh News and Observer.
If the day shall come that the ca
lamity of a Republican victory be-
falls North Carolina it will be the be-
ginning of the re-entry OF the negro
in politics in this State. 1t will be
but a short time before they will fully
rpinstate the negro and conditions
like those that prevailed in 1885
1900 will be brought about again.
These men who think they can safely
vote the Republican ticket or fiirt with
independentism should have care.
They are taking course that will in
lure their State.
What is the Republican attitude in
North Carolina toward the negro?
Since the Democrats over the violent
protest Of Butler, Holton and other
Republican leaders secured the adop-
tiOn OF the Franchise amendment the
Republicans have pretended to ac-
quiosce in the disfranchisement OF the
negroes. But it is only a play to the
galleries in order to win white votes.
When they think they have fooled as
many white men as are gullible, they
will throw off the mask and return to
the policy pursued prior to the adop-
ton Of the amendment.
The abIest Republican in North
Carolina is ex-Jndge w. Z. Bynum,
OF Greensboro, chairman OF the Re
publican campaign committee OF the
Fifth Congressional District. He
does not pretend to wish to see the
negro kept out of politics. He de-
clared two years ago that there are
thousands OF colOred men in North
Carolina" who are qualified to vote,
and he wishes to see them take part
in the conventions and encouraged
to vote. This is the view of the Con-
gressional chairman in the MOrehead
district. Here is his letter:
May ?, 1908.
DR.. j. +. Dellinger,
Greensboro, n. c.
My dear Sir:-Referring to your in
quiry of yesterday concerning my
views as to the right and advisability
Of Republican voters OF your race
participating in the primaries and
conventions Of the party, | have this
to say: | believe that it is not only
the right but the duty of every quail
fed voter, white or cOlOred, Demo-
crat or Republican, to take part in
the primaries of his party. If a col
Ored man is a qualified voter under
the Constitution and laws of his
State, he should be deprived neither
of the right to vote nor of the right
to participate In the primaries and
conventions of his party; and this,
in my opinion is true, whether he
belongs to the Democratic or Re-
publican party, and, II such cOlOred
voter should be chosen as q delegate
to any convention or assembly OF his
party, he should be welcomed to his
seat and to the right to take part in
the deliberations of his party.
do not believe that any political
party in this State can afford to take
the position that merely because a
voter, in all other respects qualified
under the Constitution and laws Of
the State, is cOlored, he should beck
cluded from the primaries and con-
ventiOns OF his party because OF his
color. Such an idea is utterl Y un-
American, and certainly not in ac-
cord with the-teachings and the
principles OF the Republican party.
The cOlOred people OF this country
are American citizens. They bear
their propOrtiOnate part OF the
burdens of government; and those of
them who can qualify as voters
under the recent amendment to our
Constitution, should not, in my opin-
ion, be discouraged from exercising
their political rights, but should be
encouraged to exercise them in every
proper way. And those who are en-
titled to vote, should be given fair
treatment and allowed to vote, and
should any OF them be chosen as
cOuraged from attending the con-
ventiOns OF the party to which they
may belong, but they should be given
to understand that they have a
right to take part in it's primaries
and its conventions and, when chosen
as delegates they should not be given
to understand that they are undesira-
BILE citizens and therefore not vel
come.
In many States of the Union the
negro holds the balance OF power,
and the question is not so much what
the Republican party will do with
him as what he will do with it. Like
wise in this State there are thOuands
OF ColOred men who have the requisite
qualifications for voting, and who,
having thus n legal right to vote, Will
be upheld by all law abiding citizens
in the exercise of their right without
discouragement or discrimination.
And the party that undertakes to
make OF these qualified voters po-
lltlcal OutCasts, on account of their
color, may soon find itself in need Oi
their votes and realize perhaps too
late the magnitude of its blunder.
| am emphatically in favor OF ac-
cQrding to the colored man, freely
and fairly, every political right, and
| am therefore not in accord with
nor do | approve OF the acts policy
OF any party tending to deprive him
Ot those rights.
Very truly yours.
WM. L. BYNUM, JR.
Judge Bynum understands that
Republicans would lose Delaware
New Jersey, New York, Ohio and In
diana in every election without the
negro vote. Therefore the Nortt
Carolina Republican party will bt
compelled to let the negro return tc
power il it should win.
The North CarolinIan who vote.
the Republican ticket votes to make
that possible, and cannot escape tn,
responsibility.
Covers OenseIy, Looks Like Enamel
UID oil NV voxpnr;oroo %, , Do;.4,