The Washington bee., 1910-11-26
Look CnIOredDemOcTats
Rev. Waldron Defines His Position

Rev DR.. J. Milton Waldron, the
national Organizer and first president
of the National Independent (formerly
the National Negro American) Politi-
cal League, gave out statement today
with regard to the activities of the col
ored voters in the political campaign
just closed. This league has headquart-
ers in Washington and New York City,
and in conjunction with the New Eng
land Suffrage League, the National
| DemocratjS League and the United Col
ored Democracy Of tile State or New
| York, carried on vigorous campaign
| against the Republican gubernatorial
nominees in New Jersey, Massachu-
setts and Ohio, and certain Republican
| Congressional candidates in these States
and in Illinois, Indiana and Missouri
Rev. DR.. WaldrOn said: Our league
and the other three political organiza-
| t1Ons of the race associated with it.,
had two score and more campaign
speakers and organizers at work weeks
before the election in the States men
| toned above, creating a sentiment
against the Republican party and advis-
| ing the race to vote with the Demo-
Gratis. These workers distributed tons
OF printed matter among the colored
voters and delivered hundreds Of ad-
| dresses to them.
I'VE have waited to hear from these
workers and from the officers of the
local and State branches of the league
before making any claim with regard to
the number of COlOred men who voted
/ the Democratic ticket in the last cleo
ton, as we wished to base our state
ImentS upon facts. From reports re-
CeIved, we feel justified in saying that
| of the $4,000 colOred voters in New
York State, 10000 voted for Mr.. Dix,
and of the 10000 in Ohio, $1,000 at
least, supported Governor Harmon,
while in Indiana, Illinois, MassaChu-
setts, Missouri, and New Jersey not
! less than fifty per cent voted with the
| Democrats. These conclusions are based
| upon the number of colOred men who
attended the rallies and other meetings
| of the respective parties, and upon the
number who wore the Democratic and
Republican badges and coIors on cleo
| ton day at the polls when they went
| IN to vote. In almost every instance
| there were from three to four times
more colOred men at the Democratic
meetings than there were at the Repub-
llcan gatherings; and the proportion of
colored voters at the polling places who
wore Democratic badges were four or
Hve times greater than those who wore
Republican badges. With these esti-
mates agree the reports of many of the
more prominent COlOred Republican
campaign workers ard speakers in the
States mentioned above, whom we have
Iconversed with, conhdentiaIly, since the
election. And it is a significant fact
that every Republican gubernatorial can
dldate, and most of the Republican nom
Inees for Congress, whom the league
opposed, were defeated by an over
whelm majority.
1T would seem that while Col ROose-
velts advocacy of, or opposition to,
certain candidates in New York and
Ohio did not materially change the
white vote either way, it drove the col
ored voters into the ranks of those he
opposed.
while the determination to Remem-
Der Brownsville was strong on the part
of many colored voters in Massachu-
settS, New York and Ohio, where the
ColonePs personality entered into the
campaign, yet this is not sufficient to &C
count for the large numbers of Negroes
who voted the Democratic ticket in
these States where neither Mr.. Roose-
welt nor Brownsville was made an issue,
for example, Tennessee, Missouri and
New Jersey.
'The treachery of the Republican
party to the race during the past twenty
five years, and the determination of the
intelligent and thoughtful colored voters
to make friends with all political par
ties-and not Brownsville-are the
causes of this wholesale revolt on the