The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1910-11-03
NEGROES
NOW INDE-
PENDENT
ORGANIZED
MOVEMENT
TO FIGHT LILLY WHITES
Negroes are Awakening to Fact
That Northern People are Not
Their Real Friends Today

Nashville, Oct. 2S.-At a speaking of
the independent colored republican
party of Tennessee held in this city at
their headquarters last night, where
over 300 loyal Taylor supporters were
present, p. e. Hill, the leading secret
society negro of this state and a man Of
great influence with his race, said
among the many things touching the
interest of his people:
"The negro has just opened his eyes
and he now sees who is really his best
friend. The negro has grown tired Of
being pulled around by lily white re-
publicans, who have lost respect for
the race as voters only to ride into Of
flee on his back. l expect to cast my
vote hereafter for men who are friends
to my race, be they republicans or DEM
ocrats. / am a republican, but am a
negro first, last and all the time, before
any party under the sun. We have
been mistreated long enough by carpet
baggers and demagogues who have fat
tened at the public crib upon our votes
and then turn and kick us out of the
party for independent democrats. We
are going to give our support to Senator
Robert L. Taylor for governor and will
do our best to help to elect him. The
white southerners are our friends, but
we have been too long finding it out;
but it is never too late to do us good, so
nail. As president of the independent
colored republican party of Tennennee,
intend to use every effort to have the
negro voter of the state to cast his bal
lot for "Our Bob"
A. w. Fite, negro well known
throughout the state, followed Hill,
and in part said
"The time has come for us as race
to throw off the party yoke and line
ourselves up with those who befriend
us, and give us our bread daily. We
gain nothing by continuing to vote for
republican candidates year in and year
out. We have found out that it will
be to our best interest to vote for Sena-
tor Robert l.. Taylor for governor, in
asmuch as the republicans have no
j. Thomas Turner said in part as fol-
lows:
"With crisis upon us see no other
than TO divide our votes
and stop voting solid for any one party
as we have, since we had the right of
suffrage. We feel now that it is to the
best interests of our race to vote for
men and measures and no party. For
help and protection we must look to
our white friends in the south, rather
than continue to look to Washington
city or to northern climes as in days
gone by. The southern people are in
clined to be friendly to us, and have
showed their friendship on more than
one occasion all over the south. Then
it should be ours to stand by them
whenever one is a candidate for office,
to show our gratitude and friendly feel
ing for them. Realizing that we have
paid all debts that we have owed to
the republican party by sacrificing our
lives at the ballot box for barpet-bag-
gers to ride into office on our backs, we
cease to be 'hewers Of wood and draw
ers of water any longer. For the fact
the white republicans, better known
as lily white republicans, have elimi.
mated us from their ranks--save TO vote
but no vote nor seat in committee or
Gas a race we have been voting
against ourselves too long by voting
for republican because he was label
ed as such, regardless of his friendship,
but God being our helper, we will do
80 any more. We propose to search
mems record on the negro In the future
before we cast our ballots for them.
Senator Taylor has on no occasion In
office uttered one word of abuse against
the negro. Such man we will always
=