The Washington bee., 1911-01-14

pie in the States depart for their
homes, the stationary statesmen, done
in African marble, will resume their
talkfest and make noise as if they
hgure in the equation. Until then,
Call me early, mother dear"
And speaking about colored politi-
clans, do you know as office holders
they are, like the noble red men of the
forest, silent and grimIy passing?
There was a time when all the high
cOlOred Poo-Bahs around Washington
and elsewhere were continuous-per-
forming pOlluCions, along with their
other requirements. When Happy
HOol1gan, alias John Calhoun Dancy,
came down in the Taft aeroplane It
marked the passing of the lost of the
dlStlnctlvely cOlOred politicians.
Dancy was the last of the Mohicans.
Lincoln Johnson IS the only near
politician, and its really unfair to call
him near. He practiced law for a
living, and praCticed 1t well, too. Dr.
Vernon, while like all Colored Meth
odlst preachers, having a prediction
for politics (but he's cured now(, was
far more of and better teacher than
politician. He wanted to be both, or
either, as a last resort, but there was
a misdeal and the game broke up.
The rest of the political teet-suckers
are just men who got around to the
starbOard side by ways other than
through ward, city, county and State
politics. But, after all, the real,
simon-pure colored politicians served
a purpose and performed a duty for
the race-realiy did the race d great
service. And now that they are gone,
let us dolefully sigh, "Requiescat in
pace"
Speaking about coIored office
holders, just reminds me that
the rumor IS floating and beating
about in the ambient air that Charles
Cottrill, the newly-appOinted Collect
or for Honolulu, is another pTOtege
and recommend of the tawney-cOlOred
sage of industrial ducation-other-
wise Tuskegee. This short, stOckily-
built visitor in Alabama and sojourn-
er all over the continent just natural
ly gets there. He reminds me of Let
George do it, for every time col
Ored man is wanted on a payroll,
private or public, the word goes out,
Let Booker pick him. OF course,
there are those who, with chagrin,
call this a One-man monopoly. | used
10 Chagrin myself, but | found 1t
never tagged the train. or pressed
back the army, so / just put on the
air brakes. However, we must all
give him credit for one thing, and
that is he has never picked man
who has reflected discredit on the
race. When a fellow goes on pick
ing winners, there is always a dispO-
sition to give him the permanent job
# picking | Opine Booker will con-
tinue to pick them until he picks one
or two bad ones; but to wait for him
to commit hira kira will be just like
waiting for a dead mans shoes when
you are in immediate need of the
money-it will be a long wait
*
You have heard of the "hy in the
ointment" Well, to-day that fly is
Rev. Ernest Lyon, of Baltimore, eTst-
while Minister to Liberia. And he is
no ordinary house-hy, either. He IS
likable to the big green, repulsive fly
that feeds on filth. That speech he
delivered in favor of segregation was
stab in the dark and from behind
The speech was no eXtempo affair
no accident, but a carefully planned
premeditated, malice-with-fOreth
utteranCe. As Macbeth said of the
blood spot on his hand so | say OF
the Baltimore midget-"Out, damn
spot, OUT
lust as [ close, | learn that a plar
is on foot to banquet Hon. Henry
Lincoln Johnson. Good If ever {
man deserved this honor, Henry Lin
coin does. These GeOrgians here
should get together and make it ;
hummer. Let Washington show tina
it welcomes this brainy, quiet, gen
tlemanly Georgia cracker. The Ode
Fellows are in command Of the al
fair, and Henry Lincoln is a big one
in the Order. And let me whisper i
to you gently, he will be the mex
Grand Master. Mark my word fO1
it, and two years hence just say: "Ih'
Sage of the Potomac knew what hC
was talking about
:
I see "A Reader" came back a
me again in last weeks number o
| The Bee. Really there is only al
imaginary difference between us, ant
that on his part, with reference tC
the past and present clerks in th'
| Departments. But he gives me al
unkind thrust-criticises my style o
| writing. Well, you know, in writing
am only an amateur. Had | the
easv. elegant style of Kelly Miller
the fine grammatical style of L, NJ
Rershaw: the keen, incisive style o
Ralph Tyler: the bold, sledge-ham
mer-blow style of Chase, or the dis
terminating repotorial style of Willi'
Menard. [ would be proud to continue
fhe controversy with "A Reader.
Most amateur writer's write just a.
they talk. I never had an opportunity
4 to cultivate a style in writing, st
/ lust write as | talk However, p
Reader" and I are not far apart II
our desire to be fair to those of tht
past and those Of the present w,
are really both on the same com
muter train
THE ELKS.