The Washington bee., 1911-01-07
OPEN LETTER
To President Taft

eral of the United States. The con-
sensus of opinion IS, Mr.. President,
that you don't intend to appoint him;
that your declaration made some time
ago was an election Tuse. l am not
inclined to believe it, but | would like
you to dispel the doubt that IS IN
the minds Of the COlOred voters IN
this country.
| want to tell you, Mr. President,
that your colOred advisors have been
misleading you. 1t IS % be regretted
that YOU have failed to select men
who are not after office for your ad-
visors. A man who IS seeking an
office will no doubt agree with any
thing you say, especially If it is
against the other fellow After all,
Mr.. President, / believe that you
would do better toward the colored
man if there were not so many false
leaders among us. | don't know who
your advisors are, but | do know,
whoever they may be, that their ad-
vice to you has been fatal, and quite
likely disastrous, to the Republican
party, so far IS the COlored vote IS
concerned.
There are some colored men IN this
country who would have you TO be
lieve that they control the cOlOred
vote, especially Negro Bishops. |
don't want you to become intoxicated
with the thought, Mr.. President, that
any cOlOred Bishop, in any denomi-
nation, is able to control the COlOFd
vote in this country The COlOred
voter has found 50 many false lead
ers that he has decided to think and
act for himself. 1t was so in the
recent election. Certain COlOred min
listers in the State of New York en-
deavOred to persuade their COngre-
cations to vote the Republican ticket,
but were politely informed that their
congregations intended to vote to
suit themselves.
This will be the position that the
colOred voters will take in 1912. They
have long since ceased to deal in gilt
tering generalities. They want to see
something, in deed and in fact You
must not think, Mr. President, be-
cause a man is a Bishop that he is
all powerful in this country. You
have deceived yourself and have been
deceived.
| want to call your attention to the
gross discrimination that IS IN exist
ments against the colOred employees
Have your executive heads had an
understanding with the administration
that colOred employees are to be treat
ed unlike other people? Was this
propaganda submitted to the colored
Bishops and other sO-called represen-
tatives of the race before it went into
operation? In the Interior Depart
ment, especially, colored clerks are
not permitted to eat at the public
table set apart for the clerks. Con
ditions to-day in the several depart
ments are worse than they were
under the administration of Pres
ident Cleveland
Now. what do you intend to do
tend to allow this discrimination to
continue?
Permit me, if you please, to inform
you that the colored American is
about to leave the Republican party.
| don't care what others may say to
the contrary, the COlored voter IS
about to leave the grand old party.
Slde-Show announcements of colored
appointments will not stem the tide
The cOlored man is mad and crazy,
and every administration colored man
who tells you to the contrary is de
CeiVing you
Your Attorney General has no love
for the cOlOred man. The colOred man
does not expect anything from your
Attorney General, and you might as
well know it now, before it is too
late. Lilly-whitism, which has been
allowed to permeate your admlnistra-
ton, will be a deadly cost to the Re
publican party.
The time has come, Mr. President,
to give you to understand that the
Colored Americans do not intend to
continue to be the "hewers of wood
and the drawers of water and the
''catspaw' to pull chestnuts out of the
fire for those who have been using
the cOlOred man since his emancipa-
ton.
Have you ever investigated the
condition OF the colored people in this
city, Mr.. President? Have YOU ever
thought of calling on the Engineer
Commissioner for a bill of Darticu-
lars as 20 the treatment the colored
employees receive In his department of
the District government? YOu are
aware, Mr.. President that the Fngi
neer Commissioner has been very
active in attacking the honesty oil
your Board of Education. His attack.
Mr. President has done one thing
as fast as a colored teacher dies or
resigns the school is closed. Such
conditions don't obtain in the white
schools, Mr. President, under Super
intendent Stuart. You have great
faith in D.. Booker T. Washington.
Mr. President Kindly read the pen
picture he draws of the man who is
at the head of the colored schools.
If you will suggest to the Superin-
tendent, Mr. Stuart, to give the COL
ored schools a new head, am con-
fdent that you will realize what you
want. 1t cannot be done under our
present management of the colored
schools. Consult men, Mr.. President,
and not towards.
Hoping that you may have a sue
cessful year and realize the necessity
of changing your policies, is the
urgent wish of
Yours truly,
THE EDITOR.