River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1912-08-15

of Colonel Roosevelt marched ABOUT
singing Roosevelt songs and shouting
Roosevelt yells of many kinds.
The committee on platform got into
a lively row soon after organization
was perfected and some pretty plain
words were spoken in discussing the
proposed declaration of principles OF
the new party.
Soon after the committee met the
draft of a tentative platform was pre-
sented by a group of leaders in the
new movement, who had met several
times to discuss the matter. The
draft was said TO express the COM
bined ideas of Dean Lewis of the law
school of the University of Pennsyl-
vania; Dean Kirchway of the law
school of Columbia University; Gift
ford Pinchot, Chester Rowell of Cali
fornia, Charles Mccarthy, and other
progressives.
Contesting negro delegates from
Florida and Mississippi were barred
from the Progressive convention by
the national committee. The contests
were decided at stormy executive
session of the committee that lasted
for three hours just before the con-
vention met.
While the committee deliberated,
the negroes gathered in the corridors
outside the committee room and
raised voices in indignant protest.
When the decisions were made known
the negro leaders declared they would
continue their fight for seats before
the credentials committee oS the con-
vention.
Colonel Roosevelt and his party ar
rived here on the Twentieth Century
limited at 8:55 a. m. Monday. A
crowd of 5000 persons filled the sta
ton and thronged the streets just out
side. Wild cheering greeted the colo
mel as he passed through the station
and a demonstration started when he
stepped onto the sidewalk to get in an
automobile and proceed to the Con,
gress hotel.
HeckIed by Spectator.
Colonel Roosevelt during his "con-
fession of faith" at the convention
was heckled by spectator who inter
rupted with the demand:
What about the negro question:"
Instantly the convention was in an
uproar, but Colonel Roosevelt silenced
those of his friends who objected to
the question and with the statement
that no one could ask him question
he was afraid of, the colonel then pro-
ceeded at some length to tsate his
views on the negro question.
He declared he hoped conditions
might improve in the South that at
Southern Progressive conventions
those states might send as delegates
negroes who would have the character
and standing of the negro delegates
from West Virginia, who he asserted,
were in those respects the equal of
their white associates
In taking the stand he did to bar
the negroes sent from the South as
contesting delegates to the present
convention, Colonel Roosevelt assert
ed he was sitting in advance a con-
dition which had led to 1.-The crushing
disaster and death of the great Re-
publican party itself"
The report of the credentials COM
mittee, unanimously adopted, contain
ed a resolution recognizing 'the con-
stitutional and inherent right of each
and every state to determine the quail
ifications and manner of election of
it's delegates to national conventions.
This resolution was regarded as CIV
ing the Southern states the right to
choose delegates as they pleased. 1t
also was interpreted as not imposing
the direct primary system upon any Of
the states participating in the conven.
tons of the new party. In replying
to the interruption as to the negro
question, Colonel Roosevelt said:
ANY respectful request for infor-
nation I will always have an answer
for. During my administration / new.
er did anything. / was afraid to be
questioned about and | shall not begin
to in the Progressive party.
"There has been distributed here a
letter which I wrote to Julian Harris
l set forth my views in detail and
| think with a clearness that will pre-
vent any misrepresentation, but / can
give you by example just what l mean
by the policy l am advocating.
"I think the American people is a
mighty good people to lead and a
mighty poor people to drive. ! think
we can get the best results from our
fellow Americans in other sections of
the country by treating them as we
expect them to treat US and by our
selves living up, in our own homes, to
the principles that we profess.
"In Republican national conventions,
hitherto, there has been large rep
reservation of colored men, all from
non Republican states, the virtue of
the Republicans of the Republican
states taking only the form of trying
to make the Democratic states be
good. Do you see what l mean? The
colored delegates all came from the
states that have cast Republican
electoral vote that never elected col
ored man to Office, where, largely ow-
ing to the action participated in for
As years by the Republican party, the
colored man has, as a matter OF fact,
gradually lost all his political rights.