Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1912-08-09

Chicago, Ill. The troublesome
Southern negro question, which for a
time threatened dissention in the first
convention of the national Progressive
party, finally was disposed of when
the convention itself, without a dis
senting voice and without discussion,
adopted the report of the credentials
committee, unseating both the white
and negro delegations from Florida
and throwing out the negro delegates
from Mississippi.
HeckIed by Spectator.
Colonel Roosevelt during his ''con-
fession of faith" at the convention
was heckled by a 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 a 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.
Gition which had led to 'the crushing
disaster and death of the great Re-
publican party ITSELF
The report of the credentials com
mittee, unanimously adopted, contain
ed resolution recognizing "the con.
stitutional and inherent right of each
and every state to determine the qusl-
ifications and manner of election of
its 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.
lions of the new party. In replying
to the interruption as to the negro
question, Colonel Roosevelt said:
rocnooffu1 roCnoct for inflow
nation I will always have an answer
for. During my administration l new
er did anything l was afraid to be
questioned about and l shall not begin
to in the Progressive party.
There has been distributed here a
letter which l wrote to Julian Harris
three or four days ago. In that letter
| set forth my views in detail, and
l think with clearness that will pre-
vent any misrepresentation, but | can
give you by example just what mean
by the policy | am advocating.
Il 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
resentation 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 I mean? The
colored delegates all came from the
states that have cast Republican
electoral vote that never elected a col
ored man to office, where, largely ow
ing to the action participated in fol-
As years by the Republican party, the
colored man has, as matter Of fact
gradually lost all his political rights
So that the old policy of attempting
to impose on the Southern states from
without a certain rule of conduct to
ward the negro has in fact broker
down, and, friends, regret to say tina
every man who ever has been to ;
national convention that the characte
of the great majority of the coloret
delegates from the South, from thos'
old rotten borough states, was sucl
as to reflect discredit upon the Re
publican party and upon the race it
self.
Now, as soon as the Progressiv,
party was formed, l at once set about
as many other men in different state
did, securing from the Northern state
themselves an ample recognition O
the colored men in the state, so that a
a matter of fact there is in this cor
yention a representation from the Re
publican states of colored men sucl
Dae;rpotiop of Eanford Accents c