The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1912-08-03
WHERE He STANDS
NNEGROPR QBLEM
(ContInued From a. 60

man against tho white and surely the
time has come when VIC should under
stand the mischief In both courses.
and should abandon both. believe
that wherever tho racial issue IA per
United to become dominant In our poll
ties. 1t always works harm to botn
races. but UNNECESSARILY most harm to
the weaker race. believe that In
this movement only damage will come
If va either abandon our ideals on the
one hand. or. OH the other, fall resO-
lutely TO look facts ia tho case. how
ever unpleasant these facts may bc.
In many OF tho states Of tho Union
where there Is q considerable colored
colorcd population We arc able In very
/ fact and at tho present moment to
bring the best coiorcd men lnto the
movement on the same terms as the
white man. In Rhode Island and Mary
land In New YORK and Indiana, in
ohio and Illinois, In New jersey and
Pennsylvania, to speak only OF States
OF which l have personal knowledge,
this is now being done. and from some
o. all OF these States colored delegates
Will be sent to the national progress
sive convention at Chicago.
IN the Republican national conven-
tons the colored members have been
almost exclusively from the South, and
the great majority u; them have been
men OF such character that their p9lit-
teal activities were merely u source
Of harm, and OF very great harm. TO
their own race. We. on the contrary.
arc hoping to see In tAe National Pro-
grcssive Convention colored delegates
from tho very places where We expect
TO develop our greatest strength, and
We hope TO sec these men OF such char
actcr that their activities shall be OF
benefit not only 70 the people at large,
but especially TO their own race.
Result II Lnmcntnblc.
For forty FIVE years the Republican
party has strlven TO build UP IN the
southern States In question a party
based on tho theory that the pyramid
Will, unsupported stand permanently
on its apex. instead OF on It's base
For forty-hve years the Republican
party has cndoayored in these states
to build up a party IN which the negro
should be dominant party Consisting
almost exclusively OF negroes. Those
Who took the lead in this experiment
were actuated by high motives. and no
/ one should now blanc them hec4Lse
| Of what, with the knowledge they Then
had ana under the then existing cir
cumstances. they stroye TO do. Blt
In actual practice the result has Jeen
lamentabic from every standpoint. 1t
! has been productive of evil 10 Tho col
.
ductive only OF evil to the white men
OF the South. and II has worked the
gravest injury TO and finally tne dis
Tuption and destruction OF the great
Republican party itself
There has IN the past been much
venality IN Republican national con-
ventions In which there was an active
contest for the nomination for Priest
dent. for the most part among the
negro delegates from these southern
States. Finally in the convention at
Chicago last June, the breakup OF the
Republican party was forced by thos.
rotten borough delegates from the
South. In the primary States OF the
North the colored men In most places
voted substantially as their white
neighbors voted. But In the Southern
States. where there was no real Repub-
lean party. and who're colored men, or
whites selected purely by oolored men.
were sent TO the convention. represent
Ing nothing but their own greed for
money or Office. the majority was over
Hrhelmlngly antiprosressive Seven
eishths OF the colored men from these
rotten borough districts upheld by
their votes the fraudulent actions of the
men who in that convention dened and
betrayed the VIII OF the mass of the
plain people ot the party.
Criminal 10 Disregard Lesson.
1T would DC not merely foolish. but
criminal. TO disregard the teachings OF
such lesson. The disruption and de-
struciion OF the Republican party and
the fact that It has been rendered alb
solutely impotent as an instrument for
anything but mischief In the country
at large has been brought about in
large part by the effort to pretend that
in the Southern States sham is fact.
by the insis;ence upon treating the
ghost party In tho southern states as
real party. by refusing TO face the
truth, which is that under existing
conditions there is not and cannot ne
in the Southern States party basea
primarily upon the negro vote ana
under negro leadership or the leader
ship of white men who derive their
power solely from negroes
ANith thnsa fDrtN-rvn vnnrs ne u ilnro