The advocate. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1901-1913, 1912-08-15

SAY. line virtue or the Republicans
lof the Republican states taking only
the form OF trying to make the DEM
ocratic states be good. Do, you see
what / mean? '
/ The colored delegates all came from
the states that never cast a Repub-
l1can electoral vote; that never elected
colored man to office, where largely,
owing TO the action participated in
for forty-f1ve years by the Republican
party, the co1ored man has, as a mat
ter OF fact, gradually lost all his polit-
lcal rights. So that the old policy
OF attempting to impose on the
southern states from without a GER
tain rule Of conduct toward the Na-
gro has, In fact, broken. down.
| And, friends, I regret to say that
every man who has ever been to a
national convention knows that the
character of the great majority Of the
colored delegates from the south, from
those old rotten borough states, was
such as to reflect discredit upon the
Republican party and upon the race
itself: (Appiause:) -~.-..-~~.~---; ------.,--.
Favors Northern Negro Delegates.
Now, wait just one moment. am
giving you the explanation as .min-
| utely as l know how. Now, as soon
as the Progressive party was formed
| at once set about, as many other
men in different states did, securing
] from the northern states themselves
an ample recognition of the colored
men in the states, SO that as a mai
ter of fact there is in this convention
representation from the Republican
states Of colored men such as there
never has been anything like before
in any convention in the country,
(Applause) ..r
Now, just wait a moment; and
more than that, a representation of
color2d men who in point of charac-
; ter, intelligence, and good citizenship,
stand on an exact equality with any
OF the whites among whom they stand.
(Applause)
Praises West Virginians.
r., Now, wait minute. Give me a
show. Just before 1 began my speech
Iyou may remember that there was a
good deal doing Qaughter) r)-two col
ored delegates from West Virginia
came up to shake hands with me.
do not know their names. One is
the state librarian Of West Virginia;
one is colored business man from
West Virginia. who had never taken
any great interest in politics before
Never before has West Virginia sent
two colored delegates to national
convention, and the colored delegates
It sent are in character and standing
the peers of the white delegates from
that state.
Now, we sent colored delegates
from New York; they sent colored
delegates from Rhode Island. Do you
think Rhode Island or West Virginia
or New York would have sent them
If they had been told they had to?
They WouldH't have. They wouldn't
have. You had to let the movement
come from within. (Applause.)
Now, wait minute; just wait a
minute. This is a. pretty important
matter. From Maryland-'
Col. Roosevelt was interrupted by
cries of Pennsylvania and New Jer-
sey ALSO
Continuing, he said:
And Pennsylvania, you have dele
gates; yes, and New Jersey / know
that. Now, wait; dent you tell me
what l know. Laughter)
No Effort at Dragooning.
From Maryland and West Virginia
there nave come to this convention
colored delegates sent because they
represent an element of colored men
who have won the esteem and respect
OF their white neighbors, so that all
the honest and decent men can join
in sending the delegates of both COL
| ors; and they send them here hon
estly and send them here of their own
free will
That is what we Progrcssives have
finally succeeded in doing in the
north. We haYe done it by simply
encouraging the best men in the north
| to act as squarely by the colored man
as they would by the white man. We
have not done 1T by trying to dragoon
the white man into that action.
"The other system Of trying TO force
| in the far southern states conditions
that we cannot make exist there has
failed. / propose to take toward the