The advocate. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1901-1913, 1912-05-23

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SHIFTING THE RESPONSIBILITY
If it is granted, and that seems
the proper thing to do, that The
Mountain Leader is sincere in its
belief that eff there had been a
strong Roosevelt leader to make
the fight ON the floor of the con-
vention, the race would have Sc
cured delegate, it is very APP
parent that its rantings upon that
subject arise wholly from ignor-
ancc OF the facts.
Tt will be recalled by readers of
The Advocate that this paper mau-
guratcd the fight for Negro dele
gatc-at- large and carried it on,
without any encouragement from
an influential Negro source, till the
meeting of the convention. 1t is
no violation of confidence to say
that Governor GlaSScork. former
Governor Dawson, and Mr. Will
liam Seymour Edwards, the ac-
knowledgcd leaders of the RsoSr-
welt movement. were Favorable to
the election of Il Negro delegate,
but they were ovrr-rulrd, as will
appear later.
After it WAS conceded that the
state convention would be over
whclmingly for Roosevelt, the daily
newspapers of the state began to
= publish the names of the probable
delegates. In each the same list
appeared showing that the five con-
gressional districts. from each of
which one was to come, had made
their choice. The only doubt Was
as to the sixth delegate. who, the
universal demand Was, should be
the Governor
Until an hour before its assem-
blying Gov. GlaSScock rrSolutely
resolutcly refused to allow his
name to be- placed before the con-
vention. and he yielded then only
after he Was assured that whether
he was willing or not he would be
elected.
With the delegates from the scv-
trail congressional districts lined
up behind their respective candi-
dates. and all unanimous for the
selection of the Governor as the
sixth man. it would have been the
height of folly to have attempted
d fight ON the floor of the convcn-
ton This would have been eS-
pccially true with Mr.. Railry. who
would have been elected if there
had been Il chance for amy Negro.
Under the district arrangement. it
would have been necessary to put
him up against either Gov. Glass
cock or Col. Edwards, who comes
from the same district as Mr. Raj
r. ley. Any man who has political
knowledge Of the weight of mus
tard seed knows that against either
of these gentlemen Mr.. Raiicy
would have stood as much show as
a SNOWFALL in a PASSENGER converter
Talk about any Negro from
another district is vcritablc rot
for no district. except the third
had d Roosevelt Negro delegate ot
any prominrnrr-Unc who cOulC
have commanded crcdilabIr sup
port in the convention. The la
mcntablr truth is that the mai
ity Of the Negro delegates prrSrn
at II|ntington were instructed fO
Taft or known to be mere pawn
in the hands Of Taft Sympathizcrs
But returning to the question o
ca strong Roosevelt leader to max
the fight on the floor Of the con
vcntIon, one is constrained to aS
'whcrc was the Mountain Lradr
representatives II" gladly accept
- ed the privilege to nominate one o
the altcrnatrs. He was one o
the few Negroes who addressed tn
convention. Why did Nc not max
- the fight ON the floor Was if hi
/ own tjmidity Of which he so bit
By. terly complains
And just 50 much as it was Will
in his power to make Il fight on tn
floor Of the convention for a Ncgr
delegate, Just 50 much was it III
prcrogrativc and privilege to ca
a conference Of the Negro delegate
to discuss the feasibility Of Src
an undertaking. But, instead {
= dninn thcSn thinms hinSnlr uhiD