The Washington bee., 1912-01-27

ence with the FLCSluCLLt gtiii
Crowisn, Lynching and Race Dis
elimination Condemned-Presldent
Taft Strongly Impressed and De
nounces Race Discrimination.
a new precedent was established
here I'm Washington last Wednesday
evening when President Taft had hve
co1ored Presidential appointees at the
White House for a conference on
questions concerning the race. The
gentlemen present were: VIM H.
Lewis. Assistant Attorney General: X.
W. Tyler, Auditor for the Navy; FL,
Lincoln Johnson. Recorder Of Deeds;
lanes c. Napier, Register of the
Treasury; and Whitfield McKInlay,
the local Collector OF Customs. II IS
said the gentlemen called at the
White House at o o'clock and re
mained until o'clock, and that they
freely and frankly submitted TO the
President the feelings and sentiments
of their race upon the alleged South
ern policy of no Negro appointments
in the South; that they discussed JIM
crow cars lynchings, and discrlmlna-
tons against COlOTed men in the gov
ernment service As Southern men,
Mr.. Johnson and Nh Napier advised
the President how discOuraging and
hurtful the policy Is to their race IN
the South, and Mr.. Lewis and Mr..
TYLER advised him OF how the COlored
men in the North, in the States where
their vote IS cast and counted, telJ.
The gentlemen are protuSe IN their
praise of the Presidents most cordial,
and sympathetic treatment OF them.
The conference was held IN the library
of the White House. So deeply was
the President interested IN the sub
iects they brought up, that he re
uucsted them to call the following
(Thursday) evening, for further
consideration OF the questions under
discussion, which they did, and re
NAMED with him until 8 o'clock.
From what can be learned, the Pres
ident expressed himself strongly
against lynching. condemned JIM
crow laws, and the denial OF suffrage
I'm the .,rongest terms and gave the
gentlemen present to understand that
his alleged Southern policy did not
exclude Negroes from appointments
in the South, and the impression
gained, by the four colOred officials,
was that subordinates had wrongly
interpreted the President inaugural
reference to Southern appointments
TO mean that under no circumstance
could a Negro be appointed. he
gentlemen assured him that 1t was
their belief that his intentions were
TO DENY to all colored men OF the
South. and in every locality OF the
South, the right to hold office, but did
beIieve that. unknown to him, SubOT-
mates have so construed his meaning,
The President spoke in the highest
terms OF the race, gave them to un-
derstand that his purpose was to help
and advance the race IN every par
+iCular. The COterIe of COlOTed Ottl-
cials who called upon him, gave the
President several cases in which the
race has been Disseminated against,
and the President, to show that DIS
elimination was not upon his order,
requested the gentlemen to bring TO
him, or send to him all cases OF dis
examinations, in office, against col
ored men because they were cOlored,
and he would promptly cause an IN
vestigatIOn 10 he made.
The Colored people OF this city are
much elated over the fact that the
President has shown such consldera-
ton for the race as to hear its griev-
anCes through his Presidential APP
pointees, and they are much pleased
because these representatives were SO
loval to their race as to have asked
for permission to frankly tell him
lust how the race felt upon all the
questions discussed. The gentlemen
state that they could not be treated
more considerably, and could not
have been given more attention than
President Taft accorded them on the
two evenings of last week they were
at the White House As a result OF
this conference, it Is hoped here that
President Taft will restate his
Southern policy so as to leave nc
doubt in the minds of colored people
or white subordinates that he doe;
not intend that throughout the en-
tire South colOred men shall be de
MED the right TO hold office, simply
because of their color, and that in
telligence. fitness and a proper admin
istration of public Office shall be the
first and prime consideration, without
regard to color.