Maryland independent. [volume] (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1874-current, 1912-09-20

mentS.
Maurice w. Moore, an influential
colored man, who has been with Ber-
nard n. Baker, number of years,
sounds a note II warning to the
members Of his race. He predicts
that unless the colored voters sup
port President Taft Wilson will be
elected and that in the very near
tut IRE the states Of Maryland, Della
ware aud West Virginia will take
from them the franchise just as have
the states below the Mason and Dix
on Line.
II was in reply TO the question
what he thought Of Colonel Roose-
yelt's attitude toward the colored
people that Moore expressed his
views. Said he:
Il have no desire to raise any race
question, but Colonel Roosevelt, it
seems to me, raises such question in
most emphatic manner.
81 am r, sident Of this state and
have been for many years. As a
member of the colored race | appre-
ciate all that my country has done
for us. | believed that Colonel
r Roosevelt, as president, did what he
thought was right in T. e Bro snsvide
affair, because | believed that he was
conscientious in all things which he
did. Yet there were many thous-
ands OF our people who neither sup
| ported Colonel Roosevelt in that
matter nor con.urred in the opinion
that then expressed.
4 am distinctly shocked that how,
after the recognition which he gave
the negroes of the South dnri-g his
incumbency as president, placing a
number of them in offices Of proini-
nence, even to the extent of creating
very bitter race prejudice between
the white and the colored people,
that now he should repudiate the
very people whom he then rec .gniz-
ed and rewarded.
"By acts of the leg stature Of
Southern States, or by the state adj
ninistrations, the negroes Of the
South have practically been disfran-
ehised. We claim, and vast major
ity of the people of this state both
white and colored, claim, that such
acts Of Acknowledgement are uncon-
stitutional. The negroes Of the
South cannot vote, because they are
not permitted to; therefore, Colonel
Roosevelt has no use for them in his
endeavor to be elected for third
term as the president of the United
I States. | view his attitude in no
other light than placing a premium
upon the act disfranchisement of the
negroes of the South.
slf the Poe amendment to the
state constitution had been adopted
in 1905; or the Straus amendment
had been adopted in 1909; or the
Digges bill passed in 1911, and the
negroes Of this state had been dis
franchised, Colonel Roosevelt would
have had no use for us, because we
could not be of use to him. | may
be wrong, but | here predict that if
by reason of the alienation of Theo-
dore Roosevelt and his supporters
the Republican party Of this country
is so divided as to enable tile Demo-
Gratis to elect Governor Wilson, the
legislatures of the states OF Mary land,
West Virginia and Delaware will be
overwhelmingly Democratic within
the next year or two and, and Just as
suite as that condition is brought
about, then just so sure will those
Democratic legislatures pass disfran-
chisement amendments to their re-
spective state constitutions dIsfran-
chising the negroes of those states, as
our people are DISTINGUISHED in the
states Of the South now, ID il the
colored people of this state and the
other states mentioned indorse the
attitude taken by Colonel Roosevelt
in placing a premium, as l have al
ready SAID, upon the disfranchise-
ment of the colored people of the
South, then we cannot blame the
white people of the Border States for
aiding in DISTINGUISHING our people;
for the best reason in the world, that
we ourselves have indorsed the man
who Endorsed our own disfranchise-
ment.
Il, therefore, appeal to every col
ored man to study this question sin
eerely and conscieutiously. And,
with reverence, l say God help the
negro race in this country, if the ma
chinations of Colonel Roosevelt
should be permitted to succeed in
disrnpting the Republican party so
as to bring about its defeat next No
vemher"