The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1912-06-16
66 NEGRO DELEGATES
SWINGING TO COLONEL
Greatest Orators of the Race
Sway Big Audience in
r. RS Favor.
PLAN MONSTER PETITION
Leaders Urge SOutherners to
Ignore instructions and
Quit Taft.
PLAN MONSTER PETITION

CHICAGO. June 15.---The fight to force
the Taft negro delegates from the
South-the black sixty-siX who claim
to hold the balance Of power In the
convention break their pledges and
vote for Roosevelt. is getting hotter
every hour. Roosevelt Is being preached
as the race creed by some Of the ablest
negroes in the country and the en-
thusiasm has reached "A pitch OF almost
religious fervor.
Last night at the Pekin. the negro
theatre on South State street. more
than 1000 negroes. among them some
Of the delegates. roared and shouted
their approval as the Rev. r. G. Ran
som. the Colorcd preacher from New
York and a power among his people,
told them that the delegates were freed
from their pledges since President Taft
had been untrue to his oath OF office
and traitor to the race"
Some of the ways IN which the Taft
negro delegates are being persuaded
may be suggested by Mr. fansom's
statement
I'D turn loose every winsome woman
every strong man in Chicago to work
with these delegates and get them to-
repudiate this man who repudiated u.s.
he said
And an effort is being made to accom-
plish that purpose. A petition to which
1t is promised more than 10000 names
will he attached by tomorrow was
started at the Pekin meeting and George
Liberia. was chosen to head a picked
delegation OF twenty-five who will try
to get the negro delegates together lust
before the vote in the convention and
make one last effort to turn them to
Roosevelt. James II. Hays of Virginia,
a negro political leader. started the pc
tition.
I'VE will impore every one Of these
men who have come UP from the land
of darkness with power in their hands
to nominate Theodore Roosevelt" he
said. TO loose that power to bring about
the political emancipation of the ne
groes Of the South. Let us sign this
petition and lay it at the feet OF these
black men from the South. asking them
TO work for Theodore Roosevelt"
Ii was at this point that big negro
named Miller, a contcsting delegate at
large from Arkansas. who said he had
been busted by the steam roller. pro.
posed the formation Of the committee
Of twenty-five to persuade the dele
gates. II was easy to see that under
some circumstances Mr. Miller might
be persuasive.
Meanwhile the Taft people have
awakened TO the danger OF the situation
and are doing their best to keep their
negro delegates in line and TO start
something like wave Of real enthusi-
asm for the Presidents cause. They are
using the Brownsville case as their chief
argument
While the meeting at the Pekin was
going on the Taft supporters among the
negroes were gathered at the Olivet
Baptist Church. There were several
hundred of them and they adopted reso-
iutions condemning Col. Roosevelt's ac-
ton In the Brownsville affair. At the
Taft headquarters in the Congress Hotel
plans were made FOR a negro mass meet
Ing tonight at the Colored Institutional
church, where the negro delegates were
marched In body with the idea of
showing the negroes the Taft strength.
one Of the biggest handicaps that the
Taft people have is a report that
Senator Crane and Senator pen.
rose have heen telling folks they
have no hope Of clecting Taft II
he Is nominated. While this report IL
not truthful, the Roosevelt Colored
leaders have been industriously circu-
lating II among the negro delegates. and
some of them believe IT,
The story was told at the Pekin by
Hibia Moore. delegate from Pennsyl-
vania. one OF the two or three white
men who spoke
Go ahead. you delegates. and keep
on pledging your votes for Taft. but
vote for Theodore Roosevelt" he said.
III they trick you, YOU trick them. A
lie under such circumstances will he
forgiven"
L. T. Lincoln. a white delegate from
Minnesota. told the negro delegates that
n they were going to vote for President
Taft because they wanted to hold their
Federal Jobs they were making big
mistake, since Taft couldn't win the
election.
ANY Democrat under heaven can
skin him." was the way Delegate Lin
coin put It,
Dr. William Rrdcn. a tall soldieriy
colorcd man. answered tho Brownsville
argument. Apparently the Roosevelt me-
Grocs think that Is the only one they !
have to answer and they had placed
in every seat a card headed: THE whole
truth about Brownsville. Negro SOL !
diers discharged because Taft recon-
mendcd It,"
DR.. Braden said the negroes would |
defend Roosevelt to the last ditch 'or |
report to God the reason why"
Then he began on Brownsville.
"They tell us to remember Browns |
VILE" nc said. 81 remember il all right, |
for was horn there. My father SOL !,
dicrcd there and later when ] looked big |
enough and old enough I soldiered |
there. Brownsville II one Of the most |
rotten holes on the map for any man.
white or black. Yes. I believe the boys |
shot I'm tho toUn GT Laughter woa