Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1912-09-27
BLACK IN NORTH
WHITE IN SOUTH
REGARDING NEGRO
Standards Own Correspondent
Tells of Roosevelt's Many
Political Flops.
DINNER FOR WASHINGTON
Informal" Said Ex-President,
Formal" Says Negro Educa-
tor in Autobiography.
DINNER FOR WASHINGTON
By Austin Cunningham.

WASHINGTON, d. c., Sept. 81
There is an arboreal Old World lizard
that can change color, either on ir-
ritation or to resemble surrounding
objects. by means of contractile
pigment-bearing cells. 1t is the re-
nowned chameleon, and there is a
species of it in America. Sometimes
this blinking little reptile will divide
itself into two solid colors, for in
stance when it's head and shoulders
are upon a bed Of green moss and its
lower half on a white rock, it is green
and white. 1t is said to be very
annoying for the chameleon to have to
hues as black and Whites even as
annoying as having to crawl across
a crazy-quilt. Irritation is said to
heighten the colors, probably on the
same principle that some people grow
purple in the face when angered and
others become ominously white.
During the convention conducted
especially for the Third Term Candi-
date for the presidency, in Chicago
last month it is recalled, no doubt, that
certain energetic and enterprising
newspaper correspondents, in their
eagerness to gather pieces for their
papers. worried Mr.. Roosevelt over the
negro question. They irritated him.
The first intimation suggesting irrita-
tion came when Mr. Roosevelt said,
Dammit" rather explosive-like Al
subsequent statement made by the
Colonel showed plainly that he must
have been suffering from some mental
and physical pangs that beset that
arb0real lizard aforementioned when
it is striving to be half black and half
white. Had he been a chameleon, 1t is
likely close scrutiny would have
shown those contractile pigment
bearing cells to be working overtime,
cOlliding and collapsing, and gyrating
kaleidoscopically. There was irrita-
tion. as well as surrounding colors to
resemble.
And what the Third Term Candidate
figuratively did Go was to stretch
himself, huge chameleon, across tn .
map of the United States, making him.
self appear white in the South and
black in the North. A tremendous
task, it was, but he did 1t! Knowing
or thinking that the negro vote holds
the balance of power in Indiana, Ohio,
Illinois. Pennsylvania and possibly
West Yirginis, the great chameleon SO
twisted about that 1t covered these
states appearing in part In coat Of
the gloOmiest ebony, much to- the dis
comfort of the remembering cells.
Lying across the face of the Southern
states. where the negro vote is neg
ligible in keeping with custom Of
some several generations. the atten-
fnA tot AP ho ut LOT tiv,1 oh al
was Topped snowy white. So white
is that southern portion Of the cham
eleon's anatomy, a delicate and glow
ing nimbus hovers about it.
Roosevelt hopping on Penrose and
Archbold. since their exposure of the
power which promoted the election of
the same Roosevelt in 1904, and say
inc. See! These bosses, these trust
highbinders are opposing my re-elec-
tion," is laughable enough.
Be it rememDered-this Is deserving
of a whole paragraph by itself
Theodore Roosevelt sent the following
message to Senator Boies Penrose
in 1904:
Upon my word! OF all phenomenal
returns. the Pennsylvania figures are
most phenomenal. congratulate
you, and heartily thank you."
Ahem!
What could be richer in it's hum
orous aspects than the Roosevelt-Arch-
bold song and dance, il not Roosevelt
in his attempt to corral the negro vote
in the North, as he shouts from the
E.house tops for social justice" and
his kowtowing to the white vote in
the South where he considers the
negro element vicious and undesir
able?"
Somewhere, travelling about the
United States experiencing "The Ups
and Downs of Donkey's Life" are two
Texas burros, ordinary little jack
rabbit donkeys that do circus stunts
| for a livelihood, or used to. One of
them is gray and woody beast. who
answers to the name of Teddy" The
| other is as black as the ace of spades.
and responds with saucy shake of his
head when called Booker T." The big
hit act of Teddy and Booker T. is
their dining together at table. seated
on their launches, with fore-feet on
| the table top, their noses buried in
bowls of oats At times they get
mixed up or want to sample one
another's dishes, stretch their necks
across the festal board and eat out of
the wrong bowl
Charles B. Metcalf, of San Angelo,
Texas. picked these burros out Of a
number he had on his GlenmOre farm,
and had them trained by a veteran
circus man. 1t is suggested that the
Democratic campaign managers might
do well to rescue Teddy and Booker
T., and book them for as many per.
formances as can be arranged in the
South. The woody and the black
donkey are very affectiOnate, and
might be used to illustrate ROosevelt's
Continued on page 81