Franklin's paper the statesman., 1912-05-25
Our Letter Box
square deal assured all.

"A square deal assured all.
| 1t will be our policy to favor no
class nor to discriminate against any
class, but to consider the people and
the city as a whole. There can be no
advance that is not shared in by all,
and when l speak of advancement l
mean along lines of happiness and
| morals, as well as material prosper
| ity.
ours is great city, well worthy
of the most exalted love and loyalty.
That we have been held back by the
schemes of the selfish and venal is
our misfortune, not our fault. With
energies released and hobbies re-
moved, the great spirit of a great peo-
pie will be permitted to achieve its
dream of growth and beauty. Henry
j. Arnold, Rocky Mountain News,
For once we can record the SINGER
ity of our people to assist in bringing
about good government. Never in the
history of Colorado's elections have
so many Negroes left the two old
parties to vote for their just recog-
milton and freedom from bossism.
The Citizens party has swept out
the gangsters, bosses, and those who
have enjoyed special privileges, and
all other privileges, at the expense of
the Negro taxpayers and the decent
people.
Colored people are to be commend
ed for their wise movement to remove
the obstacles that have retarded their
progress along social and business
lines. The vultures who have held
control over your social and business
relations for years have cost Colorado
everlasting disgrace. To have it un-
derstood throughout the United States
that no respectable Negro man or
woman could open and run legit-
innate business without the o. X. of
some boss Negro, who operates bus
mess on special privilege gained by
making it appear to the white people
that he carried the Negroes vote in
his vest pocket. The Negro voters
have not only wiped out that influ-
ence, but have said by your votes on
last Tuesday that you are tired of
those old time, would-be leaders,
whom you have followed for, 10, these
many years, to their own personal
benefit, while you and your oppor
tunities have been growing less i'm
portant. You have loudly said to
them, now stand aside and let inteili-
gence and youth pass, and if neces-
sary, you and your ilk sink to the very
bottom SO far as the future is con-
cerned. That their boss leadership
has kept us in ignorance; that they
have done nothing for the masses in
all the years they were. in control
that is worthy of mention; that the
bosses have defiled our homes and
our children, and helped to keep up
the sentiment that we are the inferior
class of citizens and have no rights or
privileges that an administration is
bound to respect
You have also said by your votes
that you are not yet through cleaning
house, since you have taken your po-
litical privileges in your own hands
and have cast your votes for more
just administration, that you will see
to it by committees and organizations
that the questionable evils surround
ing your homes and opportunities are
removed, at once.
| have heard numerous comments
on the attitude of the Negro voters
during this campaign and at the polls,
and | am sure that the Citizens
party will show their appreciation OF
your support by creditable employ
ment and not special privileges, and
they will assist to help you to lift the
moral standard of your citizens. 1t
will be up to the better element to go
forward and present your claims for
advancement. The time to act is
now; don't wait until it is too late so
that there can be any excuse. You
need many advantages to attain full
point of an active citizen first of all
you need better police protection to
safeguard your home and children
and to assist you to regulate society.
There is another important election
ahead and what you fail to attain
from the results of this spring cleo
ton you will have an opportunity to
reinforce your request. In this cam
paign the Republicans and Democrats
were both caught in the same trap;
both claimed your vote until the very
last and did not think it necessary to
make any concessions to the Negro
taxpayers and intelligent voters. All
| their attention was given to the spe-
cial privilege class whom they had
always heretofore relied upon to
bring in your vote. The fight this
time was not only to free the people
from administration bossism. but from
Negro bossism as well, and you have
| won, and you have won without
leader or a Negro press. The only
Negro paper that had the courage ~
start your fight for freedom lost the
greatest opportunity of its existence
to prove its loyalty to the race. They