The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1912-09-26
PUBLIC OPINION
Roosevelt. and the colored Voters.

q q q O @ o o o q % . o @ . @ o
Roosevelt and the colored Voters.
To the Editor OF The Gate City:
What do the coiored voters OF this
city and state think of Mr.. Roosevelt .
who has been a republican up to the
Chicago convention for the last thirty /
years? The republican party has al /
ways followed in the footsteps of the
immortal Lincoln in their endeavors
to make the colored people of the
south and country generally men in
every particular, worthy of the name
of American citizen. The party gave
these people their liberty, passed
them along the line of citizenship to |
the ballot, passed the fifteenth amend |
ment to the constitution of the Uni
ted States forbidding any distinction
on account OF their color or previous
condition of seryitude. Has been their
especial guardian through the last
two or three generations and now
when they have become in fact
great people capable OF self govern
ment and able to cast intelligent bai-
lots, this man Roosevelt for the sole
purpose OF making himself third
term president is willing to discrimi-
, nate and violate the fifteenth amend
! ment and deny these people, millions
of them, the equal protection of the
laws and to take away from them
| their right to vote and have their
votes counted as any other citizens
of this country all to get the lilly
| white" democracy of the south to
leave their party and vote for him.
Talk about stealing delegates this
| is not only stealing delegates" but
robbing the honest voter of his birth
right of citizenship and for what, the
good of the people? No. But solely
to divide the democrat party of the
south and give Roosevelt third
term of the presidency Could any,
thing be more selfish or cruel? He
is certainly fool to think that these
old rock ribbed democrats will
I leave the party Of their life and the
/ traditions of their fathers and defeat
and other offices Just to give some
] new conner the highest office in the
land. simply take this new comer's
4 promise made at the eleventh hour as
against the lives of their own people.
He will find these colored people OF
the south know more than he thinks
they do. They have made the most
wonderful growth in citizenship and
intellectual attainments for the time
being of any people in the history OF
! the world and they owe much of 1t
to their friend the republican party
and they will not desert it for de-
serter of their cause. Roosevelt could
dismiss in disgrace whole regiment
of colored soldiers in Texas because
: some few of them should commit
single wrong at time. Would any
Ipresident have dared such thing II
these soldiers had been white. There
were many and as good soldiers in
that regiment as any other, why pun,
8 ish them for what some other per.
t sons did. No, it was a slap at their
race and color and Roosevelt was
then making bid for the white vot-
ers of the south, the same as he was
lin Chicago, when he would not let q
: colored delegate sit in his conven
:. ton. Look at a man carefully through
his deeds and you have his heart and
/ character and in Roosevelt it spells
: personal ambition and selfishness fol-
third term president at the sacri
. flee of American manhood and pat
Z riotism