Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1912-08-24

BULL MOOSE And The NEGRO
Colonel Explains Attitude of His
Party Once More.
SOUTHERN NEGROES ARE BAD
Characterizes Delegates to COnyen-
tiOn as Men of bad Character,
Almost Openly Venal-PrO-
gressives All Right.

NEW YORK, Aug. 2S-The following
editorial by Mr.. Roosevelt. entitled The
Progressives and the Colored Man." Is
from the current issue of The Outlook
I'm national republican conventions
there have usually been number of negro
delegates from the south-largely men
of bad character almost openly venal-
and practically none from the north. In
the democratic conventions there have
been none from the south, and rarely ons
from anywhere. In the progressive ma
tional convention there were numerous
colored delegates from the north-from
Massachusetts,, Rhode Island. New Jer-
sey, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois
and also from the belt of states in the
south that used to be called border
states-Delaware, Maryland, West Vr-
ginia, Kentucky Tennessee, Arkansas
From all these states taken together, in
all Of which there already existed real
and strong progressive party, there were
several times as many colored delegates
as had ever been in a republican national
convention. All these delegates were men
Of character and standing, who stood on
a level with their white fellow delegates
In point of ability and integrity. From
the south Atlantic and gulf states there
were no ,colored delegates, and from two
of them no white delegates. In these
states the progressive party had to be
formed out of absolutely new material.
THE progressive convention, therefore,
on this point differed from the demo-
cratic conventions in the fact that there
were many colored delegates instead OF
none 1t differed from the republican
conventions in the fact that these col
ored delegates came from the states
where there were strong white progress
sive parties, whereas In the republican
conventions the colored men came from
states where there was no white re-
publican party. The progressives did JUS
tice to their own colored neighbors who
dwelt among them, whereas the repub-
licans had always exercised cheap
virtue by admitting colored delegates
from the states where they themselves
did not dwell. incidentally, I wish to
emphasize the fact that absolutely no
good of any kind resulted to the colored
man from being allowed to appear as a
farcical delegate from states wherein
he possessed no shred of real political
power.
IT instance the progressive national con-
vention, in the first place because in this
regard it is an instance OF performance
instead Of mere promise; and in the next
place because 1t shows just the attitude
we progressives are taking towards the
difficult question OF actually getting fair
play between the two races. Instead OF
merely indulging In fine talk about It,
Unlike the democratic party, the pro-
gressive party stands for justice and fair
dealing towards the colored man; and,
unlike the republican party, it proposes
to secure him justice and fair dealing
In the only practicable way, by encour-
aging in every part of the country gooo
feeling between the white men and the
colored men who are neighbors. and by
appealing in every part Of the country to
the white men VINO are the coiolou nioA
neighbors, and who alone can help him,
to give him such help, not because they
are forced by outsiders to do so, but as
matter Of honorable obligation freeiy
recognized on their own part. The plans
already tried by the republican and demo-
cratic parties have failed utterly ana
hopelessly. No other plan than the one
we propose offers the remotest chance OIL
benefiting either the white man or the
coIored man of the south. Therefore II is
merely the part of wisdom to try our
nIan which is to try for the gradual re-
enfra nchisement Of the worthy coiored
man of the south by frankly giving the
leadership of our movement to the wisest
and iustest white men Of the south