The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1912-08-03
Says Progressive Movement
Should Be in Interest of
Honest Negroes
SHOULD TREAT EACH
MAN ON HIS WORTH
Chicago Breakup Caused BY Rotten
Borough Delegates From South.
Cannot Be Party Based Pri-
marily on Negro Vote

marily on Negro Vote
New York. August 2.--In letter written
to Julian Harris of Atlanta editor of
Uncle Remus Magazine. and a son of the
late Joel Chandler Harris, Colonel Roose-
velt expresses his views on the position
OF the negro in national politics and the
representation OF negro delegates in the
convention of the progressive party in
Chicago.
In part Colonel Roosevelt writes
In pursuance of our conversation l
write you this letter There is a peculiar
fitness in writing 1t to the son of the
man whose work made all Americans his
debtors. His life and his work tended
to bring his fellow countrymen, ncrth and
south, into closer relations of good will
and understanding; and surely 1t should
be needless to say that the author of
Uncle Remus' and of Free Joe and the
Rest of the World, felt a deep and most
kindly interest in the welfare of the me-
gro.
MANY letters dealing with the subjeN
of which you spoke to me have been sent
to me within the last few days. Those
written by men living in the north usually
ask me to insist that We get from the
south colored delegates to the national
convention. Those written by
citizens of the south ask that | declare
that the new party shall be white mans
party. l am unable to agree TO either
proposal
In this country we cannot permanent
ly succeed upon the basis OF treating each
man on his worth as n man
I'VE can fulfill our high mission among
the nations of the earth. we can do last
ing good to ourselves and to all man
kind, only II we SO act that the hum
blest among us. so long as he behaves IN
straight and decent fashion, has guar
anteed to him under the law his right to
life. TO liberty, TO protection from injus-
tice, his right to enjoy the fruits OF his
own honest labor. and his right to the
pursuit Of happiness in his own way, SO
long as he does not trespass on the rights
of others. For us to oppress any class Of
our fellow citizen Is not only wrong to
orheye. but hurtful TO ourselves Surely no
inan can quarrel with those principles.
In Interest of Negroes
Il believe that the progressive move
ment should be made from the beginning
one III the interest Oh every IOHthl, lflQuS-
trious, law abiding coored man, just as 1t
is In the interest of every honest, indus
trious, law abiding white man. | fur
ther believe that the surest way to rem
der the movement impotent to help either
the white man or the oolored man, In those
regions of the south where the colored
man is most numerous, would be to try TO
repeat the course that has been followed
by the republican party in those districts
f.as4. ,N IL. Ia
states In question to build up progress
sixe party by the same methods which in
those states have resulted in making the
republican party worse than lmpotent
In the south the democratic machine
has sought TO keep itself paramount by
encouraging the hatred of the white man
for the black, the republican machine has
sought to perpetuate itself by stirring up
the black man against the white; and
surely the time has come when we should
understand the mischief in both courses.
and should abandon both ! believe that
wherever the racial issue Is permitted to
become dominant in our politics, it always
works harm to both races, but immeas-
urably most harm to the weaker race I
believe that in this movement only dam
age will come II we either abandon our
ideals on the one hand. or, on the other
fall resolutely to look facts In the face,
however unpleasant these facts may be.
,,,,aro thlra 10 aorsstSo,a,,,a ,ail,.oa
,'ar,,i, ,,f,, ,,o ara ahIa -, -, 10, s1
49,, -'yas.,,, r,,o,nnt -, nr,,,, -, 80
..storad NO., in,o ,ha ,,so,.o,,,a,st a, ~
-, ~, tar,,,s as M ,,l,,ta ~ r., pt ~,
TsIand ana MARYLAND In Nou, Wi, ga
rndiana IN ohio ard Ilfinois n NJ, Ia,
sou and Pennsvlvania to snaa1l oni,1 ~
states Of which ha,a norsona1 1nns l,ro,',
odaa ,a,i. ,s no,, ha,,,x 49, Ia 80,
sofne or oil NJ these st,tas co,araa 49,
sr,,es ,,,,II ho so,,t 90 ~ ,a't,aa, -.
e5,aeei,e convention IN o,hioaao
fOrmer Negro Delegates
I'm the republican national conven-
tions the colored members have been AL
most exclusively from the south and the
great majority of them have been mon
OF such character that their political ac-
tivtiss were merely a source of harm
and of very grave harm to their own
race. We. on the contrary, are hoping
to see In the national progressive conven-
tion colored delegates from the very
places where we expect to develop our
greatest strength, and we hope 10 see
these men Of such character that their
activities shall be of benefit not only to
the people at large but especially to their
own race.
For IS years the republican party has
striven to build up in the southern
states IN question a party based on the
theory that the pyramid Will unsupport-
ed, stand permanently on its apex instead
Zee Iag A. o "a