The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1912-08-03
MOOSE NOT TO
Be LILY WHITE
TEDDY WRITES LONG LETTER
EXPLAINING HIS POSITION
SAYS HE HOPES TO ENROLL IN
HIS PARTY THE BEST NEGROES
AND LEAVE THE OTHERS OUT.
Nv AasocIatad Press.

New York. Aug. AIN a letter writ
ten to Julian Harris of Atlanta, editor
of Uncle Remus' Magazine and a son
of the late. Joel Chandler Harris, Col.
Roosevelt expresses his views on the
position of the negro In national poll
ties and the representation of negro
delegates In the. convention OF the Pro-
greSsiye party in Chicago.
In part, Col. Roosevelt writes:
MANY letters dealing with the sub
ject 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 dele
gates to the National Progressive con-
vention. Those written by citizens of
the South ask that l declare that the
new party shall be a. white mans par
ty. l am unable to agree to either
proposal.
In this country we cannot perna-
nently succeed except upon the basis
of treating each man on his worth as
a man. We can fulfill our high mis-
sion among the nations of the earth,
we can do lasting good to ourselves
and to all mankind, only If we so act
that the humblest among US, so long
as he behaves in straight and decent
fashion, has guaranteed to him under
the law his right to life, to liberty, 70
enjoy the fruits of his own honest la
Dor, and his right to the pursuit Of
happiness in bis own way, so long as
he does not trespass on the rights OF
others. For US to oppress any class
of our fellow citizens is not only wrong
to others but hurtful to ourselves.
Surely no man can quarrel with those
principles.
I'm the South the Democratic ma
chine has sought to keep itself para
mount by encouraging the hatred of
the white man for the black: the Re
publican machine has sought to Per
petuate itself by stirring uD the black
man against the w}Iite, and surely the
time has come when NE should Under
stand the mischief in both courses, and
should abandon both. 7 believe that
wherever the racial issue IS permitted
TO become dominant IN our politics, it
always works harm to both races, but
imTneasura bly, most harm tc the weak
er race ! belisve that In Lnis move
n1ent only damage will come II We
either abandon our I .eais on the one
hand. or, on the other, faii resoiutely
to look facts in the face, however IN
pleasant thsoe facts may be.
In many Of tho states IF the Union
where there is & co2sid erable colo-ed
population we are able in very fact
and AZ the present moment to bring
the best colored men into the move
ment on the same terms as the white
man.
In the Republican national conven~
ton the colorec members have been
almost exclusively from the South, and
the great majority 90 them have been
men Of such character that their po-
Iitical activities were merely n source
OF harm, and Of very grave harm to
their own race. We. on the contrary,
are hoping to see in the National Pro-
gTessive convention colored delegates
from the very places where we expect
10 develop our greatest strength. and
we hope to see these men Of such
characte~ that their activities shall be
Of benefit nct only to the people at
large but especially TO their own race.
In the convention AZ Chicago last
June. the break up of the Republican
party was forced by those rotten
borough delegates from the South. II
the prina-y states Of the North the
colored men IN most places voted sub.
stautfally as their white neighbors
voted. But in the southern states,
where there was nc reel Republican
par-v and wnere colored men or
whites selected purely by coiored men,
were sent to the convention represent
ing nothing bat their ov-u greed for
money or office, the majority was
overwhelmingly anti-5'-og ogressive.
Seven lights of the coiored men
from these rotten borough districts
upheld by their votes the fraudulent
actions of the men who in that con-
vention deffed and betrayed the will OF
the mass Of the plain people OF the
party" ---.-.