Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1914-06-04

| responsible and who are in very good
standing to administrate public affairs
for the community at large. The lea,
que had in mind at one time to send a
delegate to the republican convention.
At the last meeting we took up that
issue and discussed it among our
selves. We want to come out in har-
mony with all mankind. II we had
sent delegate this league would have
pledged its support to the republican
party and therefor we would have had
to stick to it according to the platform
of our league.
There will be some candidates on
the republican ticket that we know.
Elmer X. Daugherty for county attor-
ney. Chester w. Whitmore for state
senator, C. w. Ramseyer for represent
tative in congress. Those men we be-
lieve stand head and shoulders above
the average candidates of the repub1-
can party. This league has not pledg-
ed itself. II 1t had pledged itself to
any party the rumor would have gone
out, that they had been paid some
money to work for the party. l mean
that would have been the people who
know all things. We understand that
we have taken an exception to some
things that are going on and how bust
ness is transacted and we are going
to resent them hereafter as citizens
of a state where a ballot Is free and
untrammeled. We should support men
for Office whom we have reason to be-
lieve are good, responsible men. We
are American citizens, and we were
born in this country. We have con- !
science, brain, and feeling. We
I'D 80 NnI IN ya
of this life which the white man
claims. The issue of this day Is edu-
cation and progress. We don't intend
or any set of men. We don't intend
for anyone to tell us how to vote or
who we shall vote for. We shall be
free and open to accept a good deed
of any gentleman without regard for
his politics. We don't intend to tie
ourselves to any of those Office seek
ers who are not dependable. They
can not have money enough to induce
this league to support such men. The
better class of white men are the men
who have opened the way and have
given the colored man his rights that
he may do as he does. We have a
right to vote. We are held just as re-
sponsible as q white man is for COM
hitting a crime. We pay just as much
for what we eat and what we wear as
they do. The time has come that we
need no longer remain republicans or
democrats or progressives.
People who produce what everybody
wants will get the trade. Bound slav.
cry in this country has been dead
MANY years. There are other kinds of
Gle Th0
colored man has suffered more from
these forms of slavery than even the
poorest white man. This kind of
slavery expects for us to work for Just
enough to live on and as long as we
the most out of us.
The colOred man has made a more
rapid progress than any other race in
a short space OF time. 1t has taken
the white man many centuries from
the barbarians of the forest to the
present date to invent steam and cleo
tricity, and we, associated as we ara
with the brainy white man can see
that the time is not far off when thel
black man will sit in congress and help
make some of the laws of our common
country. The prejudice will die away,
he will be judged by what he says and
does and not by the color of his skin.
This protective league will move on.
We are prospecting and we are taking
in numbers right along and having
very much of success. We are will
ing to take in and accept all the color
ed people who wish to unite and work
together. l have the authority and
the league endorses what say. Our
next meeting will be out of town, the
one following will be in town at our
old place, the Office of w. ]. Berry,
justice of the peace, on South Market
street.
J. H. HURT.