El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1915-10-21
A Plea For the Negro by One of Them;
His Accomplishments and Grievances

, Education and industrial skill
/ threaten to emancipate him. Hence
the tears.
1t would be more true TO say that
if all whites had the broad mind and
high spirit Of Booker Washington.
there would be no race question TO
settle. There would be hearty CO.
operation for the advancement of both
whites and negroes
The whole problem has grown out
of the fact that while the cOlOred
leaders have made great progress TO-
ward solution OF the question grow
ing out of race rivalry. the whites
have entrenched themselves in negro
hate and stood still The white peO-
pie of the south need 10 educate them
selves 70 an understanding of the new
and natural evolution Of race relation
ship"
8. IT can not be denied successfully
that minority group IN a demo-
craSic-republica form of. government
needs the ballot with less restrictions
than the majority group needs it, It
is q common sense view that no white
administration would protect the negro
after the negro had been stripped OF
that administration.
The ballot or the privilege TO vote
is as essential in the civic defence Of
the Negroes rights, home and property
be to the United States, if its honor
and dignity as great nation are to
be preserved For the negro to be
perm tilted TO vote does not mean black
supremacy in a country where his
ratio is one to ten and becoming less
every year The negro should be per
mitted TO go to the polls at all cleo
lions and cast his vote for men and
principles For more than ten years L
have paid my own poll tax in this
great state Of ours and I have gone
to the polls every opportunity I have
had and there cast my vote with the
essHf
race. community. state and nation.
some good I regard the ballot as a
direct instrument put into the hands
Of man to ward off iatruders upon
society. home and property.
4. As to his fourth attack. Justi-
Gus seems to think that the white
man is america. and that the negro
is not a part Of the firm.
Hon VIM, p Fry, in his address on
citizenship. SAYS. Citizenship does
not mean alone that the man VINO
possesses il shall be obedient TO the
law. shall be kindly to his neighhOrs.
shall regard the rights OF others, shall
perform his duties as a juror. shall,
IN the hour Of peril comes. yield his
time. his property and his life to his
country 1t means more; il means that
his country shall guarantee to him and
protect him in every right which the
constitution gives him What right
has the republic to demand his life
his property. in the hour OF peril If,
when his hour of peril comes, it fails
him.
The 18th. 18th and 18th amendments
to the constitution Of the United States.
and our length Of time on American
soil. makes us citizens. whether we
are regarded as such or not.
Ten million Of us speak the American
tongue. confess the American religion.
and have never lifted our voices or
hands except I'm defence of our cOuu-
try's honor and our country's Tag Has
the white man always done as much-
Who converted swamps and wilder
uesses into beautiful plantations
Who drained valleys and made IL pos
sible for the existence of Americas
great rice fields? II was the negro
with his strong arm lie il was that
made sterile spots to blossom. he it
was that graded the highways. and
made traffic and transit possible
throughout our south
The negro has contributed 10 the
of this country in many
other ways. There are over 900 in
ventions registered in the United States