The broad ax. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1895-19??, 1916-10-28
Some Sound or Logical
Reasons Why the Hon.
EdwardF. Dunno Should
Be Reflected Governor
of Illinois. Contributed
by William H. Clark.


the reasons why the COlored voters
OF Illinois should support Governor
Dunno in his candidacy for re-
election 1t might be pertinent to in
luire what reason any sane Colored
nan would have for not voting for
aim. To those of us who are &C
quainted with the record of the man
as judge, mayor and Governor, he
stands out as an ideal candidate.
There is not a man in public life in
this state whose personality appeals
10 the Colored electorate as does that
of Governor Dunno. And with good
reason.
Illinois has had some great Cover
nors, men who have left their impress
upon much good legislation and added
lustre to the name and fame of the
state. The name of Oglesby will al
ways be associated with the war pc
Rod. To revert to him is to think of
tented fields and martial music, of
period when feeling ran high and mems
souls were tried to the utmost. Fifer
and the strenuous Tanner will not be
soon forgotten. John P. Altgeld, great
est thinker of them all, friend of the
toiling masses, loved and hated,
climbed from a stowaway in an emf
grant ship to a deathless memory
among the great men who have Occu-
pied the executive chair at Springfield.
But to the Colored people there is none
like Dunno, and the most hide-bound
black Republican will hesitate long be-
fore casting his vote against him on
the seventh of November.
Few there are among the Colored
citizens who are not conversant with
the things that have endeared E. F.
Dunno to the Colored folk and made
his name a household word among
them. There is scarcely a man or
woman of color who does not recall
his action in the Hudgins case. Mrs.
Hudgins was a poor Colored woman iv.
ing on Ada street in Englewood. A
white peddler assaulted her in her
kitchen. She seized a knife and
slashed his throat, inficting wound
from which he died. Governor Dunno,
then a Judge of the Circuit Court of
Cook county, was sitting in the Grim
! inal Court and the case of Mrs. Hud-
! gins came before him for trial. She
was found guilty of manslaughter.
The Judges heart went out to the I'M
fortunate woman. He set aside the
verdict of the prejudiced jury and re-
leased her.
Another incident that showed the
calibre of the man occurred when he
was mayor of Chicago. The Chicago
Woman's Club had invited Ben Till
man, the notorious Negro batter, to
lecture to its members. Governor
Dunno was asked to preside at that
meeting. He refused because Tillman
was an advocate of lynching. Tillman
was informed of the mayors reason
for snubbing him and frothed and
fumed for weeks after.
1t is an old saying that acts speak
louder than words, but we cannot re-
frain at this juncture from quoting
Governor DUNES views on the Grace
Question:" as published in the Chicago
Tribune of Feb. Is, 1908. Guy Cramer,
bright young reporter had been sent
out to get the views of public men on
the all absorbing "Question. Among
those interviewed was Judge Dunno
and his words, part of which only are
given here, stamp him as a real cham
pion of the downtown trodden black
man. Said he:
"I believe in the Negro. 1 do not
believe that he has progressed back
ward, as the paradox has been put. He
has been held back by race prejudice
which has placed every possible OBJ
stacle in his way. That he has sur
vived these hindrances and advanced
as far as he has is proof that his case
is far from hopeless, as some affect to
see it. You cannot argue the Colored
question on reason. 1t is bound about
by too much prejudice. But give the
Colored man the encouragement and
assistance to advance and believe he
is certain to command that respect
which must be the aggressive factor in
allaying the race prejudice that grips
the South.
"That same aversion is with us here
in the North. The Colored man is by
no means given the opportunity which
he merits. Is there any demand for
young Colored women Of education who
seek even the position Of typewriteri
Is there any tendency to give employ
ment to young Colored men Of ability