The Chicago Illinois idea. (Chicago, Ill.) 19??-19??, 1916-10-28
PRESIDENT WILSON AND THE NEGRO
Disfranchisement, Peonage and Segregation.

ocratic members of Congress looking
to the establishment of separate street
cars in Washington and the District
of Columbia, and many privileges &C
corded to other citizens have been de-
MED the colored people in the very
shadow Of the capitol.
No manner of national defense is
possible without the aid of the colored
soldiers, yet there have been measures
introduced by Wilson'S congressional
advisors preventing Negroes from en-
listing in the army and navy and for
the adjustment of the four regiments
Of colored regulars.
When the white marines were killed
at Vera Cruz, the President went to
Brooklyn to attend the funeral and
spoke with utmost feeling Of the flag
of the country for which they had CIV
en- their lives. When the colOred
troopers Of the famous Tenth Cavalry,
fighting against overwhelming odds,
displaying heroism seldom equaled,
died for the same flag and the same
country at Carrizal, and their remains
we're brought to Washington for in
terment at Arlington, the President
was conspicuous by his absence. He
was asleep in the White House and
did not desire to be disturbed.
In face of all Of this, the Democratic
party is asking the colored people for
their votes In face of discrimination.
which an executive order says was
accomplished "at considerable expense
to the government" Wilson hopes to-
secure some of the suffrages of the
class of American citizens he has
wronged.
1t goes without saying that the col
ored people will repudiate Wilson at
the polls, even as he has repudiated
them in their desires for fair and
equable citizenship. The difference
between this campaign and the one of
four years ago when Wilson was elect
ed is that we were forced to take Will
sons promises then; but we have his
record now. Contrary to his promise
to see that the Negro had equal JUS
tice," he went out Of his way to hui
initiate and disgrace the members Of
the colored race.
The colored people are natural Re-
publicans, but it behooves them in
this campaign as active, Woodworking
Republicans to see that segregation,
disfranchisement and peonage are
robbed Of the prestige which the Dem
ocratic President has accorded them
Their old enemy is the Democratic
party Everything that has been done |
against them has been done by the |
Democrats, and everything that has
been done for them has been done by |
the Republicans. When Frederick |
Douglass made his famous declaration |
twenty-five years ago that "The Re
publican party is the ship; all else is
the sea-" he propounded a prophecy
that time and President Wilson have
proven so thoroughly that there is no
room for doubt.
The only way for the colored voters
to stop these contemplate reprisals
against the race is to vote for Hughes
and Fairbanks, who are not only
friends to the colored people as indi
viduals, but are the standard-bearers
of the Republican party, from which
has come all the Negro has secured in
political and civil rights.
The introduction of these measures |
shows more plainly than anything else |
the trend of Democratic sentiment to- |
ward the Negro and just what he may |
expect from future Democratic houses |
Of Congress. The Democrats seek to |
assail and contest every right of citi- |
zenship that the Negro has acquired |
through the Republican party.
"RepubIican Party the Ship"
The Republican party was born in a |
desire that all men might be free, and |
the Negro race was the first benefi- |
ciary of it's great principles. The first |
independence that the American Ne |
gro ever felt was when he was per- |
mitted by the first Republican Pres |
ident to fight 100000 strong for his
own liberty.
1t is left for the colored voter to |
choose for himself whether he would |
prefer as President of the United |
States a man who has done everything |
in his power to destroy his rights
rights that were conferred upon him |
by the Republican party, which party |
has not only given him these rights, |
but has helped to conserve them.