Arkansas survey., 1924-09-20
VOTERS BORN SINCE WAR
OF INDEPENDENT MIND

Berkley, Norfolk, Va, in 1868
and his father was a Baptist
clergyman. He attended the
public schools at Portsmouth,
Va, the State Normal at Peters,
burg, Va; was graduated from
Amherst College, class of 1892,
where he was Captain of the
football team and winner of two
chief prizes in his senior year.
From Amherst went to Har-
ward Law School, where he COM
pleted the course in 1895 and
started the practice of law.
Wilmington, Del, Sept
More than five ENdred persons
assembled at TIE National thea
tire Thursday evening, to hear
William H. Lewis, of Boston tell
the colored people of Whining
ton why he was supporting Jno.
W. Davis for president.
Mr.. Lewis spoke in part as
follows:
81 welcome this opportunity.
1t is fitting that | should make
my first address of the cam
paign in Wilmington where l
have so often spoken as a Re-
publican. You have the, right
to know the reason for the
change. Wilmington at this
time, politically speaking, is a
city set on a hill that cannot be
hid. What the colored men
and women did in Delaware two
wears ago has been written a.
bout in the newspapers and maya
zines thruout the country. The
colored people of your state set
an example for Independent po.
'hitins yact on that is beiny talked
of today more than ever.
ut is incumbent upon us to be
in all parties so that no matter
what party wins we shall have
a seat there. One of our best
friends Charles Sumner said, "A
slave to principle | call no party
master That will be my mot
to in the future. The ballot has
been placed in our hands as a
protection and when a party
fails to give us that then we
should have no more use for that
party.
Republican Party Has Failed
Race
at has been more than half
a century since the l4th Amend
ment to the Constitution was
ratified and for that length OF
time we have been voting like
sheep for the Republican party
in failure and in success. To-
night | stand before you and de-
clare that we have paid the Re-
publican party all we owe It,
Now they owe us. 1t was the
colored people who furnished
that party the issue that brought
il into power. In 1876 the Re-
publican party swapped the Ne
gro in the South for the election
of Hayes. Since then it has
never attempted to secure us our
rights,
New Era, New Thought
"The Negro has made many
mistakes through our loyalty to
the Republican party. 1t was
the party of our fathers. Boys
and girls born since slavery are
going to change. Instead OF
making friends politically, with
our friend and neighbors, we
have looked one thousand miles
away for leadership. We have
heretofore done nothing for the
Democratic party but the time
is here when we should make
friends with the Democrats and
by dividing our votes show them
that we are like other people not
tied to one party.
II have come to the parting OF
the ways. The Republican party
does not want us excepting
when an election draws near but
God moves in a mysterious way
and His wonders to perform,
Oppression in the South drove
our people North and today we
hold the balance of political pow
er in Delaware, Maryland, Mas
sachusetts, West Virginia, New
Jersey New York, Ohio, Indi-
ana and Illinois. What are we
going to do with this power
We have tried the Republican
party for fifty years why not