The guardian. [volume] (Boston, Mass.) 1901-1960, 1944-06-24
wILLKIE TO REPUBLICANS

In open statement directed to Republicans Wendell
Wke outlined the chief grievances of coored people and
called the Grand Old Party-the party of Lincoln of
the emancipation proclamation, of the amendments
Ito go ahead with its great moral issue of human free
DOM by the passage of federal statutes which const
tue the only practical method by which the coored mans
rights be assured him. Characerizng strange be-
havor the yielding of Republicans year after year. the
old States rights argument and Interpretation of
federal power, Mr.. Wkie urged the Republican party
in its platform and in the declarations of its candidates to
Commit itself unequvocay and specifically to federal
anti-poll tax and ant-lynchng statutes" remarkably
frank uerance by the foremost Republican leader does
not any point lower itself to limiting at what effect his
proposals may have the coored vote
Naturally, it is to be assumed, Mr.. Wllke wants to
help his party gather strength reinvigorated Repub
party rededcated to the moral issue of human free
DOM would be attractive to the large and increasing body
of liberals citizens who, especially since the began,
have become strongly mbued with the sentiments of uni
versal liberty and equality, citizens who are sufficiently
enlightened to feel chagrned by the ncongruty of our
preaching world freedom when have not succeeded in
putting freedom into practice home citizens who want
Americas behavior square with Americas words But
if there any suggestion bearing directly on the possibility
of winning Republican votes it in that part of Mr.
WILKES statement which reads: "The very fact that
the Republican party the fundamentally through
which the coored people given freedom makes them
IL
them from obtaining the substance of freedom"
1t true that colored peoples dspleasure their
apparent abandonment by their former protectors is real
and persistent One result has been not only widespread
confusion concerning the avowed purposes back of Lin
coins act of emancipation but uncertainty to the sin
cery and worth of the entire freedom movement including
the amendments the Constitution which labeled as
guaranteeing the colored exactly the rights
as every other citizen of the United States But even
though it is admitted that the cooling off of Republican
crusaders generated resentment that still persists coored
Republicans have not in large numbers left the COP and
vote about evenly divided between the two great parties
enrolled under the banner of the Democrats The coored
1t thoroughgong division and long advocated by
leaders of the colored race is to as
that coored Democrats only dsgrunted coored
Republicans.
Fifty years ago, forty years ago, coored Democrats
and often looked upon with distrust
voters in the 1920s. The idea caught up and the
Deliberate enrolment Democrats started among colored
movement led by the younger voters. Ferdinand c.
Morton New York and Julian D. Raney in Boston, both
young attorneys among the prominent Democratic
pioneers. The liberalism of President and Mrs Roosevelt
has induced many young and women just reaching
voting to cast in their lot with the Democrats 1t may
be that they have joined Roosevelt and not his party for
the that led muttudes of Republicans to
vote for Roosevelt in the last three national campaigns
And this just another of saying that must expect
the coored American to think and act with exactly the
freedom every other American.