CHAPTER II.
MY POLITICAL LIFE.
I began taking interest in politics. I devoted my time to politics for several years. My friends wanted me to run for the Legislature, but I refused to accept the nomination for legislator. I gave the matter my undivided attention. I soon found that there was nothing in politics for colored people. Yet at that time the Republican party, that the colored people were so closely connected with, had control of the State.
I began to prophesy as to what would be the outcome of the whole matter; yet I was not a prophet, nor the son of a prophet. I discovered through the telescope of time that the Democratic party would predominate in the future.
I advised my race (that came to me for advice) not to take any interest in politics, and if they did, to divide their votes equally between the two parties.
I, for myself, would not vote against either of the parties. I saw at that time that race prejudice had begun to accumulate and multiply, prejudice had begun to stretch its fatal wings across all of the Southern boundaries, in the hearts of the two races, extending to the Mason-Dixon line.
Along the political lines, I might emphasize for a moment and say I do not hold either one of the races particularly responsible for this detestable outcome of the condition of the two races, but I hold both races equally responsible.
I told my race at the time that the Democratic party would control the political forces in spite of the Federal Government, because they had the money and the brains.
Numbers of them have been to me and told me that the thing came just as I said. I told them to get religion, educate themselves, buy property, stay out of politics, and put money in the bank, and as soon as we as a race handle the silver dollar, often and freely we will get recognition without any trouble, for I have said in several of my speeches, if I should see a white man in heaven, I am satisfied that he would be there chasing a silver dollar, because he loves the mighty dollar. I told them as a race, if they would get the silver dollar, the white man would chase them, regardless of color or previous condition.
It has been over twenty years ago since I have taken any interest in any political campaign. My life has been so sweet to me since I have washed my hands from politics, I pray to the God of Heaven that all thoughts would be obliterated, to inspire a single thought that had the tendency to mislead me into politics again. I soon found out that we had nothing to interest ourselves in as a race. We are here among the predominant race. We must admit, in the first instance, that the Anglo-Saxon race owns everything in the Southern States. They own the land, they own the money, they own the railroads, and they outnumber us several times. We are but a few in number as a race. All I ask for as a member of the unfortunate race is the waste land, and ask them to give me an opportunity to build up the waste places. I admit that the colored people, as a race, are ignorant; they want to go too speedily.
Since Abraham Lincoln issued the proclamation declaring that the negro race was free, they thought that they were just as good as any one else. That much was true. For an instance, you take a man that wants a job; he goes to a man of means and asks him for a job, notwithstanding that he is not as good as the man that has means. He is submissive, in other words, he is depending on that man that has means to get a job, and if he fails to satisfy the man that he asked for the job, unless he really needs it, the man refuses to give it to him. This is the position that the colored man is placed in. We, as a race, are depending almost entirely upon the sympathetic treatment of the predominant race that we live among.
Now, if my race will not be governed by my teaching, as I have so elaborately outlined to them as a race, the only way I see for them to do is to go back to their old original country. As Bishop Turner says, "We will have to go sooner or later and build up Africa, Egypt, Liberia, and other waste countries, formulate a government and enact laws upon the statute book that will be a credit to any nation." And let us as a race, if we go to Africa, bury ignorance, superstition, debauchery, and let the light of intelligence shine over the entire region of Africa. Let us as a race manage our legislative power with discretion, let all our actions be prudent, that other countries will spontaneously visit us and congratulate us, as to our wise management of our government affairs.
MY POLITICAL LIFE.
I began taking interest in politics. I devoted my time to politics for several years. My friends wanted me to run for the Legislature, but I refused to accept the nomination for legislator. I gave the matter my undivided attention. I soon found that there was nothing in politics for colored people. Yet at that time the Republican party, that the colored people were so closely connected with, had control of the State.
I began to prophesy as to what would be the outcome of the whole matter; yet I was not a prophet, nor the son of a prophet. I discovered through the telescope of time that the Democratic party would predominate in the future.
I advised my race (that came to me for advice) not to take any interest in politics, and if they did, to divide their votes equally between the two parties.
I, for myself, would not vote against either of the parties. I saw at that time that race prejudice had begun to accumulate and multiply, prejudice had begun to stretch its fatal wings across all of the Southern boundaries, in the hearts of the two races, extending to the Mason-Dixon line.
Along the political lines, I might emphasize for a moment and say I do not hold either one of the races particularly responsible for this detestable outcome of the condition of the two races, but I hold both races equally responsible.
I told my race at the time that the Democratic party would control the political forces in spite of the Federal Government, because they had the money and the brains.
Numbers of them have been to me and told me that the thing came just as I said. I told them to get religion, educate themselves, buy property, stay out of politics, and put money in the bank, and as soon as we as a race handle the silver dollar, often and freely we will get recognition without any trouble, for I have said in several of my speeches, if I should see a white man in heaven, I am satisfied that he would be there chasing a silver dollar, because he loves the mighty dollar. I told them as a race, if they would get the silver dollar, the white man would chase them, regardless of color or previous condition.
It has been over twenty years ago since I have taken any interest in any political campaign. My life has been so sweet to me since I have washed my hands from politics, I pray to the God of Heaven that all thoughts would be obliterated, to inspire a single thought that had the tendency to mislead me into politics again. I soon found out that we had nothing to interest ourselves in as a race. We are here among the predominant race. We must admit, in the first instance, that the Anglo-Saxon race owns everything in the Southern States. They own the land, they own the money, they own the railroads, and they outnumber us several times. We are but a few in number as a race. All I ask for as a member of the unfortunate race is the waste land, and ask them to give me an opportunity to build up the waste places. I admit that the colored people, as a race, are ignorant; they want to go too speedily.
Since Abraham Lincoln issued the proclamation declaring that the negro race was free, they thought that they were just as good as any one else. That much was true. For an instance, you take a man that wants a job; he goes to a man of means and asks him for a job, notwithstanding that he is not as good as the man that has means. He is submissive, in other words, he is depending on that man that has means to get a job, and if he fails to satisfy the man that he asked for the job, unless he really needs it, the man refuses to give it to him. This is the position that the colored man is placed in. We, as a race, are depending almost entirely upon the sympathetic treatment of the predominant race that we live among.
Now, if my race will not be governed by my teaching, as I have so elaborately outlined to them as a race, the only way I see for them to do is to go back to their old original country. As Bishop Turner says, "We will have to go sooner or later and build up Africa, Egypt, Liberia, and other waste countries, formulate a government and enact laws upon the statute book that will be a credit to any nation." And let us as a race, if we go to Africa, bury ignorance, superstition, debauchery, and let the light of intelligence shine over the entire region of Africa. Let us as a race manage our legislative power with discretion, let all our actions be prudent, that other countries will spontaneously visit us and congratulate us, as to our wise management of our government affairs.
