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country by a joint commission of colored men and women and white men and
women. If, by the first of January I can return to you and say that I
have received the necessary subscriptions for the work, it would then
be in order to discuss the size of the Commission and select its mem-
bership. Should the undertaking prove successful it ought to be a very
great advantage to your Administration to have been identified with so
noble an undertaking on behalf of social justice.

I am particularly urging this upon you now because of the
intense dissatisfaction of the colored people at their treatment by your
Administration thus far. I attach to this a letter received from
Dr. Booker T. Washington in which you will see he says that never in
his life has he seen the colored people so discouraged and embittered
as they are at the present moment. It seems to me that nothing short
of the appointment of such a Commission as this, and the prompt appoint-
ment of capable colored men to certain offices will in any way mitigate
this feeling. I earnestly hope, therefore, in your own interest, that
I may receive from you the approval of this plan. Nothing will be said
about this in the public press until I can report to you that I have the
money in hand. If I should not be able to raise it I will report this
fact to you at the end of the year, and no harm will have been done.

Your Administration has been such a success in every other way
that I cannot bear to have ten millions of our citizens feel that you
are inimical to their interests.

Very truly yours,
Oswald Garrison Villard

P.S. I have Dr.
Washington’s permis-
sion to show you his letter.

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