912

Jan. 23, 1914

Copy

The Honorable Joseph P. Tumulty
Private Sect President Wilson Washington D.C.

Dear and Honored Sir:-

We deeply regret that it becomes our painful
duty to call your attention, as our representative, to the manner
in which things are shaping themselves, at Washington, D. C. and
throughout the Country, in all matters affecting the interests of
your Colored fellow citizens.

It seems to us that the policy of the present
Administration is to allow the Southern way of dealing with members
of our race to dominate wherever that policy can be enforced, at every
point, in which members of our race appear, in public office, regard-
less of fitness, education, experience and character.

Segregation is one feature of the present ad-
ministration, which will go down in history, as not only cowardly,
but unjust as well, and unworthy of a race that claims to be strong,
courageous and fair-minded, and of a party that declares loudly the
doctrine of the immortal Jefferson-—"Equal and exact justice to all,
special privileges to none."

Side by side we have fought with white men in
all the wars of this Country which we have helped to make rich and
powerful. Shall we now be denied the privilege of sharing its ad-
vantages, in office and the private walks of life, in common with
other citizens, who are sworn to defend the flag, and support the
Constitution?

Members of the race are fenced off, in Depart-
ments, at our National Capitol, like so many lepers, simply because
of the physical misfortune (?) of color--race identity.

Secondly, the present administration has in-
troduced a policy of elimination, so far as possible, wherever the
Negro is found in office, as for instance, in the Treasury and Navy
Departments, from which Mr. Napier and Mr. Tyler were ousted. In
the Department of Justice, Mr. Lewis was disposed of in short order.
Their places were filled by white men.

In the Consular service, Furniss was renoved
from Hayti, Dr. C. H. Jackson, who served 20 years as our represen-
tative in France (Cognac) and Mr. Johnson at Asores, South America,

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