946

[stamp: ACK'D
MAY 30 1914
C.J.H.]

[stamp: THE WHITE HOUSE
MAY 30 1914
RECEIVED]

May 28, 1914.

Hon. Woodrow Wilson. President,
Executive Mansion,
Washington, D.C.

152

Dear Sir:-

There prevails among colored men of this state a feeling of
bitter disappointment and resentment against the National Democratic
Party. The old hatred and distrust which colored men formerly
felt towards the Democratic Party, but which had been largely des-
troyed here by the efforts of our organization and by the friendly
policy of the local Democracy has revived during your administration.
We, who with such high hopes for the welfare of our race,
urged colored voters to support National Democratic candidates in
1912, are daily subjected to ridicule and reproach by our people.
The strength and morale of our organization has been gravely im-
paired.

This condition is due to the following facts: - segrega-
tion and discrimination among federal civil service employees at
Washington; the removal of the majority of prominent colored
federal office-holders, and the failure to replace them with col-
ored democrats; and the recrudescense of Negro-baiting in Congress.
Locally this condition has been much aggravated by the recent
action of Mr. Dudley Field Malone, generally recognized as the
spokesman of your administration here. We called upon him for
the purpose of ascertaining whether there was any patronage in the
Customs House in the distribution of which we might share, and were
treated by him with gross discourtesy. The reason assigned by
him for his attitude, namely, the fact that we are supporters of
Mr. Murphy, is so absurd that we cannot regard it as the real
reason. Mr. Malone has lived in New York all his life, and can-
not be ignorant of the sentiment of colored men towards Tammany
Hall, nor of the reasons therefor. Tammany Hall’s fair and e-
qual treatment of the Negro has caused it to be known and loved
by colored men all over the country. This was unquestionably the
preponderant reason for the support which the National Democratic
Party received from colored voters in 1912. Even if we, as lead-
ers of the colored democrats, were base enough to attempt to ar-
ray them against Tammany Hall, we should not be strong enough to
succeed. Colored men against Tammany Hall! Mr. Malone knows

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