Whom Shall They Support?

To the Afro-Amtricansof Michigan: In reply to an article to be found in the Detroit Free Press of Oct. 9, over the gignature of my father, W. Q-. Roberts, of thig city, I beg leave to state that I read hig letter wi'.h no little surprise. Had I eeen such a letter come from his hand a year ago, it would have caused my cheeks to tinge with gharne; because of hia taking the stand that I'm sorry he has, in the present campaien, upon the political issues which concern us as American citizens. Owing to the close relationship existing oetween myself and him, it was with much reluctance that I went to the length of making a reply. But I think it ig my duty as a young American, scarcely out of my teens, but having the interest of my people at heart, to appeal to hig many acqnaintances throughout the state, and all others that may chance to read his letter, Eot to let his epistle affect their loyalty to the Republican party. I sincerely hope that there will not be on Afro-American in the state of Michigan who will be so base and foolish as to be influenced by his or any other colored man'8 letter to make the great and reprehensible mistake of helping to put into power a party that would if they could, put every mother's son of us back into filavery. While there may be some trivial reasons why we as colored men should become dis8atis6ed with the Republican party, I fail to see any grievances grave enough to cause us to affiliate ourselves with a party that owes its success four years ago, not to the triumph of any Democratie principies, but 'o fraud and intimidation, by sayir.g to a million and a half of colored voters in the 8omh, You have no rights which we are bound to resoect. A party that allows Jefferson Davis, the arch-rebel of his country, to beextolled in the seaate of the Umtd States as a oatriot ; a party ihat permite the flag of our country, under which the boys in blue marched many imes to victory, to be lowered in the dust n honor of that rebel Jake Thompson a party the dominant element oí which, once reduced a being created in the divine imaere to a chattel, that made him a beast of burden in the field oL toil, an outcast in society, in politlos a cipher, and in th church of Q-od a pariah. And judgin from the speeches that are today made i the halls of congress by that party's Beek its Vest, and its Vanee, there has been n raarked diminution iu their loyaliy to th Confedérate caue and in their animosity to the negro. He sys he is tired of be ing a slave to the R'puolican party, must confesa my ignorance ol' the pxist ence of any such thing rs political slaven iu the North. Does he mean that tha kind of appeal to the colored man's bette judgment, not tochange their party afilia tion for their own good is politieal slavery If 80 I would like to ask what colorei man hns been burdened by that slavery What American in the state of Mich igan would be willing to exchange the Rlavery to which he alludes for tha slavery which is forced upon our coloree brethren of the South, not by kind wurds but by the shot-gun and the csrt whip. All colored men of the South are ini-tinctively Republican, but are preventet from pupporting the party of tbeir choice by Deiuocrats. How is this done? On arising from their i-lumber, as they open the door to look at the i-un which ought to shine upon them as freemen, a coffin upon which are placed two bones and a (.kuil, meets hil sight. He looks at thid str-nge ppectacle, he looks at himself ane family. I hear him say, Kepublican party, I love you dearly but I love my lite more dearly. So he doesn't vote. Which tlav ery, I ask, do the colored men of the North prefer ? He says, further, he hopee bis letter will show the colored votéis ol the North where their interest he. For the hfe of me I connot see any thing in his letter that would open the eyes of any blind elector of the Nor.h. Does he mean to insinúate that our interests lie iu the Democrat party? What evidence can he produce to demónstrate the statement 1 Will he or any other disaffected Eepublican put his finger upon a single legilative enactment in the interest of the negro made by the Democratie party in its eutire history ? Will he name me one Democrat either from the North or Souih that ever dared rise in the halls of Congress and enter a protest against the ill treatment of tbe southern negro? I challenge him for an answer. Do our interests lie in the Democrat party ? Shame upon any man who is conversant with his country'8 history to make the statement. The Democratie party have always been diametrically opposed to the negro. That party opptged the abolitioa of slavery, sympathised with tbe Rehellion, fought against the enfranchisemeru of the colored man, and is today depri vin? Wm by violence, fraud, and murder, f i ha exercise of those rights guarautce oy he constitution. Now, then, it seems to me that any man who is identified with the negro race, no matter inhowsmal! a manner, that will, in the light of these facts, cast bis influence with the Democracy, ought to be branded as a knave, a fooi, and a traitor to bis race. While it is a fact that slavery was abolished as a military necessity ,1 firtnly believe that it was in the heart of that good and great man, Abraham Lincoln, and his party to free the slave, not because it was military necessity, but because they sympathized with the slave and believe that slavery was antagonistic to the principies of a republicaD form of government. Why did they not do it? Because there was such a great number of Demourat?, dough-faces, copperheads, and rebels in the North, like Mr. Thurman, whose indignation we would have aroused had we attempted it. The only point n his letter worthy of note is the one reative to the failure of colored men to secure offices in this state. While I believe the Republican party has not done as much in this respect as they ought, I ;hink their failure to receive favors from that party is not so much due to the ind8position ti the party as it is to the lack of "get-up-ism" in our own people. I dou't lay that colored men are not capable of jeing office-holders, for the reverse is too true. When colored men come to the realijsation of the fact, that they have not ouly got to have the requisite ability, but must s-ork with the same zeal of our white xiends, then and not till then, will the Sepublican party or any other party recognize our worth and reward all those of us entitled to favor and recognition by giving us a share of the public offices, like they do all otlier nationalities. I, for one, do not believe that the colored man needs any special legislation. The Repubücan arty hag made the colored man equal to he white man in every respect before the aw, and in my opinión we need no civil rights bill. If we have grievances, let us ask that justice be dealt out to ub, not as negroes, but as American citiiens. Again I appeal to colored voters' of Michigan, beware of the wolf in sheep's clothing; think well before you take that great step. The time has not come when colored men should be Democracts. Nor will it ever come in my opinión until the solid South, made solid by fraud and intimidation, ceases to be the controlling element of the Democrat party. 1 have a grudge at the remocrac party and it will take my entire life for me to get it out, and as a young Afro-American ho expects to cast my first ballot for 3enjamin Harrison,I will say.in conclusión, f the allwise Creator should permit me o live to be 150 years old, as long as the iepublican party advocates such principes as they always have and are advocatng to day, just so long will I be found ighting under the banner of that Grand Old Republican party. Tours Respectfully, Ann Arbor, Oot. 15, 1888.