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[country] are organizing highly trained bodies of intelligent young men who have enough military instruction under these laws to make them readily available as a source of supply for reserve officers should a sudden need call for an enlargement of the military establishment. This plan ought to be pursued and enlarged, if necessary, so as to include colleges of suitable standing attended by negro students, but I do doubt the present wisdom of establishing another institution or considering further steps until the present experiments have been further tested and their adequacy determined.
Very truly yours,
Mr. Giles B. Jackson, 511 North Second Street, Rcihmond [Richmond], Va.
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The Hannibal National Democratic League, a Negro political association with headquarters in the city of New York, at a meeting held on August lst, 1916 in New York elected Giles B. Jackson of Richmond, Va. as its President and Rufus L. Perry of New York as Secretary. The undersigned comittee was appointed to convey to President Wilson greetings from the colored people of this country who desire his re-election and to assure him of the unanimous support of the Hannibal National Democratic League and to petition him for a message of encouragement to the ten million Negroes of this country.
The time has arrived when we as Citizens, nn-longer blindly follow appealing sentiment and misleading standards, irrespective of the common good, but prompted by Spirit which seeks to preserve the traditional and conservative principles of Government and the Administration of Justice discreetly determine and carefully choose those agents upon whom the grave and important responsibility rests as Chief Magistrate of our Nation. With freedom of choice, the Hannibal League casts its fortune with the cause the President espouses and tenders him its support.
It has been universally acknowledged that this League assisted in a marked degree in the election of the Presient in 1912. It contributed thousands of votes as has been admitted by our adverse critics. The League takes this occasion to congratulate the President upon the constructive legislation enacted during his administration. There are those of our race who have from time to time attempted to criticize the President for not appointing to office colored men in recognition of the support given him in 1912 and
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for not recognizing certain individual leader-ship. We feel however, that no President since the establishment of the American Republic has entered into office under such unfavorable conditions as was the case with President Wilson who found himself surrounded on every hand with most difficult problems. A mistake in the solution of either of them might have plunged this country into a bloody war and conflict with more than one nation and instead of the prosperity which now exists there might have been utter despair and desolation. In view of these obstacles we think that the President has guided the affairs of the Nation with the wisest judgement under all conditions.
The solution of the Negro question is a problem that has taxed the best brain of this country and no politicel party seems to be willing to undertake the task. There was a time when the Republican party put into its platform fancy promises of Legislation for the protection and uplift of the Negro but these promises soon faded away only to be revived at the next National Convention..
In recent years the Republican Party has ceased to even mention the Negro in resolution or platform at its National Convention. In a majority of the Southern States where the Colored man constitutes 95% of the Republican vote he has been excluded from participation in the affairs of the Party and a Liley White organization perfected with the sign "No Negroes Wanted."
The political status of the Colored man is fixed by the statute of the States and in accordance with the views of the Majority of thoseenacting the law. Under all of the circumstances and conditions with respect to the Colored man we feel that President Wilson can be relied upon to do the just thing at the proper time. He has
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been in office not quite four years and has expressed a desire to do justice to all men without regard to race or color. He nominated a Colored man for Register of the Treasury who declined the nomination. He also nominated Judge Robert H. Terrell a colored man who was confirmed by the Senate as one of the Judges on the Municiple Court of the District of Columbia.
President Taft, the last Republican President, removed every colored man from office in the South and appointed White Demoerats in their places. We could not expect President Wilson to remove the White Democrats appointed by the Republican President and appoint Colored men in their places. We have confidence that the President will do the best thing for the interest of the Race. The Hannibal National Democratic League is not seeking office and does not espouse the cause of the President for political office. On the contrary it feels that a large percent of the Negro vote of the country should be cast for the President to show their fidelity to him, and to restrain the Republicans from counting this Suffrage before it is cast.
We have been asked to call the attention of the President to the lack of one of the greatest institutions that could be established for the benefit of the Negro Race throughout this country. At some time the country may be plunged into war with some foreign nation in which event, if the future be governed by the past the Negro will be called upon to bear arms in defence of the Nation. It has been admitted that one trained soldier is worth more than three untrained men. Some have put it as high as four. Give the Colored man half a chance to learn the tactics of War and he will make a most valuable soldier as is evidenced by the Ninth and Tenth Calvary of the Regular Army. We will not take occasion to refer to
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