Deny Race Will Revolt

After the National Negro League president Rev. J. Milton Waldron’s speech in favor of a Democratic nominee, a group of black ministers exclaim that “negroes of this country, a majority of them at least, are not ready to go into the Democratic Party.”

Editor Post: Kindly allow us space in your paper to make a statement relative to the position taken by the conference of colored Baptist ministers of this city, who represent over 29,000 members of our churches. There are some members of the race who pose as leaders; who represent a few hundred people, but assume to speak for the whole Negro race. Let no one deceive himself or try to deceive the people of this country by crying that the Negro will vote the Democratic ticket. The Negroes of this country, a majority of them at least, are not ready to go into the Democratic Party, and we will not let a matter like this go undenied or uncontradicted. We deny that two millions of Negro Baptists have authorized any man to speak for them in advocacy of Democracy and the support of Mr. William J. Bryan for the Presidency. What can any Negro see in the Democratic Party? Mr. Bryan has denied the report that he has made any promise to the leaders or the committee that waited on him. Furthermore, the President of the National Negro League, Rev. J. Milton Waldron, is not a member of the Colored Baptist Ministers of Columbia, neither does he coice the sentiment of the colored Baptists of the District Columbia nor of the country, while he may voice the sentiments of a few members of his church. This alliance is composed of the pastors of 46 rectangular Baptist Churches and 103 preachers, and these churches have a membership of 29,000. We believe we voice the sentiment of these people when we say, let us try the old party again. Done by order of the Colored Baptist Ministers Conference of the District of Columbia, at a regular meeting held in Zion Baptist Church, F Street between Third and Four-and-a-half streets southwest.

“Deny Race Will Revolt,” Black Virginia: The Richmond Planet, 1894-1909, accessed May 12, 2025, https://blackvirginia.richmond.edu/items/show/692.