Negro Pleads for Foraker

At the Bethel African American Methodist Episcopal Church, black federal employees “make a fuss” when Rev. Reverdy C. Ransom defends Senator Foraker for President Roosevelt’s hypocritical claims.

A few colored Federal employees, members of the Rev. Reverdy C. Ransom’s congregation at the Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church in West Twenty-fifth Street, made a fuss yesterday afternoon when the Rev. Mr. Ransom in defence of Senator Foraker said that President Roosevelt should have been ashamed to attack the Senator when he himself had personally solicited $260,000 from Edward H. Harriman for campaign funds. Up jumped Archibald Roberts, holder of a Federal job, and lifted his voice above the cheers for the preacher. “President Roosevelt is the grandest man in the world!” yelled Brother Roberts. There was a chorus of boos and groans sharpened by hisses. The Rev. Reverdy C. Ransom laughed. “It’s only Brother Archie Roberts,” he called out. “Let Brother Roberts alone. That's his job, talking right out in meeting. Some place in the Scriptures may be found a passage which we can interpret: ‘Better that one Federal officeholder should lose his job than that the whole colored race be corrupted.” (Laughter, applause and grumbles from the jobholders.)”He’s only doing the best he can,” went on the preacher when Brother Roberts had sat down again and the uproar was stilled. “The other day the President called the high class colored officeholder before him - Charley Anderson, Dietz and some more - and he said: “Why don’t you boys come out and speak in defence of my administration? Your preachers and your papers are all against me. Now go out and get busy!’ But none of the big colored officeholder dares to go before a colored audience anywhere in this country to defend Roosevelt. They would be hissed off the stage.” (Cheers and a great waving of handkerchiefs by the women.) The Rev. Mr. Ransom said he had voted the straight Republican tickets for twenty-six years, so he guessed he could qualify as a Republican. One thing he said he could not stand for, and that was the president’s statement against Foraker, made before the President had given the Senator a chance to produce evidence to nullify the Archbold letters. He thought that was the most hypocritical proceeding American citizens had ever been asked to applaud...

“Negro Pleads for Foraker,” Black Virginia: The Richmond Planet, 1894-1909, accessed September 14, 2026, https://blackvirginia.richmond.edu/items/show/726.