Mr. Hughes (1916)

We are sorry that Mr. Charles Evans Hughes has not found opportunity to answer the courteous and pertinent letter printed on page 16 and sent him nearly a month ago.

We are told by Mr. Herbert Parsons, of the Republican National Committee, that the failure to answer was not intentional nor significant. Mr. John E. Milholland, a staunch friend of the Negro, also assures us that Mr. Hughes’ attitude is right on every question raised in our letter.

All this is gratifying, but it is not sufficient. We want to say a last word to the leaders of the Republican party; if anyone thinks that the Republicans have 500,000 Negro votes in their pockets they have some more thinking to do.

No intelligent Negro can vote for Woodrow Wilson, but he can vote for Allan L. Benson or HE CAN STAY HOME on election day, unless Mr. Hughes satisfies him by some statement more specific than the Nashville speech and more recent than the speech of ten years ago.

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Citation: Du Bois, W.E.B. 1916. “Mr. Hughes.” The Crisis. 13(1):12.