Oswald Garrison Villard to Woodrow Wilson
Title
Creator
Identifier
Date
Source
Subject
Relation
Text
August 18, 1913.
Dear Mr. President
On May 14th you were good enough to accord me an interview at the White House in which I laid before you the project of a Race Commission. You stated your approval of the project in generallo, but expressed the wish not to pass upon the matter at that time because of your inexperience with Congress and obvious inability in so short a time to ascertain just what your relations with Congress were going to be. This was wholly satisfactory to us, as we did not look for an answer before the middle of summer. Mr. Tumulty has recently urged that I see you at an early opportunity, but now writes me that on account of pressure of other affairs you are not able to make another appointment, but that you would be willing to consider any written proposition from me.
I therefore earnestly renew my suggestion that you approve the printed plan, of which I enclose another copy, in principle; that is, you give me authority to attempt to raise the money necessary for such an undertaking, say$50,000 or$60,000, I to say to possible donors that you will name and appoint the Commission, and if the report is satisfactory to you transmit it in due course to Congress. Such an approval in principle would not commit you, of course, to the names suggested for membership on the Commission, or to any programme beyond an impartial, non—partisan investigation of the race situation in this country by a joint commission of colored men and women and white men and women. If, by the first of January I can return to you and say that I have received the necessary subscriptions for the work, it would then be in order to discuss the size of the Commission and select its membership. Should the undertaking prove successful it ought to be a very great advantage to your Administration to have been identified with so noble an undertaking on behalf of social justice.
I am particularly urging this upon you now because of the intense dissatisfaction of the colored people at their treatment by your Administration thus far. I attach to this a letter received from from Dr. Booker T. Washington in which you will see he says that never in his life has he seen the colored people so discouraged and embittered as they are at the present moment. It seems to me that nothing short of the appointment of such a Commission as this, and the prompt appointment of capable colored men to certain offices will in any way mitigate this feeling. I earnestly hope, therefore, in your own interest, that I may receive from you the approval of this plan. Nothing will be said about this in the public press until I can report to you that I have the money in hand. If I should not be able to raise it I will report this fact to you at the end of the year, and no harm will have been done.
Your Administration has been such a success in every other way that I cannot bear to have ten millions of our citizens feel that you are inimical to their interests.
Oswald Garrison Villard
PS I have Dr. Washington’s Ppermission to show you his letter.
Original Format
To
Files
