Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1901-10-31
'OUTsIDE POINT OF VIEW.

Written for the Times Republican.
In the daily history of the lives of our
presidents no little event has caused sol
much comment. not only in the daily
papers, but among the people, as the ac-
cepted invitation of Booker I. Wash
ington to dine with President Roose-
yelt. The writer has read all sorts of
criticism and commentator. has talked
with many citizens here in Iowa. and
after all that has been said, no better
statement can be said that that Presi-
dent Roosevelt was right in theory, but
wrong in practice-this referring to re-
suits. This episode in the public life of
Roosevelt happens to be one which dis
tinctly has much to praise and much to
condemn. One need not be accused OF
lunfairness If he takes upon himself to
accuse or defend. So much has been
written already on the subject, there is
no pretense of here offering anything
new. But the aspects Of the case are
worth discussing. They involve bit of
national life, more than an ordinary In
vitation to dinner.
Suppose in this paragraph we take the
affirmative side OF the question. 1t is
admitted that president has a right to
invite any respectable person to dine
with him Go little further, and as
president of all of the people (there are
i. oOO, 900 colored citizens in these United
States), as such he should recognize So
cially as well az politically all classes.
We are democracy, by and of the peo-
pie Again, we are a Christian people.
President Roosevelt is a church mem-
Der, and to his credit most worthy
one Booker I. Washington is not only
IA man of education and refinement but
is man and a brother. Christianity
nominally recognizes no color, but 1t
must be admitted practically in the
south the color line is drawn even in
church circles. Once more, Roosevelt Is
a republican. Nominally and theoreti-
.cally the republican party proclaims the
equality of the white and black man.
Roosevelt, In dining Washington, was
only practicing what all republicans
preach. So far so good.
Now to get some facts on the other
side. We can start out with the plain
statement that the colored man in these
United States, north, south. east or
|,
social equal of the white man. Adolf
tionists OF the Wendell Phillips stripe
have preached but never practiced 1t.
Paradoxical as 1t may seem, republican
Massachusetts has never treated the
black man as well as democratic South
Carolina This deliberate statement has
abundance of proof in the fact that the
thousands OF our colored people still live.
in the south, and the hundreds In the
north. The argument of climaterfcl
needs, the association of BIRTH place and
the enforced poverty of the majority.
keeping these millions of our colored
citizens south of Mason and Dixon's line
ia weak one. They continue to live in
the south because, other things being
equal, they find more pleasure in living
in contact with the southerner than
with the northerner. Migrations of peo-1
pies are always possible when condi-
tions make them necessary. History
cites hundreds OF such cases. The coll
ored man of the south lives there today
with full knowledge of his social stat
us and 1t ia the least OF his troubles.
sss
President Roosevelt knows all this.
No better posted man ever occupied the
presidential chair. this referring to a
knowledge of the social customs of "all
sorts and conditions of men," In the
face OF such knowledge he deliberately
invites "a niger" to dinner, has done 1t
before, and the writer thinks he will do
lit again And right here an admirer OF
the man feels ard states that such an
invitation is much more to the credit OF
his heart than head. There can be no
denial of the fact that this dinner affair
has brought out 1.-The southern yell'
louder than ever We of the north can
not understand this feeling. We have
it to a certain extent concerning China
men. We do not. to be sure, draw the
line on all Cinnamon. as the southerners
do on all the colored people, but there is
a line, an invisible one. that prevents
any social relations, here in the north.