The Pascagoula democrat-star., 1901-11-01
NUMBER SO.
ROOSEVELT ON SOCIAL EQUAL.
ITY,


ITY.
In speaking OF the Roosevelt
ger incident James X. Vardamar
very truthfully says: .s.
Booker T. Washington, the saddle.
colored philosopher, of Tuskegee.
Ala. has been degraded.
He was invited and accepted an in.
vitation to dine with President
Roosevelt at the White House. lam
surprised that the invitation should
have been extended and l am more
surprised that the negro should have
accepted it. thought better of
Booker. l have hoped that he was
TOO much OF gentleman (?) and had
more regard for his own self.respect
than to associate on terms of social
equality with white man who had
no more decency than to take a
Id niger into his home. BY
this act, President Roosevelt has
afironted every decent white man in
America. He has given the stamp of
his approval to social equality and
proclaimed to the world that the son
of Booker Washington is good enough
to be the sOn.in-law Of Theodore
Roosevelt. And in this opinion l
concur with Mr.. Roosevelt. The
truth Is, | have more respect for the
blacklist, rankest-smelling chicken
thief in the State of Mississippi
than l have for the occupant of the
White House. He has put himself so
low in my estimation that he would
disgrace the funky smell OF an un.
washed corn.feld Iigger. He has
reached the ne plus ultra of social
putrescence. There is one compen-
sating fact, however, which this little
incident has developed. 1t shows the
aim, ambition and end OF Booker
Washington's work. 1t will, I hope
cause some Of our 'broad minded"
preachers, Office hungry statesmen
and asinine editors and correspon.
dents to call halt in their enthuiasm
, to pay court to this distinguished and
much advertised, lemon.hued illigiti.
mate. 1t will bring the people of this
State to the full realization of the
fact that in dealing with the negro
problem they must take just such
steps as their judgement may dictate
regardless of what the Northern peo.
pie OF the Roosevelt class may think.
| Acting always, Of course within consti.
tutional limitations. Ihave contend
ed all along that social equality was
the end to which Washington and his
pusillanimOus ilk were striving. He
has advised the members OF his race
to SO live, accumulate property, edu-
cate themselves and when they should
become so fortified and entrenched
that they could then enforce the rec.
ognition Of their rights, etc. This
little affair at the White House,
while am surprised that it should
have occurred at this time (because l
thought the nigger had too much
sense to be caught in such a trap
still l believe and have so stated that
it was just what Prof. Booker aspired
to. Adding insult to infamy, it is
now claimed that President Roose.
velt will appoint white men to Office
in the South under the recommenda.
, tion Of this niger. A white man
who would take an Office under those
circumstances would disgrace the pen
itentiary. have not as much re.
spect for him as have forsthe mem
ory of a dead wanton. Were In the
place Of Ex-Governor Jones, of Ala
d bama, II imagined that that infu.
" ence secured the judgeship to which
n he has been appointed, should throw
4 1t back into the brazcn face Of the
% contemplate miscegenationist. To
Al hold an Office from such hands is dis.
n honorable.