The free press. (Poplarville, Miss.) 1890-19??, 1901-10-24
Roosevelt on Social Equality

III speaking Va tuC RoooSN Cie-
Nigger incident James K. Varda-
man very truthfully says:
Booker II. Washington, the
saddle-colored philosopher of
Tuskegee, Ala, has been degrad-
ed.
He was invited and accepted an
invitation to dine with President
Roosevelt last Wednesday, at the
White House. l am surprised
that the invitation should have
been extended and / am more
surprised that the niger should
have accepted it. l thought bet
ter of Booker. / have hoped that
he was too much of a gentle
man (?) and had more regard for
his own self-respect than to as
sociate on terms of social equality
with a white man who had no
more decency than to take a
id niger into his home.
Bv this act President Roosevelt
has affronted every decent white
man in American. 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
concur with Mr.. Roosevelt. The
truth is, have more respect for
the blacklist, understanding
chicken thief in 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 tunky smell
of an unwashed corn-field nlgger.
He has reached the ne plus ultra
of social putrescence. There is
one compromising fact however,
which this little incident has
developed.-It shows the aim,
am bition and end of Booker
Washington's work. 1t will, |
hope cause some of our broad
minded "preachers, office-hungry
statesmen and asinine editors and
correspondents to call halt in
their enthusiasm to pay court to
this distinguished and much adj
vertised. lemon-hued illegitimate.
1t will bring the people of this
State to the full realization of the
fact that in dealing with the mig
ger problem they must take just
such steps as their Judgment
may dlutate regardless of what
the Northern people of the Roose-
welt class may think. Acting
always, of course, within consti-
tutional limitations. l have con-
tended all along that social
equality was the end to which
Washington and his pusillani-
nous ilk were striving. He has
advised the mem bers of his race
to so live, accumulate property,
educate themselves and when
they should become fortified and
entrenched that they could then
enforce the recognition of their
rights, ETC., etc. This little af-
fair at the white house, while |
am surprised that it should have
occurred at this time because 1
thought the niger had too much |
sense to be caught in such trap !
still believed and have so stated
that it was just what Prof. Booker
aspired to. Adding insult to
infamy, it is now claimed that
President Roosevelt will appoint
white men to Office in the South
upon the recommendation of this
niger. A white man who would
take an Office under those cir
cumstances would disgrace the
penltentiary. / have not as much
respect for him as l have for the
memory of dead wanton. Were
l in the place of Ex-Governor Jones
of Alabama, if l imagined that
that influence secured the judg-
ship to which he has been ap-
pointed / should throw it back in
to the brazen face of the con-
temptible miscegenationist. To
hold an Office from such hands, is
dishonorable.