Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1903-02-07
sECRETARY ROOT SPEAKS.


The fortieth anniversary of the Union
League Club of New York was celebrated
at the clubhouse last night by a recep-
ton to the survivors of those who Joined
The club in 1863. In the absence of
Cornelius n. Bliss, president ofthe club,
William f. Dodge the senior vice presl-
dent. presided. Elihu Root, the Secre-
tary of War, was the chairman OF the
reception committee.
Secretary Root congratulated the
veterans of the club upon having woven
thread into fabric of the great life OF
this country. "There are, he added,
"many problems coming up today on
which the safety of this government de-
pends. There are today situations OF
possible evils for our country that call
for devoted patriotism. First, division
between the rich and the poor under
which wealth controls legislation and
poverty is trying to stir up war OF
classes, but every good citizen should de,
clare that never in this free land
shall we have a war OF classes.
There are some labor organizations
which fight against the better man doing
more work than the poorer man, and
hold down the competent man to the
level of the incompetent and stupid. L
do not declare war against labor organi-
cations, / believe in them. The labor
er is entitled to organize to get his own.
After the civil war the great question
was. What shall we do with the black
man?' and the answer was, Give him
citizenship, equal rights, and the fraL-
chise and he will rise Three amend
ments were added to the constitution
and ] fear that we will have to face the
conclusion that the experiment has
failed. The suffrage has been taken
away from the negro, and, In many OF
the southern States, the black man no
longer has the right to suffrage. A
curious development has been seen with
in the past year. President Roosevelt
has appointed fewer black men than
President Mckinley did, and there are
today fewer black men holding office
than when Mckinley died. Yet loud
outcries are to be heard in the South
about President Roosevelt's policy of APP
pointing black men to office in the
South-Under previous Presidents-Mc-
Kinley, Cleveland, Harrison, and back to
HAYES time-more negroes were ap-
pointed to office and nothing was said.
A black man attended an official re-
ception in Washington at the White
House short time ago. The black
man. as an official of the government,
had always attended these receptions.
Yet the invitation of the President to
these men was the signal for All outcry
of a thousand papers in the South that
the whites were being | insuted. !
don't want to argue this question. ]
am certainly showing that we have to
face a new change of feeling IN the
South. that the black man is denied tae
right to aspire to the highest there is III
american citizenship. This right t'
aspire to the highest dignity which wai
formerly unquestioned is now question:
ed. In a short time the white man vii
succeed in excluding the black mar
from all Offices in the southern States
We can never throw off the response
bility that rests on our people Tor th'
welfare of these black people that w
held in slavery for so many generations
Now that the first attempt has failed
the question is what to do, and it shoul'
take the greatest thought of the creates
minds of the country"