The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1903-02-03
| New York Evening journal. I

United States, has declared himself
tho negro's friend. That is Il very
noble declaration. The negro has
hard place to fill in this world. His
education began many thousands of
years later than that of the race with
which he competes. He is in very
weak minority-nnt only in mum
hers, but in equipment. He suffers
the disadvantage of having filled a
place of confessed and helpless in
ferlority. His present 80 called
equality is the result of commercial
war and territorial rivalry-.not of
human Justice fully developed.
Therefore he who sincerely and
dlsinterestedly befriends the negro ia
real man, unseltish and humane.
Mr.. Roosevelt acts-when he does
act--aggressively aud noisily. He
has declared himself the negro's
friend and protector. He declares
that negroes must and shall have
their share of Offices (n the South,
where the objection to negro equality
il strongest). The presidents atti-
tude is noisy and aggressive as usual.
lie appointed as postmistress in the
South a certain colored lady. She
was in every way respectable, and
worthy. But the people objected
and made their objection apparent
The lady-with tact which Mr.
Roosevelt perhaps does not quite
Observation-Disclosures to oppose her
interests to the wishes of an entire
community and abandoned her post.
Thereupon the president abolished
the postoffioe absolutely. He said to
the objeoting whites, "You dec 20
to accept my eppointee.
your ridiculous preju,''
against my will. You al all r...
postoffice." That community &C, al
ly has no postoffice and the business
and social life of the place suffers in
consequence. That seems a little
like Russia, aud a little unlike
America--but that is not the point.
In another Southern community,
of large business interest, the presi-
dent has appointed nepro as col.
lector, place most important to all
the mercantile interests. He has put
a colored man in place which com.
Pels all the white merchants to meet
that colored man on terms of abso-
lutte equality. That seems a very
fine and democratic thing-superfi
ciauy. But let us look at the matter
from various sides.
We must be guided in practical
life by practical conditions. We
must pay attention to what actually
exists.
MIR. Roosevelt says in substance:
"Tho law declares the negro the
equal of any other man. | insist
that he shall be every mans equal.
l refuse to recognize any distinction
Of race or color"
If that we're true, it would be fa-
matte, bnt interesting and honorable
-however impractical. But is it
truep
Suppose that female member of
Mr.. Roosevelt's family became On
gagged to marry negro. Would Mr..
Roosevelt remember his views in re-
gard to absolute equality? Would
he apply to case near to himself
the fine generaItes which he applies
to white mon in the SouthP
No, he would not. Every man
knows that, right or wrong, there
does exist a race prejudice in this
country.
Everybody knows that Mr. Roose
velt would absolutely forbid par.
riage engagement between negro
and member of his own family. He
would not for one second hesitate 10
admit that his objection to the match
was based upon race prejudice. You
might remind him of human rights
You might praise the negro fiance
you might even prove that negro te