The weekly Iberian. (New Iberia, La.) 1894-1946, 1903-02-14
SECRETARY ROOT
ON THE ENFRANCHISEMENT OF
The Negro. The FifstAttempt Has
Proven a Failure.
" What will be Done, Now that the
First Attempt Has Failed g
This is Question for the Future to Set
tie. A Serious Problem for States
men to Consider.

A dispatch from Washington, on
the 9th inst, said:
At the celebration of the fortieth
anniversary Of the Union League
Club this evening Ellhu Root, ,Secre
tary Of War, said there had been q
virtual breakdown Of the present
policy of trying to solve the negro
problem, aud declared that the Tune
had come for a new and different
treatment Of the question. Secre,
tary Root saw in certain features of
trade unionlSm 4 menance TO lndi-
vldua liberty, aud he deplored the
tendency toward class hatred. He
SAID:
Your Chairman referred to the
march Of the negro regimen; down
Broadway. At the close OF the war
the great question was, What shall
We do win The poor black" The
answer Of the { constitutional amend
ments Was: Give him citizenship:
give him suffrage; give hIm equal
rights. and he will rise | fear we
are compelled TO face the conclusion
that the experiment has failed
''The suffrage has been taken
away IN most States where the ne
groes are present in great numbers.
think we shall have to say that the
black man, IN the South IN general
no longer has he right of citizen
ship.
"Tha right to aspire TO office Is
also disputed, ard in great measure
deued. A curious development
along this line has been seen in the
last year. President Roosevelt has
appointed fewer negroes 10 office
than Mr.. Mckinley. There are
now fewer black men holding Fed
eral Offices in the South than with
President Mckinley. Yet loud out
cries are to be heard from the great
er pat of the South against what Is
called President Rousevelrs policy
of appointing black men to office.
Yet under the preceding Presidents,
under Mckinley, under Harrison
and Cleveland, no outcry was made,
though more negroes were appoln
ted than under the present Admins
tration.
"a few nights ago black man
holding a Federal Office attended a
reception IN the White House. AT
offic'al rece pt,ons black men hold
ng fiji save always attended, yet
altendlrce at The rcGt ptlOn OF Pres
dent Rourey,lt was the signal for
an QUERY N tn- thousand news
PAPERS that The whites were being
insulled BY the presence Of black
men at reception. The changed
state In pr va'e meets tie changed
state in publ c atll ude.
"The right Of the negro TO aspire
to office In the Federal Government,
formerly unquestioned, Is now ques-
toned. 1t looks as if in few years
the overwhelming, dominant white
opinion will succeed In excluding
the black man from Office.
"'The country has to face the
failure of the plan to elevate the
black man by comforting the suffrage
and the competency to take office IN
the Government.
uBut we cannot throw off the re-
sponslbilitv of the situation. The
new question: What can be done,
now that the first ATTEMPT has
falled?' challenges the best patriot
Ism of the country.
"There are" he SAID, "mahy
problems coming up to-day on which
the safety of this Government de-
pends. There are today situations
of possible evils for our country
th Il call for devoted patr'utit m.
First, dlvIshan between the rich and
he poor, under which wealth con-
trolls legislauon and poverty is try
rng 10 stlr up war Of classes. Bui
every good citizen should declare
that never in thus free land shal we
have a war of classes
"There are some labor organiza
tlons which fight against the better
man dong more work than the
poorer man, aud which hold dowr
the competent man to the level oil
the incompetent and stupid. dt
not declare war against labor organ
lzations. | believe IN them. Th,