New-York tribune., 1903-02-07
ROOT ON NEGRO QUESTION
B4LLOT PL4N FAILURE.
Secretary of Var Defends P'es1s
dents P0Hcy.

At the celebration of the fortieth anniversary
of the Union League Club last evening at the
clubhouse Elihu Root, Secretary of War salo
there had been virtual breakdown OF the
suffrage plan solve the negro propieh'
and declared that the time had come for d ne"
and different treatment of the question. lie as
serted that President Roosevelt had appointed
fewer negroes TO office than former Presidents
and that the outcry against his alleged inter-
ference was not the result Of his policy, but Was
sign of the TIRES. Secretary Root saw IN Ger
tain features of trade unionism menace to in
dividuaI liberty, and he deplored the tendency
toward class hatred He said:
sneak tonight as young member of the
club having been q member but thirty -lvrl ,r
years. Life is not in the length or day ~
have done something that WEI laSt' 10 Neal. ~
a thread into the fabric that shall endure Iot
ages that is life. And this, old friends turning
to the original members of the club seated oi
The ,Iatforml vou old Happy men, the men OF
81 and So happy men, to live to see the coui-
try they saved grown SO great-greas no. lileGs ,i
in material things. but so great in all tnat uis-
nifes humanity. 1t was their fortune 10 see tIe
war ended and spectacle of the nopieSt man Ii
hood exhibited to the world by the two sections
that had so bitterly fought coming together. aI
and then later joining in upholdlng the nag,
to see the curse of slavery removed anu tliT ne
Declaration of Independence mace lrue iuI d. az
1,,r naonIe. 10 see the reflex action OF our in
stitutions on the European countries chaHsttts
their government and hftlng the laOot vi N
countries toward manhood. . s
Our public service has grown stronger ana
purer 1t is better to-day in integrity ana oeNo-
4;op 70 the pubc interest than even peIore
we see our nation maintaining liberty ana Jus
tice and able to reach out its hahos 10 tue "edh
peopIe and say TO the oppressors. Hoid!
Your work was little worth, If you lett no
one to take it up. Eternal good Citizenship Is
the price of good government. There are 70
day problems, doubts struggles, upon WhlCm n m tns
safety Of our free institutions depends ihere
are questions to-day which hold posSloihtieS Vi
evil, calling for the best citizenship =
nnp
first the tendency-growing. fear-oi DIVISION
between rich and poor, under Which Wealth
tends to undue influence on legislation ana the
poor show hatred among their masses asalnss
wealth. The very results of our prosperity teild
to increase this evil Let us set our face against
this tendency. Let us see to II that never sildii
we have a of classes. .
There is then. the tendency to check lnol
yiduaI enterprise and development, individual
onportunitv The chance of every boy. by brains
and persistence to rise to any height is the very
foundation of American liberty. And YET men
of labor organizations are including rules Oh
prohibition against the better man doing more
work than the poorer man Ihey are seehl!is "
hold down ability to the level of stupidity Now
don't misunderstood me make no Wal ~ p,I
Ia Dor organizations l believe IN them III tns
great struggle of production the laborer is oounu m
organize. I'm glad to see MIN organize " seC
his own. But set your face against the ooctrlhe
that YOU shan't do the best you can
Your chairman has referred to the march OF
the negro regiment down Broadway. At the
close of the war the great question was, :" nat
shall we do with the poor black? me answer
hin, citizenship give him suffrage. give MN
equal rights ana he will rise" fear we are
compelled to face the cohclusloh 'ild' 'he ca
pertinent has failed
Tbn Suffrage mas been taken away in most
States where the regroes are present IN great
nurhe,o I think We shall have to say that the
black man in the South III geheIal ho loiS@i
has the right of citizenship
The right TO aspire to Office is also displteu
and in great measure denied curious ueIsi
opment along this line has. been seen IN me
last year President Roosevelt has appointed
Tewar negroes to office than Mr.. Mckinney:
There are now fewer black men holding federai
offices in the South than with PRESIDENT MchlI-
le, Vet loud OutcrieS are to be heard from
Tho ereater part of the South against what IS
caIled President Roosevelts policy of appointing
hIack men TO office. Yet under -he preceding
Presidents under Mckinley. under Harrison
80 cleveland no outcry was made, though
more negroes were appointed than under the
present administrator, ,,. x,..,
r. few nights ago. q black man holding federal
aioa attended a reception in the White House.
At officiaI receptions, black men holding olflces
have always attended yet attendance at the
reception of President Roosevelt was she sishdI
for an outcry in one thousand newspapers that
The whites we're being insulted by the presence
of black men at a reception The changed state
n, rrivate meets the changed state IN public at
titude. -.
federal government, formerly unquestioned, is
nov questioned. 1t looks as If in a few years
the overwhelming dominant whlte OPINION VIII
sIccaed in excluding the black man from office.
The country has to face the failure or the
rIap IN elevate the black man by conferrlng the
suffrage and the coffipe'eh0! " ''ho ''i'N '
PM we cannot throw off the responsibility OF
the situation The new question: W nat can ns o..
dona now that the first attempt has falled
'a,,ongas the hest patriotism of the country.
You have elevated the, character OF Ahei an
.iti1enship You have men enough devoted 10
continued fifth page.