The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1903-12-19
Leads all North Carolina Daes i'm News and CrcG1ion

uprightness. That he cannot, by resolu-
ton of council or leage accomplish any
thing; that he can do much by work; that
violence may crafty his passions but it
cannot accomplish his ambition; that he
may eat rarely of the cooking of equality,
but he will always find when he does that
there is death in the pot" Let the ne
gro learn once for all that there is unend-
ing separation of the races; that the two
peoples may develop side by side to the
fullest, but that they cannot intermingie.
Let the white man determine that no man
shall by act, or thought, or speech cross
this line and the race problem will be at
an end. These things are not in enmity
to the negro but in regard for him. He
constitutes one-third of the population of
my State; he has always been my personal
friend as a lawyer / have often defended
him, and as Governor / have frequently
protected him, but there flows in my veins
the blood of the dominant race; that race
that has conquered the earth and seeks
out the mysteries of the heights and
depths. If manifest destiny leads to the
seizure of Panama, it is certain that 1t
likewise leads to the dominance of the
caucasian. w Hell bIc UCSIo ISCO6uiASo
this fact we shall have peace and good
will between the races, but / would not
have the white people forget their duty
to the negro. We must seek the truth and
pursue it. We owe an obligation to "the
man in black" we brought him here:
he served US we'll; he is patient and teacn-
able; We owe him gratitude; above all we
owe him justice. We cannot forget his
fidelity and we ought not to magnify his
faults; we cannot change his color, neither
can we ignore his service. No individual
ever rose on stepping stones of dead"
others "to higher things and no people
can. We must rise by ourselves, we must
execute judgment in righteousness; we
must educate not only ourselves but see
to it that the negro has an opportunity
for education. AS a white man | am
afraid of but one thing for my race, and
that is that we shall become afraid to
give the negro fair chance. The first
duty of every man is to develop himself
to the uttermost and the only limitation
upon the duty is that he shall take pains
10 see that in his own development he
does no injustice to those beneath him.
This is true of races as well as of indi-
viduals. Considered properly it is not a
limitation but a condition of develop
ment; the white man in the South can
never attain to his fullest growth until
he does absolute justice to the negro
race. If he is doing that now, it is well
for him. II he is not doing it, he must
seek to know the ways of truth and pur-
sue them. My own opinion is that so far
we have done well and that the future
holds no menace for us if we do the duty
which nes next to us, training, developing
the coming generation so that the prob
lens which seem difficult to us shall be
easy to them. We have great country,
great in material wealth, great in the
strength of S people, great in the oppor-
tunity to make manifest that strength
in the works of righteousness. Our great
ness shall grow as individuals of the ma
ton grow in virtue; our greatness shall
wane as men fall below the standard of
truth
Il am delighted gentlemen of the North
Carolina Society to be with you and to
have been permitted to talk with you
for a few minutes