Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-11-10
RACE SEC CATION
THEME OF PAPER READ BEFORE
SOCIOLOGICAL SOCIETY.
The Author Suggests the Setting Aside
of Certain States for Col
ored Population.

The method of solving 1.-The Race Prob
lem in the United States first offered at
the conference Of the National Sociological
Society during its opening executive session
in this city yesterday afternoon at the Lin
coin Memorial Congregational Church pro-
voked warm discussion. The author of
the paper In which the solution was made
is Bishop Lucien Halsey of the African
Methodist Zion Church His radical propo-
sition was that the national government
set aside one or more states of the Union in
which to segregate the negroes.
Race Segregation" which was the SUBJ
ject of the paper, urged the entire separa-
ton of the two races The bishop would
have the white man debarred from living
in the territory allotted to the negro. as
well as vice versa. I'VE are told, SAID ne,
that the south Is the white mans land IL
this is so, that race has been a poor guard
ian of the subservient colored people. The
two races have never lived together IN har-
mony, and 1 of the opinion that they
never will. Today the colored man is being
crowded out of the fields and the workshops
of the south by the white laborinS man.
Colored labor in the south has proved to
be the most expensive ever tried.
The paper next dwelt upon the evil re-
suits of mixing the races, the author claim
ing that this was one of the strongest rea-
sons why they should be kept distinct.
For forty minutes the delegates to the
conference discussed the paper. Several
protested against the plan, saying that the
sola ton of the colored race would mean
that it would never be elevated, and that
the entire scheme was impractical.
The Opening Proceedings.
The opening session yesterday afternoon
was called to order by the temporary chair
man, Prof. Jesse Lawson. The opening
PRAYER was offered by Bishop H. Y. Satter-
lee of the Protestant Episcopal Church.
Prof. Kelly Miller read the call for the
conference. The committee on permanent
organizat ton then brought in its report,
which was adopted, recommending that ex-
Representative George II. White or North
Carolina be elected permanent chairman;
The following are the other officers elected
yesterday: Prof. Jesse Lawson, nrSt vice
president; DIR. John Gordon, second vice
president; Prof Kelly Miller, secretary
An executive committee was chosen by
the assembly. The members are Gen. VIII
liam Birney, DR.. A. s. Mayo, Prof. Jesse
Lawson, Prof J. Hugo Johnson and Daniel
Murray Chairman White appointed the
following delegates as committee on reso-
lutions, which will probably report this al
ternoon Wednesday:
Gen. William Birney, Prof George W. Z.
Cook, Prof. Roscoe c. Bruce OF Tuskesee'
DR.. A. D. Mills, Prof Jesse Lawson. Prof:
j. Hugo Johnson, W. +. Burrell, Dahlel
Murray and Prof. L. B. Moore.
After organization was effected numper
of impromptu speeches were made, among
those who took part being Dr. Glenn OF the
bureau of education; w. p. Burrell, secre-
tary of the True Reformers: DR.. John Cor
don. president of Howard University; Prof.
Roscoe C. Bruce of Tuskegee; ProI craven
of Columbian University; Bishop Satteriee'
Prof T. s. Imboden, Prof. j. Hugo Jonn-
son, DR.. A. D. Mayo and Gen. William
Birney.
Mr.. Macfarland's Address.
,,. ,,,oo.;,, 10 tho conference was
held at 8 o'clock yesterday evening at
the 10Th Street Baptist Church. corner OF
10th and 1 streets northwest. Every seat
in the church was occupied.
Commissioner Macfarland delivered the
address of welcome.
.'It is an encouraging sign" he said, like
a ray of light through clouds. that white
men and colored men are meeting together
to consider in the scientific method, ana.
trust. in a philanthropic spirit what from
its magnitude and difficulties We have come
to call the race problem.
.'Now that such questions are so promi-
nent in all our thoughts that this can De
called the age of problems, and the very
word problem has become so common as
to be hackneyed, all thoughtful and pa
triotic men and women are seriously con-
cerned about what be done to improve
the conditions that raise the problem. Moth
ing, it seems to me, can do more Tor the
solution of this particular question than to
look at it steadily and clearly, so as to see
the facts free from personal or racial
prejudice in so far as that is possible to
human nature. The disputes about the
facts. usually so prejudiced, and therefore
so unreasonable. have simply produced
bitterness of feeling not only Improbable
but detrimental Any one who reads much
of what is said and written for the public
on this subject must be saddened by the
evidences of unfair and even untruthful
augmentation, which cannot possibly do
any good, but must surely do much harm.
eff 1t were possible for the representa-
tives of the two races mutually and mex
tricably involved to meet together in abso-
lutte fairness and frankness, and with an
irenic spirit, they would be able to agree
upon the facts and that would go a long
way toward an agreement upon what might
be done to improve the facts. That this
conference may ultimately result in such a
better understanding is my chief hope
for it.
Personally as one for years deeply in
terested in this matter. as one who has
read much that has been said and written
about it. as one who appreciates all its pc
culiar characteristics. discouraging and
otherwise, I maintain my hopefulr "ss. I
believe that there is light behind the clouds
and that they will finally fee away. My
chief dependence Is in the gradual but
growing belief among the leaders of both
races that the laws of nature cannot be
repealed. but must be obeyed, and that
spirit and example Of Jesus Christ.
What we call the golden rule with all
that 1t implies, contains the solution Of the
race problem, as of every other social ques-
ton, and the only thing for us to do is to
find as speedily as possible the best way to
apply it generally and in practical living"
Response by Rev. I. L. Thomas.
The response to the Commissioners ad-
dress was made by Rev. I. L. Thomas of
Baltimore. ''If we had two thousand men,"
said he. like President Roosevelt and Com
missioner Macfarland within ten years
there would be no race problem in this
country
Rev. A. D. Mayo of Boston made the prin-
cipal address Of the evening" his subject
being 1.-THE Duty of the White American
Toward His Colored Fellow-citizen" He
was followed in few remarks by Rev,
Dean Richmond Babbitt, rector of Epiph-
any Protestant Episcopal Church. Brook
Ign, N. Y.
FOR BROADER GENERAL.