The Mt. Sterling advocate. (Mt. Sterling, Ky.) 1890-current, 1903-05-06
This is The Country's Duty Let
The South Alone.

mento on the race question. Since
he secluded himself in the wildl
discussion of it has been activeiy
renewed The occasion for thi,
renewal was the address of ex
President Cleveland at the Booker
" ashington meeting in tins city
last week, in which he agreed un-
reservedly with the stand first tax
en- by the "American" mvnths ago
when Mr.. Roosevelt, as a bidder
for colored delegates to the next
National Republican Convention
set the whole South afame.
1t will not surprise the President
10 learn that the Southern press in.
dorses Mr.. Clevelsnd's speech with
tile same heartiness that it has in
dorsed the utterances of this jour.
nal on the same subject.
But there is something else that
will give concern to Mr. Roosevelt,
because of its political significance.
Not few Northern newspapers,
classified as Democrats, which were
for time disposed to support him
in forcing negro officials upon hos
til communities, have taken the
back track. They were speedily
made aware that the American"
and not they, spoke for the Demo
cratic sentiment of the nation. and
that silenced them. The appear
ance of Mr.. Cleveland on the Amer
leans" side has emboldened them
to fall into line.
And more: On entering the
Yellowstone the President already
had had it borne in upon him that
many Northern Republicans re
GREETED his attempt to resurrect
sectionalism. When he comes out
it will be to face the fact that the
number of such Republicans has
greatly increased. The intelligence
of his party knows that he has
made a mistake-and so does he.
Among the scores of speeches
which the President has yet to de-
liver before his tour shall. end it is
not unreasonable to expect that at
least one will be devoted to the
race problem at the South and his
relation to it. And this speech
may we'll prove to be novel as well
as important. Everybody knows
in advance what Mr. Roosevelt will
saw when his theme is the tariff, or
the trusts, or the duties of citizen
ship, or the army and navy, or Gu
ba, or the Philippines. But this
is not the case when he has the
race question for his topic. On
that he has changrd ground repeat
edly, or rather, at different times,
he has given different reasons for
doing the same thing.
In November last, for example,
he declared that sit is, and should
be, my consistent policy, where the
numbers warrent it, to recognize
colored men of good repute and
standing in making appointments
to office"
That is, where negroes are few
and the recognition of them
would produce neither trouble nor
delegates, they must not look for
office, whereas where their numbers
are large and trouble follows if they
are recognized, there they will get
office.
Thus spoke Mr.. Roosevelt frank
ly as a politician.
But in March last, in his letter
to Mr.. CLARK Howell. editor of the
Atlanta Constitution, he said
81 cannot treat mere color as a
bar to holding office, any more than
I could so treat creed or birthplace
always providing that in other
respects the applicant or incum-
bent is worthy and well-behaved
American citizen"
That was Mr.. Roosevelt, the
friend of man, the opener of the
door of hope and opportunity, the
voieer of high and noble opinions,
who cares nothing about mum
bers" and recognition"
The american" declined to ac-
cept Mr.. Roosevelt in his second
Il L