The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1903-04-17

4NtN OTh ApIlI 11--TO VI IlCI 1IeSl-
dent Grover Cleveland was the princi-
pal speaker tonight at a meeting held
in the concert hall of Madison Square
Garden, in the interests of the Tuske-
gee Normal and Industrial Institute.
Among those on the platform with
Mr.. Cleveland were Mayor Low, who
presided. Booker T. Washington, Edgar
@. Murphy. DR.. Lyman Abbott, Presi-
dent Nicholas Murray Butler and Dean
j. VanAmringe, of Columbia; w. H.
Baldwin, Chancellor McCracken, of
New York University; John Dewitt
Warner and George F. Peabody.
Mrs. Cleveland sat in the gallery
with Mr.. and Mrs. Andrew Carnegie
who are MI. Cleveland's hosts while
he is in the city.
Mr.. Cleveland. who was greeted with
prolonged applause as he was intro
duced by Mayor Low. said:
| nave come here-tonight as a sincere
friend of the negro and I should be
very sorry to suppose that my good
and regular standing in such
needed supper at this late day either
from certificate or confession of faith.
1naSmuch, however, as there may be
difference of thoueht and sentiment
among those who profess to be friends
OF the negro. l desire to declare myself
as belonging to the Booker Washing
t~On-TuSkegee section of the ~organiza-
ton | believe tat the days of Uncle
Toms cabin are past. / believe that
neither the deer & that made the slaves
free nor the Enactment that suddenly
invested then: with the rights of citi-
Zenship any ore purged them of their
racial and s.-very bred imperfections
and deficien les than it changed the
color of their skin. [ believe that from
nearly min millions of negroes who
have been lntermixed with our citizen
ship, there is still a grievOuS amount
of ignorance, a sad amount of vicious
ness n d tremendous amount of laZi-
ness T thr1ftlesSness. I believe that
these conditions ineXOrably present to
the White people of the United States,
to eaCI in his environment and under
the mandate of good citizenship, a
problem, which neither enlightened self
interest nor the higher motive of hui
mar sympathy will permit them to put
aside. / believe our fellow cOuntrymen
in the southern and late slave holding
states, surrounded by about nine
tenth or nearly eight millions of this
entire negro population and who re-
gard their material prosperity. their
peace and even the safety of their civil
liZation, interviewer with the negro
problem, are entitled to our utmost
consideration and sympathy and fell
loWship.
/ cannot. however. keep out of my
mind tonight. the thought that all We
of the north may do, the realization of
our hope for the negro must, after all,
mainly J.epend except so far as it rests
with the negroes themselves. upon the
sentiment and conduct Of the leading
and responsible white men OF the south,
and upon the maintenance OF a kindly
and helpful feeling on their part to-
wards those in their midst who so
much need their aid and encourage
ment.
1 do not know how it may be with
other northern friends Of the negro, but
l have faith in the honor and sincerity
of the respectable white people of the
south in their relations with the negro
and his improvement and we'll being.
They do not believe in social equality
of the race, and they make no false
pretense in regard to it. That this does
not grow out of hatred of the negro is
very plain. 1t seems to me that there
is abundant sentiment and abundant
behavior among the southern whites
towards the negro. to make us doubt
the Justice of charging this denial of
social equality to prejudice. as we usu-
ally understand the word. Perhaps 1t
is born out Of something so much deep
er and more imperious than preJudlce
as to amOunt to a racial instinct.
Whatever it is. let US remember that
il has cOndOned the negroes shares IN
the humiliation and spoilation of the
white men of the south during rhe
saturnatia of reconstruction days. n
has allowed a kindly feeling for the
negro to survive the time when the
south was deluged by a p%erilous flood
of indiscriminate. uninteligent M
blighting negro suffrage. Whatever 1t
is. let us try TO be tolerant and consld-
crate of the feelings and even preJu-
diced racial instincts of our white fell
low c~ountrymenof the south. who in the
solution of the negro problem must,
amid their own suggestions, bear the
heat of the day and stagger under the
weight of the White mans burden:
There are. however. other c~onsidera-
ton relating to the features OF the ne
Sru question. which may be regarded
as more in keeping with the objects
and purposes of this occasion. As
friends of the negro, fully believing IN
the possibility OF his Improvement ana
advancement and sincerely M conn
IDENTIFY labOring to that end. II Is follE
for US 10 ignore the Importance OF the
ungrNdging corporation on the part
of the white people of the south IN TINS
work. Labor as we will. those VINO 90
the lifting of the weight must be those
who stand ley to il. This co-opera-
ton cannOt be forced. nor can 1t be
Sall0u DE SLANuLtiuuSIE IuILIAIS NouL4
ter to firmly fixed and tenaciously held
southern ideas. or even ~DrejudiceS. We
are not brought to the point of doing
or overlooking evil that good may
come. when we proceed Upon the theory
that before the stage where we may
be directly especially confronted with
the question OF the negro's full enjoy
ment of civic enjoyments. or of even all
advantages or even Of political privi-
Ieges. We can confidently rely upon