The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1904-03-29
"S0CIAL;EQUALITY"
REPUBLICAN SAYS
Massachusetts Congressman Declares that He
Honors Roosevelt for Entertaining
Booker Washington.

ing tor the PRESIDENT, but aducQ tnaC ne
had no doubt it was Il mere accident, al
though, l know nothing about 1T, and yet
from that accident have sprung great con-
sequence He believed the great and
far-reaching effect of the incident was due
to the fact that an election was pending
in maryland and shrewd politicians saw
chance to work on race prejudice.
When he reverted again to the subject
of lynchings in the South, Mr.. Bartlett
of Georgia. wanted to know whether theer
did not occur last year near Boston case
wheer r,o'> tarred and feathered a man
or woman. Mr.. Gillett denied ever hear
ing of it, though Mr.. Bartlett said the
papers contained accounts of it.
Mr.. Williams, of Mississippi 'The
gentleman from Massachusetts will allow
me to say that I hold in my hand a few
newspaper clippings that cut out of diff
ferent papers during the summer vacation,
three Of them were cut out since | came
here at this session. All of them are
cases of the lynching of negroes north of
Mason and DiXons line l want to ask
the gentleman whether he will object to
my inserting these in the Record"
Mr. Gillett would not allow them to be
inserted in his remarks, he said amid
laughter on all sides. He recognized, he
said. that there was lawlessness in the
North as well as the South. He added
"The feeling of antipathy is, l think,
stronger in the North than in the South.
I think there is in the North stronger
natural repugnance because we are not
brought up with the negroes, do not see
them SO frequently, do not have the same
feeling of intimacy with them as those
who have been brought up with them as
children. For this reason I suspect there
is a stronger natural repugnance toward
the negro in the North than there is in
the South. At the same time we do not
recognize the preposterous talk of social
equality, or inquality which comes from
the South
He argued that there are no social
grades in this country He had supposed
there was just one social condition. He
added these startling sentiments: IF
there is any social superiority, it depends
in my opinion simply on this: that man is
socially superior who has natural or cul-
tivated refinement of mind and body, who
has a courteous, genial nature. And if in
addition to that he has gift of CONVEX
satin, he has social distinction that
ought 10 give MN oHllUGuCe everywhere.
No accident of birth or of race or of color
has any right in this country to give social
superiority. This talk that we hear so
much of, about man being socially supe
rior to another simply because of his col
or, strikes me as preposterous. l am sur
prised that any one in this country should
assert such a claim.
This remarkabel speech is generally re-
garded by the Democrats as a bid for the
solid negro vote in the coming election.
In fact, Mr.. Burgess, Oem.), of Texas,
expressed his opinion to that effect upon
the floor and added that Republican poll
ticians seemed to have come to the con-
clusion that it was a cheaper if not more
effective way of getting them than the
old way
The very pertinent question asked by
Mr.. Kitchin throughout almost the entire
speech, which consumed an hour and a
half, frequently put. the speaker in a
hole and brought forth applause from
the Democratic side.
For fifty years Col. Richard Bright and
his father before him, Senator Bright.
have been among the ablest Democratic
leaders in Indiana. Col. Bright's first
Groice Tor President has been Senator Cor
All, but he now believes that the thing
to do is to nominate Governor Montague.
of Virginia. He says:
Governor Montague combines all those |
qualifications that go to make popular
candidate and a good executive. He has
a clear and level head, is conservative |
iorceful and believes in Jeffersonian De-
Mocracy. L know he could come pretty
neal uniting the different factions that
are now rending the party, and if elected
ne would make splendid chief executive
The reckless extravaganza and mistakes
OF the Republican party have alienated
thousands OF conservative voters from it
and if the Democrats only unite on the
right man and agree upon a rational
platform it seems to me that our party
stands a good chance of electing the next
President"
Senator Dubois is strongly in favor of
Parker and Turner on the Democratic
ticket. Here is his argument in
favor OF nominating them-joining the
East and the far West:
about Judge Parkers qualifications
We all know. He is conservative and
safe, a regular Democrat and a man, in
my Judgment, who can command the
support of an amalgamated and closely
welded Democracy. He cen carry New
York State, and with such a man as
Turner as his running mate. l believe we
ca, sweep the country. Mr.. Turner is
a man of eminent qualifications. He is a
lawyer of the first degree. HSs ability
in the respect of legal learning and
acumen is attested to by the fact that
President Roosevelt selected him as one
OF the commissioners to go to England