Richmond planet., 1905-02-18
PRESIDENT GIN
RACE PROBLEM
Mr.. Roosevelrs Speech at Lincoln
Dinner in New York.
SOUTH NOT ALONE Ri oNsIBLE

New York, Feb. 14.---As the guest
Of honor at the Lincoln dinner of the
Republican club in this city, President
Roosevelt made a speech on the race
problem. Following the president,
Senator Dolliver. of Iowa, responded
to the toast, abraham Lincoln;"
George A. Knight, of California, spoke
on "The Republican Party" and James
M. Beck, former assistant attorney
general of the United States, on 1.-The
Unity of Republic"
President Roosevelt said in part:
In his second inaugural in a speech
which will be read as long aa the memory
of this nation endures, Abraham Lincoln
closed Ly saying: with malice toward
none; with charity for all; with firmness
in the right. as God gives os TO see the
right. let us strive to fetish the work
we are in: to do ali which NAV
achieve and cherish a just and lasting
peace among ourselves. and with all ma
tons"
This is the spirit in which mighty Lin
coin sought to bind up the nations
wounds when it's soul was syet seething
w.t. fierce hatreds. with wrath. with
rancor wICu all the evil and dreadful
passions provoked by civil war. Surel~
this is the spirit which all Amerit ans
should show now. where there is so - tie
excuse for malice or rancor or bdred
when there Is so little OF vital conse-
Quence TO divide brother M brother.
All good Americans W dwell in the
north must. because they good Amer
leans. feel the most eai At Friendship
for their fel'ow-countr,-rr, who dwell In
the south. friendship tae greater
becnuse il is Iva tssa S,asN a''s-r 7ad sss
its most acute phase pse 81 The gravest
problems before our people: the problem
of so dealing with the NAN OF one color
to secure him the rights that no one
would grudgc him II he were of another
color. To solve this problem. Il is, of
course. necessary to educate him To per-
form the duties, failure to perform
which win render him a curse to himself
and to all around him.
Neither I nor any other man can say
that any given way of approaching that
problem will present i'm our time even an
approximately perfect solution, but we
can safely say that there can never be
such solution at all unless we approach
1t with the effort TO do fair and equal
Justice among all men: and to demand
from them in return just and fair treat
ment for others. Our effort should be 20
secure TO each man. whatever his color,
equality Of opportunity, equality of treat
ment before the law.
Laziness and shiftlessness. these, and
above all, vice and criminality OF every
kind, are evils more potent for harm to
the black race than all acts OF oppression
OF white men put together The colored
man who fails to condemn crime in an
other colored man, who fails to co-oper.
ate in all lawful ways in bringing colored
criminals to justice, is the worst enemy
or his own people. as well an enemy
10 all the people. Law-abiding black men
should. fer the sake of their race be fore
most in relentless and unceasing warfare
against law-breaking black men. If the
standards OF private morality and indus
trial efficiency can be raised high enough
among the black race. then its future On
this continent is secure The stability
and purity of the home is vital to the
welfare If the black race. as it is to the
welfare of every race.
In the next place the white man. who
II only he is willing. can help the col
ored man more than all other white men
put together, is the white man who Is
his neighbor, north or south. Each of us
must do his whole duty without fiinching
and If that duty is national 1t must be
done in accordance with the principles
above laid down. But in endea voring
each to be his brothers keeper IL IS wise
to remember that each can normally do
most for the brother who is his imme-
diate neighbor. If we are sincere friends
of the negro let us each in his own local
ity show IL by his action therein, and let
us each show 1t also by upholding the
hands of the white man, in whatever To-
cality, who is striving to do Justice to the
poor and the helpless. to be a shield to
those whose need for such shield is
great.
The heartiest Acknowledgement are due
to the ministers. the judges and law Off
GERS, the grand juries, the public men,
and the great daily newspapers in the
south. who have recently done such effec-
t're work in leading the crusade against
lynching in the south; and = am glad to
say that during the last three months
the returns, as far as they can be gath
cred, show smaller number OF Iynchings
than for any other two months during
the last 20 years.
Let us be steadfast for the right; but
let us err on the side of generosity rather
than on the side of vindictiveness toward |
those who differ from as to the meth
cd of attaining the right. Let US never
forget our duty to help in uplifting the
lowly, to shield from wrong the humble
and let us likewise act in a spirit of the
broadcast and frankest generosity toward |
ali our brothers, all our fellow-country-
men; in spirit proceeding not from
weakness but from strength, sr'~'t |
which takes no more account of locality
tan ii does of class or of creed; a spirit \
which is reSolutely bent on seeing that
the Union which Washington founded |
and which Lincoln saved from destruc- |
tion shall grow nobler and greater |
throughout the ages.
The southern states face difficult prob |
lens; an. do the northern states. |
Some of the problems are the same for /
the entire country. Others exist in great /
er Intensity in one section; and yet others
exist IN greater intensity in another sec
tion. But in the end they will all be \
solved; for fundamentally our people are \
the same throughout the land; the same /
In the qualities of heart and brain and /
hand which have made this republic what /
It is in the great today; which Will make i
1t what 1t Is to be In the infinitely greater l
tomorrow '