The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-02-14
PRESIDENT ! PLEADS
CAUSE OF NEGRO
Roosevelt the Guest at Dinner of
1,400 in Waldorf Astoria,
& New York.

New York, Feb. 14.-President Roose-
welt was the guest of the Republican
club Of New York at dinner at the
Waldorf Astoria last night.
There. were seats for l,400 persons,
and every seat was taken. It is esti-
mated that fully 500 were disappointed
by being compelled to stay away on &C.
count of the small accommodations, tho
the entire second floor was given up to
the event.
The president made the address of the
evening. He commenced by quoting
the second inaugural speech of Abra-
ham Lincoln, in which he said: "With
malice toward none; with charity for
all; with firmness in the right, as God
gives, US to see the right, let us strive
on to finish the work we are in; 800
to do. all: which may achieve and cher
selves, and with all nations" - "
"Lincoln, himself a man Of southern
birth,' said Mr.. Roosevelt, "did not
hesitate to appeal to the sword when he
became satisfied that in no other way
could the union be saved, for high tho
he put peace he put righteousness still
higher.
"He warred for the union; he warred
to free the slave; and when he warred
of weakness to be half-hearted when
blows must be struck.
EBut he felt only love, a love as deep
as the tenderness of his great and sad
heart, for all his countrymen alike in
the north and in the SOUTH. and he
longed above everything for the day
when they should once more be knit TO-
gether in the unbreakable bonds Of eter-
nal friendship '--.- ,.'@ .'
Tho Negro Problem.
Continuing, Mr.. Roosevelt said:
All good Americans who dwell in the
north must, because they are good Amer
leans, feel the most earnest friendship for
their fellow-c ountrymen who dwell In the
south, friendship all the greater because
1t IS in the south. that we find in Its. most
acute phase one of the gravest problems
before our people: the problem OF SO deal
ing with the man of one color as to secure
him the rights that no one would grudge
him If he were of another color. To solve
this problem it is, Of course, necessary 'te
educate him to perform the duties, a fall
ure to perform which will render him 9
curse to himself and to all around him
equal Justice" Crying Need.
Neither I nor any other man can say
that any given way Of approaching thai
problem will present in our time even al
approximately perfect solution, but we car
safely say that there can never. be Sucf
solution at all unless we approach it will
| the effort to do fair and equal justica
| among all men; and to demand from then
| in return just and fair treatment TO
others. Our effort should be to secure t.
leach man, whatever his color, equality o
opportunity, equality Of treatment, befor
the law. AS a people striving to, shap
our actions in accordance with the .grea
llaw Of righteousness we cannot afford t
take part in or be Indifferent to the op
| preston or maltreatment" Of any man who
against crushing disadvantages. has b.
his own industry, energy, self-respect an
perseverance struggled upward to posi-
ton which would entitle him to the re
spect of his fellows, if, only his skin wer
of a different hue.
Problem Requires Time.
The problem is so to adjust the rela
lions between two races Of different ethni
type that the rights Of neither be abridge
nor jeoparded; that the backward rae
be trained so that it may enter into tn
possession of true freedom, while the for
ward race is enabled to preserve I'm
harmed the high civilization wrought GU
by it's forefathers. The working out c
this problem must necessarily be slow
IL
obtain or to confer the priceless boons {
freedom, industry, efficiency, politice
capacity and domestic morality. Nor
it only necessary to train the colored mar
it is quite as necessary to train the Whit
man, for on his shoulders rests a well
night unparalleled sociological ,respons
= bility. It is q problem demanding tn
best thought, the utmost patience, tn
most earnest effort, the broadcast CHART!
| ~ no cta Sf11Hanf nhf19
thropist; Of the leaders of thought
every department of our national life. tn
church can be a most important factor
solving it Alright. But above all else "
, need for it's successful solution the sobe
kindly, steadfast. unselfish performapt
of duty by the average plain citizen
his everyday dealings with his fellows.
The ideal of elemental justice mete
out to every man is the ideal we shout
keep ever before us. It will be many
long day before we attain to it, and ur
less we show not only devotion to it, bl
also wisdom and self-restraint In the eS
7 hibition Of that devotion, we shall deff
the time for its realization still furthe
In striving to attain to so much OF 1t 8
concerns dealing with men Of differel
colors, we must remember two things.
The Prime Requisite.
q In the first place, it is true Of the co
: ored man, as it Is true of the white ma
E that in the long run his fate must deper
t far more upon his own effort than upe
q the efforts of any outside friend. Evel
n vicious venal, or ignorant colored man
: an even greater foe to his own race thu
v to the community as a whole. The CO
V ored mans elf-respect entities him to {
e that share in the political work Of II
country which is warranted by his ind
| s,>So I,
ton he has won for himself: But Il
prime requisite of the race is moral al
= industrial uplifting,
Laziness and shiftlessness, these, al
above all, vice and criminality of eve
kind, are evils more potent for harm
4 the black race than all acts of oppressi,
i of white men put together. The color