Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1905-02-14
TALKS OF THE LOT OF
BLACK MAN OF THE
SOUTH IN SPEECH

In his address before the Republican
club, President Roosevelt said:
'All good Americans who dwell in
the north must. because they are good
Americans. feel the most earnest
friendship for their fellow -countrymen
who dwell in the south. a friendship
all the greater because it is in the
south that we find in its most acute
phase one of the gravest problems
before our people: the problem of so
dealing with the man of one color as
TO secure him the rights that no one
would grudge him if he were of an
other color. To solve this problem il
is, of course, necessary to educate him
to perform the duties. a failure 10
perform which will render him a curse
to himself and To all around him.
Appreciate situation.
Most certainly all clear-sighted and
generous men in the north appreciate
the difficulty and perplexity OF this
problem. sympathiZe with the south in
the embarrassment of conditions for
which she is not alone responsible.
feel an honest wish to help her where
help is practicable, and have the heart
lest respect for those brave and ear
nest men of the south who in the face
OF fearful difficulties. are doing all
that men can do for the betterment
alike of white and of black. The atti-
tude of the north toward the negro is
far from what it should be and there
is need that the north also should ac:
in good faith upon the principle of Civ
him. of treating him on his worth as
man. granting him no special favors.
but denying him no proper opportunity
for labor and the reward of labor
But the peculiar circumstances of the
south render the problem there far
greater and far more acute.
No solution I'm sight.
Neither / nor any other man can
say that any given way of approaching
that problem will present in our time
even an approximately perfect solu-
tion at all unless We approach it with
the effort 10 do fair and equal justice
among all men; and to demand from
them in return just and fair treatment
for others. Our effort should be to Sc
cure To each man. whatever his color.
equality of opportunity, equality OF
treatment before the law. AS a people
striving to shape our actions in ac
cordance with the great law of right
eousneSs We can not afford TO taxi
part in or be Indifferent to the oppres-
sion or maltreatment of any man who.
against crushing disadvantages, has
by his own industry. energy, self-re
cnaof opd narSavarapca ctrt1uulad I'm
ward TO position which would en-
title him 10 the respect of his fellows.
If only his skin were of a different
hue
Every generous impulse in us re-
volts al the thought of thrusting down
instead of helping up such a man. To
deny any man the fair treatment grant
ed TO others no better than he is 10
commit a wrong upon him-a wrong
sure to react in the long run upon
those guilty of such denial. The only
safe principle upon which Americans
can act is that of all men up" not
that of some men down" II in anS
community the level of intelligence.
morality. and thrift among the colored
men can be raised, il is. humanity
speaking. sIlre that the same level
among the whites will be raised to an
even higher degree; and il is no less
sure that the debasement OF the blacks
viii in the end carry with II an at
tendant debasement of the whites
Must Adjust Relations
The problem is so 70 adjust the
relations between two races of differ
CONTINUED on Page Eighty