Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1906-04-14

oughly qualified Negro all OF the
rights OF citizenship and take out
his way all of the blighting handl-
caps of race prejudice and the 9th
er surrounding circumstances will
take care of themselves. Give him
an equal chance and an equal op-
portunity in the race of life and
leave the conditions. to which Sec
rotary Taft refers the opportunity OF
adjusting themselves.
Nowhere in this great speech Of
Secretary Taft. in our Judgment
does he rise TO the high plane Of
the true statesman. He keeps to
the lower level of the practical com
mercialist and the politician. who
see only to-day and it's embarrass-
ing surroundings. He looks 20 man.
rather than to God and ne seems
staggered by the problems confront
Ing and the questions asked him
We are pleading for equal rights
and opportunity for the intellectual
ly and morally qualified Negro with
out regard to his race. color or pre-
vious condition of servitude. We
are insisting that the same restric.
tons and handicaps placed upon the
ignorant Negro be placed upon the
ignorant white man. No self-re.
speeding educated Negro will de.
mand more or expect less.
Secretary Taft need not be at all
uneasy as to the ultimate culmina.
tion of the conditions existing down
here. They will be settled and he
spoke truly, when he said:
The white men who can do the
most good for the Negro, VINO can
ala him in his toilsome march to
Better material and intellectual con
ditiOns, are the Southern white men
who are his neighbors II is one
OF the encouraging signs OF the
time that there is growing up in the
South a body Of leading white men
who feel that the future of the Ne
gro race. affects the future OF the
South. and that both self interest
and humanity require them to lend
all the aid they can 20 this people.
in the throes Of a burdensome eff
fort
10 is to this class of white men
that we are looking for succor and
relief. There are thousands OF God.
fearing white men IN the North. who
would do much, ami are doing more
20 aid US. but they are not in power
in the nation. Some OF these ad.
vocates are identified with the Con
stitution League, the principles of
which organization Eecretary Taft
has indirectly repudiated.
The northerners in power, vita
possibly one exception president
Roosevel) have lacked the courage
TO enforce the law and to speak out
for great principles. They have.
been cowed by the powerful south
ern combination in control at WASH
ingtOn and in the face Of this array.
the rights Of the Negro as a man
and citizen have been sacrificed.
President Roosevelt stood alone in
the breach. so TO speak and de
clared in favor OF AL men up in.
stead OF some men down"
But that was before he was lead
ing the fight for the Hepburn Rate
Bill, with Senator B. r. Tilman.
the most inveterate Negro-hater in
the world. in charge OF the measure.
II any one has heard from him any
recent declaration upon this all
important subject, we would be
pleased TO have copious extracts
therefrom mailed 10 this Office. To
be plain, even the President OF the
United States. for the time being. isl
corralled. His recent attack OF
lock-jaw may be Oply temporary.
but there are ominOus signs OF a.
slight change of heart, and a slight
modification of policy. when his
recent speeches in the Southland
are considered and the utterances
Of his Secretary of War pondered.
But then President Roosevelt de
80 w. WNAA III AAt ndAlOu- Even as
"one swallow does not make sum-
mer." so one error OF Judgment
does not shatter a statesman. When
put TO the test, he has always rungI
true and let us hope that when ne
Is free once more from the tempo
rary associates with whom ne has
aligned himself he may come back
to mis- first love and stand noble
and true to the great principles
that have made nations and immor
talized statesmen since the begin
ming of history many centuries af-
ter the foundation of the world.
An attack upon the universal suf
frage of the Negro is an attack up
on the universal suffrage of the white
man, for the reason that the Negro