The Pensacola journal., 1906-04-05
Ii is an Entirely Different Thing
from Political Equality
FREslDENT ELIOT or HARVARD
COLLEGE ALSO DELIVERS AD.
DREss-DR. LYMAN ABBOTT
AMONG THE DISTINGUISHED
GUESTS.
BY Associated Press.

Tuskegee, Ala, April 4-The be-
ginning Of the celebration proper Of
the 25th anniversary Of the founding
of Booker T. Washington's indus
trial school occurred to-day. The
special train. bearing Secretary Taft,
lPresident Chas w. Eliot Of Harvard,
and DR.. Lyman A0OOtt and Oswald
Garrison Willard, Editors of the New
York Evening Post, arrived this az.
ternOon. President Washington, de-
livered, an address of welcome, and
addresses were maze by Secretary
Taft and President Eliot
Secretary Taft's Address.
Secretary said in. part:
The thirteenth amendment which
abolishes slavery needs but little dis
cussiOn. It gave to the negro the
boon of freedom. but it left four OF
five million Of people. not i've per
cent of whom could read or write
and all Of whom had been dependent
upon others for what they ate and
wore and old, as children lOOsened in
the world. Enactment and enforce
ment of this amendment was, OF
couse, essential to the progress OF
the negro. II is true that in some
parts of the south a system Of ser
vieude for debt has been creeping
into vogue, but the decision Of your
own able and upright Judge Jones
OF the Federal court, and Of the
highest tribunal Of this country that
peOnage may be reached and sup
pressed by the enforcement Of feder-
a, penal statutes. has made its con-
tinuanca an impossibility.
1t is now the habit Of many con-
templating the condition Of the two
races in the southern states, 10 shake
their heads and say that the negro
problem is far, far from solution and
the prospects In this respect are
dark. Plans have been suggested
for the emigration, of the negro race
to some other country where they
would live and grow up by them
selves and have a society to them
selves and create a nation by them
selves. Such a suggestion Is most
chimerical. The negro has no desire
TO go and the men Of the south would
seriously object to his going.
It makes no difference how the ne
gro came here; it makes no diRer-
ence how impossible and objection
able the amalgamatfOn may be; itl
makes no difference how impossible,
n may be for them to come together
socially: the negroes are here in this
country as a part Of our people and
are bound to continue to be a part
al our people. They are entitled to
the unceasing effort Of our whol9
people in their struggle for better
things. both because it is our duty
and our interest When called on
the negro has never failed to meet
death and suffer for this country, and
The only flag he loves. The negro's
chief hope Of progress IS by making
his labor and his husbandTy valuas
Bile to the country.
When we regard the story OF forty
years through which the negro Of this
country has been obliged to struggle.
the progress which already alluded
10. material and educational, is wonS
derfuI. Consider the condition Of
things after the war. Here were .
brave. warlike and masterful people.
who had been used to a social cOndi-
lion in which the negro occupied a
servile status, brought by law to face
he prospect Of sharing political con-
.rol with the poor, ignorant, bewilder-
I'd people, who but yesterday were
heir property. Declarations Of equal
ty and popular rights and universal
suffrage offer but feathers weight
against the inevitable impulse Of hu-
nan nature.
Il was impossible that with the ele-
nents have stated, there should not
nave been disturbance and fraud and
and illegality and Oppres-
sion. The negroes vote, after a long
struggle, the history Of which I shall
lot recall. was made TO count for
1othing Then the leaders Of the
south in many states. came TO realize
he decentralization Of all society IL
aw was to be flOuted and fraud was
o constitute the basis Of government
20 they cast about to make the Law
yauare with existing conditions by
property and education qualification
which should exclude the negro.
The very desire to avoid the fraudu-
ent and violent methods which were
wont to overcome the colored vote -
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