The Washington herald., 1906-12-05
MESSAGE TO CONGRESS.
Important Governmental Policies Suggested by President Roosevelt

on the part of both 20 make common
cause with the law-abiding against Grim
inals of any color
Moreover where any crime committed
by member OF one race against a men,
Der OF another race is avenged in such
fashion that it seems as if not the In
dividual criminal. but the whole race, is
attacked. the result Is to exasperate TO
the highest degree race feeling. There is
but one safe rule in dealing with black
men, as with white men; IL IS the same
rule that must be applied in dealing with
rich men and poor men; that is 10 treat
each man, whatever his color, his creed,
or his social position. with even-handed
justice on his real worth as a man. White
people owe it quite as much to them
selves as TO the cOlored race 70 treat well
the cOlOred man who shows by his life
that he deserves such treatment; for it
is surely the highest wisdom to encOur-
age IN the cOloTed race all those individ-
uals who are honest Industrious. law
abiding. and who. therefore. make good
and safe neighbors and citizens Reward
or punish the individual on his merits as
an individual. Evil will surely come in
the end to both races If we substitute
for this just rule the habit Of treating all
the members Of the race, good and bad,
alike. There is no question of social
equality" OF negro domina ton" in
volved; only the question Of relentlessly
Furnishing bad men. and Of securing to
the good man the right to his life, bis
liberty, and the pursuit Of his happiness
as his own qualities Of heart. head, and
hand enable him 10 achieve It.
Every cOlOred man should realize that
the worst enemy of his race IS the negro
criminal and above all the negro crimi-
nal who commits the dreadful crime OF
rape: and il should be felt as in the high
est degree an offense against the whole
country and against the colored race in
particular for a colored man 20 fail TO
help the officers Of the law In hunting
down with all possible earnestness and
zeal every such Infamous offender More
over, in my Judgment. the crime Of rape
should always be punished with death. as
is the case with murder; assault with in
tent to commit rape should be made a
capital crime, at least In the discretion Of
the court; and provision should be made
by which the punishment may follow i'm
med.ately upon the heels Of the offense;
while the trial should be 50 conducted
that the victim need not be wantonIy
sh&med while giving testimony. and that
the least publicity shall be given 10 the
details
There Is another matter which has di-
rect bearing upon this matter OF lynch.
ing and OF the brutal crime which some
times calls IT forth and at other times
merely furnishes the excuse for its exist
ence. il is out Of the question for our
people as a whole permanently to rise by
treading down any OF their own number
Even those who themselves for the mo-
meHt profit by such maltreatment of their
fellows will In the long run also suffer
No more shortsighted policy can be
imagined than in the fancied interest Of
one class. 10 prevent the education OF
anu. her class The free public school. the
chance for each boy or girl 10 get a
good elementary education. lies at the
foundation Of our whole political situa-
ton. In every community the poorest
citizens. those who need the schools most
would be deprived OF them IL they only
received school facilities propOrtiOned to
the taxes they paid. This IS as true Of
one portion Of our country as OF another
It Is as true for the negro as for the
white man. The white man. II he is
wise, will decline TO allow the negroes
IN a mass to grow 20 manhood and wo-
manhood without education
The best type Of education for the col
ored man, taken as a whole, is such edu-
cation as IS conferred I'm schools like
Hampton and Tuskegee; where the boys
and girls, the young men and young vO-
men, are trained industTiaHy as well as
In the ordinary public school branches.
The graduates Of these schools turn out
well IN the great majority of cases. and
hardly any OF them become criminals.
while what little criminality there Is new
CT takes the form Of that brutal violence
which invites lynch law Every gradu-
ate Of these schOols-and for the matter
OF that every other colored man or wO-
man-whO leads "A life so useful and hon
orable as 10 win the good Will and re-
spect Of those whites whose Heighbor he
or she Is, thereby helps the whole color
ed race as It can be helped IN no other
way; for next 10 the negro himself the
man who can do most TO help the negro
is his white neighbor who lives near
him, and our steady effort should be 10
better the relations between the two
Great though the benefit of these schools
has been 10 their cOlOred pupils and 10
the Colored people. IL may Well be aues-
toned whether the benefit has not been
at least as great to the white people
among these colored pupils live after they
graduate.
Be il remembered, furthermore. that the
individuals who whether from folly. from
evil temper, from greed for office. or in a
spirit of mere base demagogy. indulge in
the infiammatory and incendiary speech
es and writings which tend to arouse
mobs and 70 bring about lynching, not
only thus excite the mob. but also tend
by what criminOlogists call suggestion.
greatly to increase the likelihood OF p
repetition Of the very crime against
which they are inveighing.