The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1907-10-18
Entered at Richmond, Ind, PostCmce
AS Second Glass Mail Matter.
kINDERGARTENS VS.. BATTLE.
SHIPS.

If the United States government
would spend as much money each year
for the establishment of negro kinder
gartens in the South, as it does for bat
tleships. whose sole purpose is to car
ny death and destruction, the condition
of the negro would be bettered and at
the same time the government would
make better investment twice over
from an economic standpoint" ALLEN
Jay in his report to the Five Years
meeting.
The truth of this statement must be
granted with but one exception. I'm
der existing conditions we must have
battleships, but they are not necessari-
ly for the sole purpose of death and de-
struction. On the contrary, possession
of a great number of battleships is one
of the surest guarantees a country can
have that other countries will think
twice before declaring war and will try
conciliatory means first to settle dis
putes. No one doubts for an instant
that Japan, despite it's financial condi-
ton, would, if the United States did
not have such a splendid navy, settle
for all time the question of supremacy
in the Pacific by a trial of war. And
without our navy to combat, Japan
would have little difficulty in Kidding
the seas of what few American vessels
still fly the American flag. The mil
lions of dollars that would be thus lost
in commerce and ships would greatly
over balance the millions of dollars we
already have invested in battleships
and still are investing in warships. In
this connection, therefore, the battle
ship is not so much an instrument Of
destruction as club to compel peace.
1t is true enough, however, that the
millions that go into our navy each
year would do UNNECESSARILY more for
the country from an economic stand
point if spent to educate the negro in
the proper manner. He would be
made a better and more intelligent cit
izen, would have better opportunities
to learn the value of self control and,
in this very instance, would prove a
saving investment in many states,
where now hundreds Of thousands of
dollars are spent annually in punish
ing him for ignorant misdeeds. Yet,
under existing conditions it would not
be wise for the country to neglect its
navy and spend the navy's money for
the education of the negro. Far bet
ter would it be if the various states, in
which the negro question looms large
ly, would provide for the uplift of its
negro citizens by raising additional
money to cover the expense by having
their citizens pay an additional tax. II
looks as though it would be much bet
ter for the states interested in the ques
ton to deal with it in their own way
and with their own money rather than
have the national government take UP
this additional burden. Naturally
the national government would deal
with the question, if it were called in
in way satisfactory to itself and that
might not be satisfactory to some OF
the interested states. So in order t.
endeavor. we believe the individual
states should settle the question them
selves This would be the wisest WA.
to take care of the question. 1t would
be kept localized and not made ma
tional issue. About the only excuse
that could be offered for the United
States government stepping in woulG
be in the case of such demagogic &C
lions as Governor Vardman of Missis
sippi has INDUCED in. And if the PEG
pie of the various Southern states
would only show little common sense
they would not place in power a mar
who seeks to gain and maintain polite
al power by appealing to race prejudic
es to gain votes. Race prejudice viii
never settle the question of the uplif
of the negro, and it would only ham
per the government If it tried to tax,
hold of the question. The thing to d,
is to let the Southerners settle thi
question, which is their own, them
selves, without government interior
ence or Northern criticism.
At all railway stations in German,
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