Los Angeles herald., 1907-01-13

useless to deny that the race question
lies at the bottom Of all this II Is USE
less to say these troops were discharged
because they were negroes. II the
negroes had been treated the same way
as white regulars were treated at
Athens, Ohio, the civil authorities
would have arrested those believed to
be guilty and the matter decided In the
courts. In that instance the war de-
partment defended the regulars, al
though they had committed murder and
1t was declared that troops were the
wards of the nation, very proper and
right position to take.
The whole issue Is one of race, and
the. president Is primarily more respon-
sible than any other man for the posi-
tion the negroes In the south have
taken on the question of negro rights.
He gave recognition to Booker T. Wash
inSton in social way. lie did it, know
ing he was flying IN the face of caste
feeling among 100000 of southern
white men and against the same feeling
of two-thirds or three-fourths of the
northern people. He does not under
stand the negro or the deep and vital
character of the issue involved. He
made n mess of IL in the first instance
and has made a worse mess in the last.
The attitude of the administration
on the social questions has been the
cause of a great and notable change in
the demeanor of the negroes throughout
the south and the greater question of
relationship between the races cannot
be much longer kept down.
Tells Of Coast Situation
"On the Pacific coast the relationship
between the Mongolians and the Cau-
casions is involved. The president has
expressed himself as favoring the policy
of absolute oblteration of the race line,
the granting of full citizenship to the
japanese. The Americans of the Pacific
coast, as l understand it, are bitterly
opposed to the policy, and without re-
gard to party lines. Those Americans
ought to know what is for their best In
terest and thought and undoubtedly
will have the sympathy and aid of their
fellow citizens in the north and south
in protecting their interests. But these
two phases of the race problem sink
into insignificance alongside of the
greater and more vital question of the
relationship of the races in the south
ern states of the Union.
Take this from his message on the
Brownsville affair:
:" 1T ! of the utmost Importance to
all of our people that we shall deal
with each man on his merits as a man
and not deal with him merely as mem
judge each man by his conduct and not
his color
And again: Every far sighted
friend of the colored race in its efforts
to strive onward and upward
should teach first, and the most i'm
portant lesson alike to the white and
the black, the duty of treating the in
dividual man strictly on his worth as
he shows it.
Did the President Forget Himself?
Consider the full import of these
words and then consider whether or
not they are sincere and honest, and
whether in the fervor of fit to justify
an unwarranted usurpation of power
and exercise of executive authority the
president forgot himself and said more
than he intended or means To illus
trate, is it possible or desirable that
all consideration Of race and color
shall be dismissed from our minds and
not govern our action; that racial in
stincts obtained in us by nature are
to be ignored and all men of all races
to be judged and treated on the basis
of individual merit. Are men to be
made over and the caste feeling and
race antagonisms of centuries to dis
appear in the universal brotherhood of
man? Are there any senators in this
audience who subscribe to this doc
trine who would have the Caucasian,
the highest and noblest of the five
races, as is attested by history, de-
scend to the level of the others and
share his birthright with them, with
the inevitable result that pure white
blood will disappear from the face of
the earth, and after the mixing of CEN
turtles shall have completed the ANAL
gamation.
rs President Roosevelt ready to act
up to his own theory and have his chill
dren marry men and women of the
other race? Would he accept as a
daughter-in-law a Chinese, Malay,
an Indian or a negro. in accord with
the doctrine laid down in his message
which 1 have quoted? We all know he
would not and while fine words butter
no parsnips, words like these are a
source of incalculable evil, coming
from such a high source. that the peo-
pie of the country are beginning to feel
a deep concern in the various phases of
this question and it is absolutely use
less for doctrinaires and politicians to
undertake to pooh-pooh the question
and dismiss it with a wave of the
hand. and for one, ] am ready to go
to battle under the slogan, America
for the Americans and this is a white
mans country and white men must
govern it,
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