Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-09-11

! and for a broad Christian brotherhood has
been misunderstood and misrepresented.
| The world has been told that the negro is
| clamoring for social interminglng, matter
| which all intelligent people must admit will
| rot yield to any kind of legislation, and
which no statute or physical force can pre-
vent so long as there Is a desire among the
different races to associate, but In the face
| of a few agitators, who would advocate
| cial intermfnglng. l can say that all the
| intelligent. thoughtful negroes are unalter
ably opposed to any such doctrine, and
rather favor the absolute separation of the
races on social lines. They believe that this
can be done without in the least curtailng
any of the civil or political rights of any
map This opinion is based upon the logical
ground that the negro constitutes only
about one-eighth of the entire population of
this country, and to amalgamate would de-
stroy the identity of the African race upon
the continent. a thing which no self-respect-
ing. race-loving negro can afford to advo-
cate.
Pure African Blood.
I'm the ten million negroes in the United
States more than three-fourths have cours-
ing through their veins pure African blood.
and notwithstanding the fact that we have
been free less than half a century these
few millions represent the highest type Of
Christian civilization found among the Afri-
can people anywhere in the world, and
while this is true should not fail to rec
ognize that there are hundreds OF millions
of Africans in other parts of the world
whose blood is just as pure and unmixed as
that found in majority of the race In this
country, but those vast millions are to be
redeemed. In my opinion the work will be
left very largely to the American negroes.
and my plea Is do not let the race be led
into an erroneous notion which will destroy
in great measure the opportunity which
an unerring providence has opened to 1t.
In making this statement do not mean to
he hat no fri &c Oft nr
inferior or superior to other races, for I am
a firm believer in the doctrine contained in
the preamble to the Declaration of indie
pendence, All men are created free and
equal
The Race Problem.
I'VE are hourly told that there is a great
and increasing race problem in this country,
yet we reluctantly admit that there is any
such problem in respect to the negroes.
and there would be absolutely none if 1t
we're not for the fact that many of the
white people take our demand for civil and
political rights to mean a demand for social
equality. l assure you that the white man
Is no problem to the negro, and If he ever
was 1t has long ago been solved for the
most ordinary negro pretty thoroughly I'M
dcrstands the white man at this day
'Fortunately for the negro, our country
has at present a man at the White House
who has the common sense to be the Presi-
dent eff the whole people-one who has
shown by his ffical acts that he cannot be
Influenced in the discharge of his public
duties by race. color or condition Of men.
But l am sorry to say that there are a
great many well-meaning persons of the
negro race who are not yet capable of I'M
Outstanding how the President of the United
States can treat the white people of the
south with the consideration that Is due
them the same as that due the people
white or black, of any other section with
out feeling that he is not friend of the
negro
Favors the South.
IAN well-informed people will admit that
the progress made by the negro is without
a parallel In the history of the world. This
refers to every phase of his life There
must not be anything allowed to enter the
minds of the negroes, and especially of the
leaders. which will discourage them and
cause a cessation of the marvellous adj
vancement which they have made. Already
there has been thousands Of dollars worth
of property sacrificed by individuals of the
race who have become discouraged because
of some local troubles coupled with the
advice of some pessimists who can see only
the dark side of every question Many good
people. listening to such. have sold out
practically for nothing the Accommodations
or a lifetime and gone to some other place
to find the conditions the same as those
they left. / do not mean by this state
ment that negroes are not seeking to i'm
prove their material conditions by going
where they NAV feel that their interests
Will be promoted. nor do l subscribe to the
sterotyped notion that the negro Is pecu-
Harly suited to the south and cannot live
anywhere else. but know that he can live
anywhere that any other man can, and yet
l believe that at present the south presents
the best opportunities for his further de-
Velopment along commercial and industrial
lines, and would not only advise that he re-
main largely in the south. but that he seek
to live in the country districts rather than
In the cities and towns.
THE discriminating laws which disgrace
the statutes of our country indicate only
another effort to humiliate and discourage
the laudable ambition of the negro, but it
is having the opposite effect, for while the
negroes. especially those of the south have
accepted and adjusted themselves to every
discriminating provision of every law made
Tor that purpose, at the same time they
fully understand that these laws were made
because of their rapid progress and not be-
cause of any refrigeration, and they believe
| firmly that not only will these laws be re-
pealed, and the whole country will settle
down to the basic principles of equal rights
to all and special privileges to none, but
that succeeding generations will be thor
oughly ashamed of their sires who made
such laws. But there is serious aspect to
the situation It affects our race and one
which calls for careful, cool and consider
ate deliberations; it is the position taken by
the higher courts of the land upon the dis
eliminating laws which disgrace the stat
utes of our country. Emboldened by what
has already been the ruling of the highest
court of the land, there are men who are
counted among the statesmen of the coun-
try who say in their public speeches and
in interviews by press representatives, in
respect to the fourteenth and fifteenth
amendments to the Constitution of the
United States, that their states have prac-
tically nullified those amendments. and
that, too without consulting the authority
of the federal Constitution on the matter.
Constitutional Amendments.
mo man, black or white, believes that
those amendments are necessary to secure
the rights of the once enslaved race, and
even in those sections where it is claimed
I that those amendments have been nullfied,
the notification can only be temporary
when applied to a people that is making