New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1907-08-23

TALKS ON RACE QUESTION.
Believes 1T Is Working Itself Out
Supports amendments.
rBy Telegraph to The Tribune ]

Kentuckians can give. Mr. Taft was introduced
by Judge E. c. Orear. of the Kentucky Court OK
Appeals He spoke on the race problem taxing
up political issues from a Southern point Oh
view and appealed to KentuckianS 10 SuppOfs
the Republican party. arguing that 1t reaIiy
best represented their views
Calling attention to ''the SOuths lack OF repre-
sentation in the councils of the nation, ne Ge-
cIared that this came about because one single
issue has made it the perpetual tail OF the
Democratic party. that. however small the
Northern head it wags that tail The South
has permitted the shadow of an issue that clr-
cumstances ought long ago TO have removed 70
bind it TO the Democratic party, no matter wnas
principles or candidates that party adopts"
He called attention 20 the prosperity of KEN
tuckys industries and agriculture, and ex-
pressed the belief that many kentucbians who
favored d protective tariff had blindIy voted
the Democratic ticket because of feeling ths
issue.
Then, taking up the question. he said:
L know that the discussion by a Northern
man of the race question is apt TO arouse from
the Southern Democrat the ODIe ,t1On that he
does not understand the question. that he does
not know the difficulties of il. and that ii ne
cannot take it up with sympathy with the
attitude of the white of the South had
better not take il up at all On the other hand,
he is liable to encounter the criticism OF ths
COlOred man. who. with a natural sensitiveness.
remembering the wrongs and oppression TO
which his race has been subjected resents any
attitude which does not involve cOndemnat ton
of the Southern white man which mani
tests the slightest consideration for his view.
i not a pessimist with respect 70 the race
question + convinced that IL is working
itself out, and 1 convinced that nothing has
the Thirteenth, Fourteenth and Fifteenth
amendments.
PROGRESS OF THE NEGRO
He discussed the first and second OF these
and called attention to the development of the
people. starting with the greatest nliteracy and
ignorance. until they became self-sustainirg.
giving much praise TO Booker T Washington
and others who had urged the wisdom of max
ing the education manual and Industrial He
continued:
I shall not stop TO give you the statistics
by the Negro race in the South We are apt
TO forget this real Improvement in the diatribss
that We occasionally hear from men who lack
sympathy with the progress Of the colOred race
and who denOunce the entire race on account
Of comparatively small criminal class that
forms the dregs of the Southern population
After mentioning the various means OF dis
franchising voters and declaring that such laws
were proper If applied with equal fairness to
both white and black. he expressed the hope
that the colored citizens under tire leadership
of such as Booker T. Washington would
become respected business members OF the
communities in which they live" Continuing,
he said:
When they exercise independence Of judgulen.
in respect to political issues we NAV be sure
that gradually the right TO vote will be accorded
them. and they WIZ exercise a far more useful
influence as Intelligent and solid members OF
the community than the ignorant members of
their race would have exercised had they been
allowed to vote. In this way, through devious
ways, which cannot be justified approved, we
may still reach a result that will square with
the requirements of the federal Constitution and
will give TO the Negro every political and eco
nOnic right.
The Negro is necessary TO the South as a Ia
bOrer skilled and unskilled. The world over to-
day there is a demand for labor and were the
Negro to be withdrawn from the south the diff
ficulties under which agriculture would labor
can hardly be Oyerstated The Negro is ar,
American. He has no other country than this,
and. called upon to defend it, he lays down his
life with the same freedom that the white man
sacrifices his Ours is the flag he 1Oves-the
caIy one he knows II is our duty TO see to IL
that his path Is made easy possible and
that his progress Is as incesSant as proper en-
couragemenr can make IT, His best friend
the one that can do most for him and the one
I'm many respects who sympathizes with him
most-1s the Southern white man. He under
stands his defects He knows his virtues And
If the Negro responds to the opportunities for
Improvement as Booker T. Washington points
them out. can be that he will grow in
the estimation of his white fellow citizens of the
South and that the great problem which has
THE FIFTEENTH AMENDMENT.
The Fifteenth Amendment does rot require
that every Negro should vote All that il re-
quires is that he should not be excluded from
voting because ne is a Negro. If he lacks edu-
cationaI qualificati tiOns property qualifications
any other qualifications that the state may
lawfully impose as a rule of eligibility for it's
voters. then he may be excluded provided that
every else who lacks similar qualifications
is equally excluded. The Fifteenth Amendnlent
is merely intended TO secure him in his political
rights from discrimination by the states-
1t is intended to give him affirmative pr1vi-
leges a member of his Its strict en-
fOrceTnent does not involve amalgamation OF
the races; has nothing to do with social assocta-
tiOn or equality. IL does not involve SO-called
Negro domination, and To permit the question at
this late day-fOrty years after the war-to
control the votes OF Intelligent men IN respect %
issues that are living IS 70 Indicate Iack oI
sense of proper ion. which. / cannot think. VIII
continue to manifest itself In the South
If only under the influence OF President Roose-
velt-s administration some of the Southern
states. including Kentucky. could be led into ths
Republican column in accordance with the real
would be a CrOwning glory of his administration.
II will not necessarily work for the benefit OF
the Republican party In the end because tasi
CIOscness with which the Southern states have,
united in support of Democratic candidates haos
introduced similar cohesion among the North-5
ern states and might expect much more tn-i
dependence OF voting at the North IL the voters
there were not confronted with the solidarity OF
the South AS American. citizen and lover OF
my country I long for the time when the South
shall be received again into the councils of the
nation and when the people of that section shall
resume tine influence to which they are entitled,
and which they deny themselves by being fright
ened at mere ghost of the past
Taking UP the greater Southern Congressional
than the vote of the South
seemed TO warrant. he found in it an injustice
which he believed had been largely eounterbaI-
anced by it's tendency drive Northern voters
into the Republican party
He discussed the problems confronting the
country in the West Indies and in the Philip