The semi-weekly messenger., 1907-08-27
Would be Crowning Glory TO
RooSeyeIt's Administration
SAYS One Single Issue Has Made
south Perpetual Tail Of Demo-
cratic Party---Longs for the Time
When the South Shall be Received
i'm the Council of the Nation


publican state campaign with discus
sion of the race problem and general
political issues from the southern stand
point, and an appeal to the Kentuck-
ians to aid the republican party in the
support of those principles.
calling attention to what he called
the south's lack of representation in
councils of the nation he declared that
was because one single issue has made
it the perpetual tail of the democratic
party SO that however small the north
ern head, it wags that tail. The soatk
has permitted the shadow Of an issue
that circumstances ought long ago to
have removed to bind it to the demo-
cratic party, no matter what principles
Or candidates that party adopts"
He called attention to the prosperity
of Kentucky's Industries and agricul-
ture and expressed the belief that many
Kentuckinas who favored protective
tariff had blind1y voted the democratic
ticket because of feeling on the race
issue.
Then taking up the race question, he
said:
Il know that the discussion by a
northern man is apt to rouse from the
southern democrat the objection that
he does not understand the question;
that he does not know the difficulties
of it. and that if he cannot take It
UP with sympathy, with the attitude of
the white man of the south he had
better not take it up at all. On the
other hand, he is liable to encounter
the criticism of the colored man, who
with a natural sensitiveness, remem-
Dering the wrongs and oppression to
which their race had been subjected,
resents any attitude which does not in
vOlve condemnation of the southern
white man or which manifests the
slightest consideration for his view.
am not pessimist with respect to the
race question. | am convinced that it
Is working itself out, and | am con-
vinced that nothing has so much con-
tributed to it's gradual solution as the
18th, 18th. and 18th amendments.
> He continued:
oISE'
tics showing the great progress that
has been made by the negro race in the
south. We are apt to forget this real
improvement in the diatribes that we
occasionally hear from men who lack
sympathy with tie progress of the
cOlOred race aDT. who denounce the en-
tire race oD- account of a comparative
ly small criminal class that forms the
dresEsss, of the southern population
!. After mentioning the various means
of disfranchising voters, and declaring
that such laws were proper if applied
with equal fairness to both white and
black he expressed the hope that as
the cOlored citizens under the leader
ship of such men as Booker T. Wash
5ngton, would become respected busi-
ness members of the communities In
which they live and when they eXer-
else independence of judgmnt in re-
spect to political issues we may be
sure that gradually the right to vote
will be accorded them and they will
exercise far more useful influence
as intelligent and solid members of
the community than the ignorant men,
bers of their race would have exercised,
mad they been allowed to vote In
this way, through devious ways which
cannot be justified or approved, we
may still reach a result that will
square with the requirements of the
federal constitution and will give the
negro every political and economic
right
The negro is necessary to the south
as labor-skilled and unskilled. The
world over today there is a demand
for labor and were the negro to be
withdrawn from the south the difficult
ties under which agriculture would
labor can hardly be overstated The
negro is an 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 f1ag he loves-The only
enc he knows. 1t is our duty to see
to it that his path is made as easy
as possible, and that his progress is
as incessant as proper encouragement
can make 1t.
; His best friend-the one that can
da most for him and the one in many
respects who sympathizes with him
most-is the southern white man. He
understands his defects He knows his
virtues. And the negro responds to the
opportunities for Improvement as book
er T. Washington points them out we
can be sure that he will grow in the
5 estimation of his white fellow citizens
OF the south and that the great prob
lem which has burdened the south will
be solved
The fifteenth amendment does not re.
'duire that every negro should vote.
All that it requires is that he sbon1d