The Paducah evening sun. [volume] (Paducah, Ky.) 1906-1929, 1908-11-26
RACE PROBLEM Is
TOUCHED UPON BY
PRIEST. ROOSEVELT
Not Social Equality But Equal
ity Before Law is Re-
CURED of Men.
COlOred Man Must So Live as
TO Earn Respect.
n.y.
TELLS OF WONDERFUL TOWN

dsnlnBtOn, ~. q, NOV. 26.-The
colored Y. NJ. c. A building corner
stone was laid here today. The
building will cost 100000.
President Roosevelt delivered the
principal address. Touching on the
race problem he said in the course
of his speech:
AS for the white man, let him
remember in this as in all other
matters, that to 30 justice to the
.colored man is demanded not only
by the interest of the colored man
but by the interest Of the white man
also. Sooner or later in this com
munity every class of citizens will
feel the effect OF the raising or de
graduation of any other class. 'AIl
men up is much safer motto than
some men down. and il is to the
interest of every class of any COM
munity that the members of every
other class shall feel that industry,
.sobriety. good behavior, the conduct
that marks a man as being a good
neighbor and a good citizen, should
receive a proper reward. so as there
by to put a premium upon the de-
velopment OF such qualities. am
not speaking of social relations;
am speaking of equality of treat
ment before the law, of equality Of
opportunity to earn a living. or
equality of opportunity TO earn the
respect that should be accorded to
the man WHO behaves decent,y. and
is q good neighbor and gUod citizen.
There are plenty Of difficult prob
lens in this country. plenty of prob
lcms requiring infinite patience. for
bearance, and good Judgment IL
they are to be dealt with wisely. and
which can not by any possibility re-
ceive even an approximately com
plete solution within short time
What is known as the race problem
is one of the most difficult: and IL
exists in the north as well as in the
south. But of one thing we can rest
assured, and that Is that the only
way in which to bring nearer the
time when there shall be even an
approximately fair solution of the
problem is to treat each man on his
merits as a man. He should not b,
treated badly because he happens to
be of o given color, nor should he
receive immunity for misconduct be-
cause he happens TO be Of a given
color. Let us all strive, according
to our ability and as far as the con-
ditions will permit, to secure to the
man of one color who behaves up
rightly and honestly, with thrift and
with foresight, the same opportunity
for reward and for living his life I'M
der the protection OF the law ana
without molestation by outsiders.
that would be his if he were Of an
other color. The avenues of en-
ployment should be open to one as
to the other; the protection OF the
laws should De guaranteed to one as
to the other. Each should he given
the right TO prove by his life and
work what his capacities are, and
should be judged accordingly. Each
Is entitled to the reward which he
legltimately earns If he behaves
well; each should be judged with the
same severe impartiality II he be-
HAYES i'm. The same fair treatment
should be accorded both, and every
effort made to give equal opportun-
.itv TO those OF equal capacity and
character. Il is the duty of the
white man to see that exact justice
is melted out to the colored man, the
same Justice that he would receive
IL he were not co,ored; and upon the
co,ored man is imposed the duty TO
make himself a useful citizen, TO so
behave as to win the respect of his
white neighbor. The performance or
duty should be the test applied to
white man and cOlored man alike,
and each individual should be judg-
ed not by the fact OF his oo,or, but
nv the way in which he meets these
demands of duty; and the first duty
which each colored man owes both
TO himself and his race is to work
for the betterment both OF himself
and his race; for its educational, but
above all for its industrial and moral
bet,erment II is to the great In
terest of the white people no less
than of the colOrei people that all
nossih,e educational facilities should
be- given the colored people; and it
is of even greater interest to both
races that the oolored man should
steadily strive for his own Industrial
and moral upiift.
Teach by Example.
To teach by preaching is never as
good as to teach by example. No
words of advice and encouragement
on my part can count in any way
compared to what has actually been
dome nv those colored men who have