The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1908-11-27
X
PRAISES WORK
OF NEGROES
President Roosevelt Talks
on Race Problem.
ADDRESS AT WASHINGTON

Chief Executive Makes the Principal
Speech at Cornerstone Laying of
= ,coIored Y. NJ. C. A. Building and
"' Declares Each Man Should Be
Treated According to His Merits as
a Man Regardless of Color. 80
Washington, Nov. 27.-President
Roosevelt was the principal speaker
at the laying of the cornerstone of
the colored Y. M. G. A. building, to-
wards the erection of which John D.
Rockefeller gave $4,000. The pres
ident said, in part:
1t is to me matter of peculiar
pleasure to be present on this occa-
sion, at the laying of the cornerstone
of the building for the Colored Young
Mems Christian association Of Wash
ington. The Y. M. C. A. has worked
among colored men for less than thir-
ty years. For a number of reasons
for some time after the work was be-
gun very little progress was made;
indeed at first, curiously enough, the
churches tended to antagonize the Y.
M. G. A. But during the last twenty
years the Y. M. G. A! work among our
colored fellow citizens has proceeded
rapidly and these are the very twenty
years in which the colored race in
America has made most progress. The
religious people, those standing high
est in the colored churches, now ap-
preciate, as they failed to appreciate
quarter of century ago, that innO-
cent sports and amusements should
be encouraged and that the poorest
lesson to be taught to any men of any
race is that pleasure and vice are
synonymous terms. The bowling al
leys, the swimming pools and gym
nasiums of the Y. M. G. A. buildings
are adjuncts Of very important kind
1ous uplift with which the Y. M. G. A.
movement has always been identified.
Moreover, the Y. NJ. G. A. reaches
both the classes that are reached by
the churches and the classes that the
churches fail to reach. Such a build
ing as this will be is open every day
and every evening. 1t brings in men
of many different types, for it appeals
to many different sides of human ma
ture. Already the colored Y. NJ. C. A.
has membership in this country of
nearly 10000, 5000 belonging to the
thirty-seven city associations and s.
900 to the student organizations. Of
the 100000 spent last year for the cur
rent expenses of the thirty-seven city
associations three-fourths were paid
by colored men. 1t is noteworthy that
of the 10000 colCred men attending
the colored colleges of this country
half are active members of the Y. M.
G. A. This speaks we'll for the spirit
of these colleges and gives us hope
and encouragement for the character
of the leaders of the colored race in
the future. Over 1900 volumes were
circulated last year from the as yet
limited number of colored Y. NJ. c. A.
libraries.
Race Problem Difficult.
There are plenty of difficult prob
lens in this country, plenty of prob
lens requiring infinite patience, for
bearance and good judgment if they
are to be dealt with wisely and which
can not by any possibility receive
even an approximately complete solu-
ton within a short time. What is
known as the race problem is one of
the most difficult; and it exists in the
North as we'll 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 man.
He should not be treated badly be-
cause he happens to be of a given
color, nor should he receive immunity
for misconduct because he happens to
be of given color. Let us all strive,
according to our ability and as far as
the conditions will permit, to secure
to the man of one color who behaves
uprightly and honestly, with thrift
and with foresight, the same oppor-
tuntty for reward and for living his
life under the protection of the law
and without molestation by outsiders
that would be his if he were of an
other color. The avenues of employ
ment should be open to one as to the
other; the protection of the laws
should be guaranteed to one as to the
other. Each should be 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 legitimately
earns if he behaves we'll; each should
be judged with the same severe i'm
partially if ne behaves ill. The same
fair treatment should be accorded
both and every effort made to give
equal opportunity to those of, equal
capacity and character. It. is the duty
of the white man to see that exact
Justice is leted out to the colored
man, the same justice that he would
receive if he were not colored; and
upon the colored 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
Of duty should be the test applied to
white man and colored man alike and
each Individual should be judged not