Waterbury evening Democrat., 1908-11-27
Warns the White Man of
 Duty to Colored Race.
PROBLEM A NATIONAL ONE
layina of Foundation Stone of Build ing For coiored Young Mems Chris tian Association In Washington Af- fords President Opportunity For Elm phatic Utterance--"All Men Up" Is Safer Motto Than Some Men Down." He Declares.

Down." He Declares.
 Washington, Nov. 27.--A speech on race problems by President Roosevei' at the laying of the cornerstone or the new $100,000 home for the c0lored Young Mems Christian association here made the event notable one. III his address the president said;
 JAS for the white man, let bim re- member that to do justice to the col ored man is demanded not only by the interest of the colored man, but by the interest of the white man also. Sooner or later every class of citizens will feel the effect of the raising or degradation of any other class.
 "'All men up is much safer mot to than Some men down, and 1t Is to the interest of every class of any com munity that the members Of every other class shall feel that industry, SO briety, good behavior, the conduct that marks man as being good neighbor and a good citizen. should receive a proper reward so as thereby to put a premium upon the development of such qualities.
 "I am not speaking of social rela- tions; I am speaking of equality of treatment before the law, of equality of opportunity to earn living, or equality of opportunity to earn the re- spect that should be accorded to the man who behaves decently and is q good neighbor and good citizen.
 What is known as the race problem is one of the most difficult, and it ex- ists 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 approxi- mately fair solution of the problem is to treat each man on his merits as a man.
 "He should not be treated badly be cause he happens to be of given color, nor sholld he receive immunity for misconduct because he happens to be of given color.
 Ut Is the duty of the white man to see that exact justice is meted out to the colored man-the same justice that he would receive if he were not col ored. and upon the colored man is i'm posed the duty to make himself use ful citizen, to so behave as to win the respect of his white neighbor.
 "The performance of duty should be the test applied to the white man and colored man alike, and each individual should be judged not by the fact of his color, but by the way in which he meets these demands of duty, and the first duty which each colored mar owes both to himself and his race is to work for the betterment both ot himself and his race, for it's educa tional, but above all for its industrial and moral betterment.
 Tt is to the great interest of the white people no less than of the col ored people that all possible educa tional facilities should be given the colored people, and it is of even great CT interest to both races that the col ored man should steadily strive for his own industrial and moral uplift."
 Twenty-Five thousand dollars of tht money needed for the construction oi the building was given by John D Rockefeller. the remainder of the fund being raised by the colored people ot the District.