The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1908-11-27
PRAISES WORK
OF NEGROES
President Roosevelt Talks
on Race Problem.
ADDRESS AT WASHINGTON


Coored Y. M. c. A. Building and
Declares Each Man Should Be
Treated According to His Merits as
Man Regardless of Color.
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 ID.
Rockefeller gave $4,000. The pres.
ident said, in part:
1t is to me a 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. NJ 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.
NJ c. 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 i'm the colored churches, now ap-
preciate, as they failed to appreciate
a 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. c. A. buildings
are adjuncts of a very important kind
to the effort for the moral and relig
ious uplift with which the Y. Nj. G. A
movement has always been identified
Moreover, the Y. M. c. A. reaches
both the classes that are reached by
the churches and the classes that the
churches fail to reach. Such build
Ing as this will be is open every day
and every evening. 1t brings in men
of many different types, for 1t appeals
to many different sides of human ma
ture. Already the colored Y. M. c. A
has a membership in this country ol
nearly 10000, 5000 belonging to the
thirty-seven city associations and D,
900 to the student organizations. Ol
the $4,000 spent last year for the cur
rent expenses of the thirty-seven city
associations three-fourths were paic
by colored men. 1t is noteworthy tha'
of the 10000 colCred men attending
the colored colleges of this country
half are active members of the \. Nj
C. A. This speaks well for the spiri
of these colleges and gives MS hope
and announcement for the character
of the leaders of the colored race II
the future. Over 4,600 volumes were
circulated last year from the as ye
limited number of colored Y. M. 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 Ii the.
are to be dealt with wisely and whicl
can not by any possibility receive
even an approximately complete solu
ticn within a short time. WHAT Il
known as the race problem is one o
the most difficult; and it exists in tn
North as we'll as in the South. Blu
of one thing we can rest assured an
T. nr,1v In which n
bring nearer the time when ther
shall be even an approximately fai
solution of the problem is to trea
each man on his merits as a man
He should not be treated badly be
cause he happens to be OF give
color nor should he receive immunit
for misconduct because he happens t
be of a given color. Let us all strive
according to our ability and as far a
the conditions will permit, to secur
to the man of one color who behave
uprightly and honestly, with Thrill
and with foresight, the same oppo
tunity for reward and for living hi
lfe under the protection of the la
and without molestation by outsider
that would be his If he were of al
other color The avenues Of empio.
ment should be open to one as to tn
other: the protection of the law
should be guaranteed to one as to tn
other. Each should be given the rigi
to prove by his life and work whs
his capacities are and should b
judged accordingly Each Is entitle
to the reward which he legitimatel
earns II he behaves we'll; each shoul
be judged with the same severe In
partiality II he behaves Ill. The sara
fair treatment should be accorde
both and every effort made to gi'
equal opportunity to those Of eQu
capacity and character. II IL the du1
nf tha whita man tn- - that exal