The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-03-17
Washington's Address.


 AS a graduate of Hampton institute and as one who is indebted to that in- stitution for what I have been permitted to do in life, I want to join with you in thanking Secretary Taft for taking the time to come to this meeting and speaking in behalf of the education of my race One is not surprised, how ever, at this manifestation of interest in the elevation of the negro race, As che reads the history of the life of his family, he will see that his interest in the welfare of our people is not new, but was inherited from an anti-slavery family. This inherited interest in the regro race has been reinforced, am sure, by his years of experience in strength ening and elevating the millions of dark people in the Philippines, In Panama and Cuba.
 "On the platform here this evening we Shave two fine types of Americans, both of whom come from New England stock, both of whom are graduates of Yale uni versity, and both of whom are setting the American people high example Of unselfsh living in refusing to seek luxu- rlous ease and comfort for themselves, but are devoting themselves to the high est welfare of the nation-I refer to Dr. H. P. Frissell principal of the Hampton institute, and Secretary William II. Taft.
 Something of the same character of unselfish public service is being rendered by educated black men and women throughout the country especially in our southern states. The devotion of the edu- cated negro to the uplifting of his fellows in the south in my opinion has few par allels in this or any country. The strug- gles and the success of our people to elevate themselves through education is striking and almost pathetic"
 Dr. Washington dwelt upon the great necessity of educating the negro children of the present day. He predicted that within few years, perhaps in this gen. eration, the negro race in America will have increased to 15,00O,000.
 These millions can be made useful, or useless" said he.
 '"rhey can be made to help or to hin- der. They can be made to become crim- inals or law-abiding citizens. They can be made to be potent factors in the in- telligence of our country or they can be- come load of ignorance, dragging down our civilization. Which shall it be?" Recommendation By~Taft.
 
 work done by Hampton and Tuskegee and reviewed the growth of law designed to affect the colored race. He contin- ued:
 "In population where illiteracy is pro- portionately very large no one can ob- ject certainly under the federal const- tuition to the establishment of an elect oral, educational or property. And l do not understand that the intellectual col ored men of the country object to the passage and enforcement of such a law, but they do object and have right to object to the partial enforcement of such law in such a way as to ex- clude the ineligible black men and al- low them to vote the white men who are equally ignorant and ineligible.
 But my friends, 1 am an optimist, and as I have already said, I regard the signs in the south changing in one meth cd, in respect to elections, too, and as an indication that in the near future there will be a steady improvement towards a more and more equal and impartial en- forcement of these electoral laws. l think so, because it is the part of polit- ical and economical wisdom. The prop erty and educational qualifications make utterly impossible a return to the abuses which many southerners profess to fear. The so-called negro domination is noth- ing but dream, and nightmare of the past.
 eff the negro will make himself in- dispensable to the business prosperity of the south, his political influence will take care of itself. AS the colored man be- comes eligible under the laws imposing educational and property qualifications, his standing in the community will give weight to the vote he casts and 1t is inevitable that in the end industrial suc- cess will bring him full political rights"