Coeur d'Alene evening press. (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) 1907-1929, 1908-11-27
PROGRESS OF
COLORED RACE
President Roosevelt Wants Col
or Llns Obliteratsd. Merit
Test Substituted.

presence OF President Roosevelt as |
the laying Of the cornerstone OF the
new eolored Y. Al. c. A. made the
event most notable one among the
eolored people of the District OF
Columbia. The attendance was large,
including not only a great gathering
OF eolored residents, but many dis
lngulsned omcials OF the federal and
local government.
president Roosevelt said in part:
The \. IA. G. A. has worked
among cOlored men for less than 80
years. For number Of years, for
some time after the work was begun,
little progress was made; indeed at
first, curiously enough, the churches
tried TO antagonize the X. NJ. c. A.
But during the last 20 years the Y.
M. o. A. work among our eolored
FELLOW citizens has proceeded rapidly
and these are the 20 years In which
the colored race In America has
made most progress. The religious
people, those standing highest In the
eolored churches, now appreciate. as
they failed to appreciate q quarter Of
a century ago, that innocent sports
and amusements should be encour-
aged and that the poorest lesson to
be taught to any man OF any race is
that pleasure and vice are synony-
nous terms.
Half Are Y. Nj. @. A. Members.
1T is noteworthy that OF the TO-
900 colored men attending the color
ed colleges in this country. half are
active members of the Y. NJ. C. A.
This speaks well for the spirit of
these colored colleges and gives US
hope and encouragement for the
character Of the leaders Of the coll
ored race in the future.
Hundreds of your young men are
every year being lured away from
the habit of decent living because
they are not supplied with the chance
to go where innocent and healthy
amusements are provided in sur
roundings that encourage education
and morality.
There is possibly nothing needed
worse in all our cities and towns
than well organized Young Mems
Christian associations which shall
stand for character building in the
three-fold way in which the Y. M.
, c. A. endeavors to do its work. II
pays far better to support a Y. M. G,
, A. in a community than to pay the
/ salaries of policemen.
, LAS for the white man, let him re-
member in this, as in ell other mat
tiers, that to do justice to the color
ed 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 community
q every class of citizens shall feel the
effect of raising or degrading any
class.
For Equality Of Treatment.
IAN men up is a safer motto
than Some men down. and It Is II
$ the interest Of every class Of an
community that members Of ever!
4 other class shall feel that industry
i sobriety, good behavior, the conduc
o that makes a man as being q goo
i neighbor and a good citizen shouli
i receive a proper reward. so as there
}, by to put a premium upon the de
s velopment Of such qualities. m
not speaking Of social relations;
am speaking Of quality Of treatmen
before the law, or equality Of oppoT
tunity to earn a living. Of equality Q
e opportunity to earn the respect tha
should be accorded to the man VIII
- behaves decently and is a good neigh
e Dor and a good citizen.
q There are plenty Of difacul
a problems in this country, plenty G
Ie problems requiring patience. fol
Is bearanee and good judgement IL the
Ie are to be dealt with wisely. and whic
can not by any possibility receiV
even an approximately complete y
luton within a short time. What
IL known as the race problem il one
the most diflcult; and 1t exists
y the north as well as in the south. B'
4 Of one thing we can rest assure
and that is the only way in which
= bring nearer the time when thei
u shall be even an approximately IA
= solution OF the problem is TO trei
- each man on his merits as q man. T
ie should not be treated badly beeauI
o he happens TO be Of q given colo
nor should he receive immunity Il
misconduct because he happens 10
4