The advocate. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1901-1913, 1908-01-23
WATT JEFF | RSOl I: J II
Sees Hope Ahead
7 for the Negro . !.
EInincnt Journalist Pleads for An
Equal I4ODportunity for the Race
= In Speech at Carnegie Hall, p,
.t.,|f january 1Ttli. l." ~ l%;&

PtOOASAAo Tie States QIESI0G
north to consider and help to sol ve--
Is known as the Negro question. AS it
stands, 1T Is the embodiment, OF a cen,
turS OF misleading and error: Each
Side TO- the controversy has had it's
share in both the misleading and the
error. Not uptilsheaven, raised UP in
the prescribed race a mana leader
OF men though a 7Negro--who Is with
us here tonlght-dil a single ray oil
truth penetrate the surrounding, dark.
ness. Almost despairing, had ceased
to. theonze. throwing myself back on
a simple, childlilke faith in God, when
Booker ~ Washington appeared upon
the scene to, tighten the gloom and
point the way 1t rejoices% me to
stand by his side, to hold up his hands.
Nobody can go to Tuskegee, and see
what saw there and come away
without being impressed. Ever since
went there, now. many years ago, I
have been filled with hope; for though
the institution OF African slavery be
dead. and thank the Lord of hosts for
that, the Negro is here; he Is here in
everincreasing numbers. and he is
here to stay. ALL schemes for getting
rid Of him are. fantastic. and, If at.
tempted, would prove abortive., He
must te developed on new lines, ledu-
Gated to an anomalous situation, and
resolved into the body Of society not,
as an trrltant, but as a natural, indis-i
Densable component part. That's the
problem. - ~.
Both Sections Responsible. -
The two sections OF" the American
union were IN the beginning, as you
know, Jointly responsible for African
slavery Originally the slave, trade ex.
isted both nort9sand south Fhe Afri.1
can was brougbt; here im% northern,
ships. When 'ths north found slave
,ala 1ci. -unpro ofitssaR slaves to
the south, which mistakenly thought 1t
" profitable. I have. never. heard that,
the north failed to put the money it.
got for Its slaves in fts pocket It. Isl
to the glory Of on" common manhood
that, When Virginia ceded an empire
to the federal government, 1t was stip-
ulated that human bondage should
never cross its. border. At last the in
stitution Of African slavery precipita-
ted. the south into ruinous war, and,
after this war, it was discovered that
slave labor had been no more prolita-
bic in the south than in the north.
The Negroes Grown of Glory.
During a century OF angry conten-
tiOn among the whites about the
blacks, starting with the suppression
Of the African slave trade to cuIminate
with the procalmation of emancIpa-
ton, It was the black people, not the
white people, who conducted them
selves like Christian men and women,
and If Gabriel should suddenly blow
his horn and the world should come to
an end this blessed instant many
Write man might be found holding up
u black man Nbctwixt himself and the
fire, to plead his case before the re-
cordng angel, The black people ought
to be very proud Of this. 1t should
constitute their point of departure in
that soul-journey from grace to grace
toward perfection which is the goal
Of those that accept for their rule OF
life and death, the religion Of Christ
and him crucified!
Rights and Wrongs.
Many years ago, within the circle Of
a bay window overlooking one Of the
great avenues of the city of Washing
ton, / was dining with q party Of
friends. We had been discussing the
race quetsion, when, as II to punctu
ate our discourse, two men across the
way---a black man and q white man
entered upon an alteration which
came to blows. The police were con-
veniently, | might say characteristical-
1y. absent> A rtHg was formed. and;
in true Marquis OF Queensberry style,
The race war upon a small but tangf-
bic scale was hen and there fought
out. Taking this to ILLUSTRATE the in
tcrruDted, convergatian.orle among our
group asked, apparently confident Of
he reply, (Which, are we for, the Mig
ger or the IrishmafiH'' 1t vas an emf
ncut statesman Of the south who an
swered, "Well. before decided that l
should like to Ilnaw WHICH has the
right of it,"
My own attitude toward the racial
question has always grounded itself in
the same principle. / want nothing for
myself, or fo@ my children, which !
ain not ready to give to my colored
nc1ghbor and his children. live in
region peopled by many blacks, good,
orderly hard-working folk They
know me and they know that, when l
declare this. I mean 1T =
am. in my own home, served by
black people, and very we'll served,
having had no occasion to change a
: serving man, or woman, IN many
years. We 60 away. and sometimes
are absent for months, Eeturning TO