The Montgomery advertiser. [volume] (Montgomery, Ala.) 1885-1982, 1909-05-27
TAFT TALKS
TO NEGROES
Says Races Future Is
II Bright.
GIVES BLACK MAN ADVICE
Discusses Relation Of South to the
Negro.
Says white Men of Progress Are Be-
CLAIMING to Appreciate Advan-
tsEe Of Havins Negro Mea
In the South.

| Washington, May 2s.--speaking tc
the negro graduates of Howard Uni.
| versity In this city today. President
Taft declared that never at any time
| has the future Of the negro, as q race
appeared more hopeful and bright thar
at the present day.
The President impressed upon hi,
hearers the fact that it is for the ne.
| groes themselves to work out theii
| own future and to make themselves
valuable citizens In the communities In
! which they live
| Conditions for the negro In the
| South. the President believed, are
| growing better and better. Southern
| people OF the better class are comins
to look more and more upon the Negro
race as one of>their most valuable as.
sets. Mr.. Taft declared, and he agar
urged upon the negro the Importance
| OF gaining the respect and the friend
ship OF the white people among whom
! he IL to live. The task of educatin,
the negro, and especially of educating
leaders among the race. the Prssiden
asserted was a debt owed by the gov
eminent; debt only too dificuit o.
repay ment because Of the constitu
tional limits of the government In deal
ing with the individual.
| President Taft. personally handed Il
| the 100 candidates for degrees, theil
| parchment rolls.
When the commencement exercise;
were ended. he was escorted to tn,
foundation of the new Carnegie II
brary Of the University. where he ON
ciated at the laying Of the corner stone
| The President evidently enjoyed tn,
privilege of being a real mason, for h,
not only applied the customary mrs
dash of mortar, but worked industri
ously with the silver trowel until h,
had covered the entire resting pIac,
for the well proportioned stone. Til,
throng witnessing the ceremony en-
toyed immensely the spectacle of tn,
President so earnestly 1T his task. &
the last moment, Secretary OF the Int
rior Baliinger. Minister Leger of Hayti
and President Thirkfeld OF the Uni.
versity. were called upon to WELD the
| trowel.
Come on. Ballinger, you might al
we'll help" said the President to the
Secretary of the Interior under whose
department the control Of Howard Uni
versity comes.
But don't put on too much" the
President added! f'and spoil the job"
In the course of his address Presi-
dent Taft said:
'ThrougM the South one Of the things
that Is essential isSthe cultivation OF
greater sanitation and greater atten-
tion to the laws Of hygiene among the
negro race. What they need in the
South. o. great many more physicians
of their own color and race to tell them
how to live. 81
hare can do To tn cir race goes without
saying. or course, the basis OF the ed
ltcation of the ceiored people is In the
primary schools and In the Industrial
schools-in schools framed after Hamp-
ton and Tuskegee. In these schools
must be introduced teachers from such
|. university institutions as this and II
is in furnishing the lateral for the
faculties ofthese smalIer--not smaller,
but less ambitious schools-that an
institution such as this shall have its
chief function.
Larger Endewments.
i say these things with a good deal
OF emphasis because know there are
many who dispute the wisdom of large
contributions to universities of the coll
ored race like this and at one time /
was very much perplexed with the arr
gument 70 know whether or not It was
proper. But what is the fact7 There
are four universities In this country
besides Howard University, devoted TO
the colored race. Those are Lincoln.
Fisk. Atlanta and Talladega. and thew
have not yet, taken together. an en-
dowment that exceeds t25o,Oo0. Now,
when you consider that there are TO-
100000 negores in this country, and
you see how utterly inadequate, even
for the education of the leaders. those
universities. together with THIS are,
and there IL opportunity for the found.
ing Of more. or certainly for the en-
largement of this."
Speaking Of his recent visits to the
South, the President said:
in all the growing communities OF
the South--I mean where there Is q
touch OF modern and a touch Of pro-
gress and touch Of civilization--the
white men of progress are beginning
to appreciate the advantage OF having
class like the negro men there They
are anxious that thev have an In
dustrial education. They are anxious
that they should make their way in the
world and show their usefulness in the
community. The truth Is that the
greatest hope that the negro has. be.
cause~he lives chiefly In the South, IL
the friendship. and the sympathetic In
terest OF the white men with whom he
lives. know IT Is not the habit to
think so. but 1t is growing. and one OF
the things that misleads us most 10
the desperate. the extreme statements
of white men from the South ON the
subject. but really they DO not mean
what they say. They are the last peo-
pie that want to be taken literally
They have a theory that IL may give
them sometimes a little boost polite.
ally to talk in, extremes ana superla-
tives, but have heard expressions
from leading negroes in various citfes
that confirm my Judgment that the SIT
uation Is growing better and better.
II remember hearing the Rev. DR..
Walker that negro who went abroad
and preached in Spurgeon's pulpit and
was worthy to preach In that pulpit.
express his friendship for the white
people of Augusta where spent Ave
or six weeks. and express his view
of the proposition that the negro race
should be moved to some other country
than this. He said they were mighty
well satisfied TO live in Augusta until
they did go to glory. That is the
same sentiment I found in Charlotte
and in Petersburg"
In conclusion. the President said:
Everything that I can do as the ax
ecutive in the way of helping along
this university I expect to do. ex-
pect to do 1t because believe II is >
debt of the people of the United
States-it is an obligation OF the gov.
eminent of the United States and 1t Is
money constitutionally applied to that
which shall work out in the end the
solution OF one OF the great problems
that God put upon the people OF the
United States"
|
| Porto nican COMMITTEE.