Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1909-06-22


the soil. In the city the temptation
to live in idleness, the temptation
10 drink. the temptation TO gamble.
the temptation to commit crime are
far greater than In the country. Inc
difficulty in finding employment, the
difficulty In finding good houses, the
difficulty in securing plenty OF good.
wholesome food is far greater III the
city than In the country, and especi-
ally is this true when we compare
the opportunities presented In the
country In the Southland with the
opportunities presented 10 our peo-
pie In the large cities of the North.
Country the Best Place.
"In the country we can find plenty
of work, we can find a good place TO
live where there is plenty of pure
air. where we can get out on the
soil, where We can become the owner
of q piece OF land. rear strong.
healthy, vigorous family. | urge our
ministers, the teachers and other
leaders TO use their influence wher-
ever possible to help keep our people
cut OF the large cities. One influences
that is working against the negro TO-
day. that is making public sentimens
grow against him. is the object lesson
of scores and sometimes hundreds OF
idle men and women loaling arounu
the bar rooms and dens OF vice and mis-
cry in cur large cities In the country
We can save our money. we can invest
in something that will be prosperous
and useful In the city the tempta-
tation to spend money in against u,
1T is always a pleasure for ME to
return to the State Of Virginia.
always feel myself at home in this
commonwealth among the people OF
both races. However. much we may
be misunderstood by people who have
never lived in the South. in the last
analysis there is feeling of friend
ship between the individual members
OF the two races that is most salts
factoy and hard for stranger TO
understand
Just before he died. the late Mr..
II. II. Rodgers asked me to make
trip over his new road with the idea
OF seeing and finding out what the
conditions OF the colOred people is
and of reporting to him what might
be done to further improve their con
dition. as well as to further promote
friendly relations between the black
people and white people. In full
fillment of this promise, | am very
glad TO be in the state of my birth.
never inspect the conditions of the
colored people in the South without
being proud that | am member on
the negro race and equally proud that
was born in the South. There Is
no case in history. in my opinion.
that is so interesting as that which
the negro race represents. Here
we have ten millions OF people. who
were only a few hundred years ago
brought from savagery, cilivilized. and
today these ten millions in material.
educational, moral and religious pur-
poses are far ahead OF any similar
number of black people in the world.
With this happy outcome, not onsy
Is the negro to be praised, but the
Southern white man, in whose midst
ne has made this progress and who
has actually helped him to make 1t,
Is due a great deal of praise.
encouragement Needed.
The negro will grow more useful.
more law abiding in proportion as he
is encouraged If a negro does a
good days work. he should be prais-
ed, il he pays his debts prompt
", he should be praised: if he
lives law abiding clean life, he
should be praised and the mistake
should not be made by CHASING all
colored people together and stating.
as Is often done. that all are worth
less, immoral and useless. In most
cases. the people who make those
statements simply mean that a few
have these bad traits and not the
whole race More and more in tns
future than in the past hope tnas
the best element Of white people will
go into the negro schools, the
churches and places of industry and
sci for themselves something OF the
progress that our people are max
ing
To the members OF my own race
I want to advise them. where
ever possible, to use their influence
in getting rid of the negro loafer. the
negro gambler and drunkard. NO
influence goes further In putting Us
down. in embittering other people
against us than the influence exerted
by the negro who does not work No
where in the country. in my opoin-
ion. is the negro seeking to thrust
himself upon the white people from a
social point OF view. neither are they
seeking to dominate the white man
in matters Of government. The ne
gro Is seeking an opportunity to earn
an honest living and claims the pro-
lection OF the law under which he
lives and find that the more I see
OF conditions in the South. the more
] am convinced that the highest and
best type OF Southern people have
made up their minds that the negro
shall BE- protected in all his funda-
mental rights as an American citi-
zen