Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-01-18
TAFT To GEORGIA NEGROES
TELLS THEM RACE SOLUTION
RESTS WITH THEMSELVES.
Praises Y. M. c. A. Work in the
Philippines and Canal Zone in
Address at Augusta.

AUGUSTA, Ga. January 1S.-Introduced
TO a big audience of men. comprising the
negro Y NJ c. A. of this city as 'the
most popular and conspicuous citizen of
the United States. Americas great states
man, our uncrowned king, for whom we
wish successful administration and a
second term" by the famous DR.. Walk
er, known as the black Spurgeon," Mr..
Taft yesterday became greatly interested
in discussing the christian uplift of Y. NJ
c. A. work, and talked for an unusually
lon, time to his enthusiastic listeners.
d.. Walker painted a bright present and
a brighter future for the negroes OF
Georgia. who owned, he said. a million
acres of land in the state and paid taxes
on s2O,OOO,O0O worth OF property.
This report Mr.. Taft regarded as most
encoura ging. 1t gave him an illustra-
ton for his oft-eXpressed conviction that
the race question must he settled by the
negroes themselves becoming indispens-
able to the community in which they live.
This meant industry. information and
thrift, acquired by constant individual ef-
fort. He dwelt at length upon the adj
vantages Of Y. NJ. G. A. work to bring
about this condition, and illustrated his
point by picturing the temptations and
depression of Americans in the Philip
pines, and the help which the association
was rendering there to afford wholesome
ways Of entertainment for the leisure
hours.
1t was his belief that the Y. N. c. A.
had brought about in this country more
tolerance between the various religious
denominations. AS an example of this
he made detailed explanation Of the
situation this government found itself in
with respect to the friar lands in the
Philippines. but parenthetically remarked
before proceedings II think IA pretty
fact that l am elected President of the
United States
Concurrence, he said. had been oh
tanned from body of clerSymen repre-
senting the various denominations that
no protest would be made by them when
the government should take up with the
pope the negotiations necessary TO ac-
ouire title to these lands. Their pur-
chase for s1.00O.000. he said, had saved
what would have been a bloody revolu
ton in the Philippines. which would
money and many lives.
Forty years ago" Mr.. Taft said lit
would have been impossible to have OBJ
tanned this concurrence. There would
have arisen among the denominations
an objection to it on the ground that it
was a reception of the Roman Catholic
Church, which was contrary TO our tradi-
tons
After he had described the ENDORSEMENT
of Y. NJ. G. a. work on the lsthmus of
Panama. where four great clubs are
running each under the direction of an
experienced Y. NJ {. 4. secretary, paid
by the government and where ten or Il
dozen ministers are also employed by the
government with a plan Endorsed To es-
tablish two or three more clubs, Mr.. Taft
remarked:
1T is possible We will be charged with
having filched that money from the public
trea sury But if we have. we have ac-
complished a good work with it. think
also the expenditure could be defended on
strictly legal grounds. We have entered
the Isthmus of Panama and introduced
there some fifty thousand souls. Unless
we take especial pains to have their NOR
atty looked after, unless We furnish
ministers, churches and Christian clubs
we are going to have such saturnalia
Of evils such decentralization that We will
never build the canal. Hence. if we are
to be impeached for spending that money,
it will be IN a good cause.
His feeling of satisfaction that y. NJ. c.
A. work had found a place among the
negroes Of the south constituted the con-
GLIDING thought Of the address, which
ended with the sentiment:
IF the negro would be respected he
must make himself worthy of respect.
Mr. Taft arrived here from Atlanta at
q O'Clock in the morning. He went at
once to the Terrett cottage. He did not
meet Mr.. Rockefeller who was at The
Bon Air Hotel, during the day.