The Twin City star. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1910-19??, 1914-04-17

ana knows the finest music, but he
may not take one meal In any decent
restaurant Suppose that man were
to come in here today and sit at the
table with us. Do you care to analyze
your feelings toward him? And yet
the bishop on his silken chair, the
splendid old pope on his ancient
throne is not nearer to Gods great
care and affections than this world ex.
He'd Negro. So embittered has this
man grown against his country and
even against his own race that there
Ia no light left in the world for him.
All this through no fault Of his own,
mind you, not because of anything be
has done to us, but because Of what
God did to him. The only right way
for you to judge a man is for you to
put yourself In his place. Put your
self in that mans place. The prob.
lem is not dying out. Every year 1t
Increases In intensity.
I'm 1870 there were less than 10000
Negroes in this country; in 1850 more
than 100000; today every tenth per
son in this republic Ia a Negro, and
his ratio Of increase during the last
decade was II per cent. They will tell
you In the south they have settled the
Negro problem. They have not yet
begun to realize its awful Importance
to them. Terrorism never yet settled
anything permanently. Only cold.
hard justice can do that The Negroes
intelligence is growing In the south
and Fastening there to an awful mo-
ment when the two races shall stand
fronting each other in open conflict
the one contemptuous, confident Of be-
ing in the right and determined; the
other race determined, desperate and
revengeful. But that moment must
never arrive.
1T Is absurd to blame the south for
slavery. Slavery came to this country
when It was recognized everywhere IS
proper and was salutary to both slave
and master. 1t grew imperceptibly
into an institution. Through an acct
dent It became a necessity to the well
fare of the cotton raiser. Before that
the sentiment of the south was against
It. In 1851, with one blow, the prop
erty and prosperity Of the southern
states were crushed. Put yourself in
the southerner's place. His attitude
today would lie your attitude under
like circumstances. It Is our attitude
In the north, only differing in degree,
not In kind. But the time has come
for big. brave men and women, north
and south, to do something. hold
no brief for the Negro. recognize
his many faults. The traits inbred
and inbred again through generations
cannot be gotten out Of the blood in
day. All ask for him is Justice
simple justice. Nobody is seeking for
freedom of social intercourse with the
Negro. But I believe that unreason-
ing prejudice should not prevent any
woman or man In this country from
6lling any position he Is able to fll-
that every citizen may have freedom
10 freely use every gift with which
God has endowed him. There is only
one cure for this evil and that is the
6ne, eternal, heaven sent panacea for
every social ill-pure. even handed
Justice. The solution of the problem
Is not impossible. Some one has said
that looking history through. evil is
only good in the making. As Emer-
son says, Through the years and the
centuries, through evil agents, through
toys and atoms great and beneficent
tendency irresistibly streams
1.-THE south had the question settled
once. and the north unsettled 1t. ]
think the highest minded, finest ma
tured people in the world today live in
this country below the Mason and Dix
on line. I sometimes think that the
oak Of American manhood and the
rose Of American womanhoOd grow
best there. Their point Of view Is at
present almost the irresistible attitude
Of their history and situation. Still, it
= terribly unjust and therefore tenn
porary.
II propose three things: First, that
We try to rid ourselves of unjust preju-
dices against the Negro; that heavy
task accomplished. second, that we
strive to influence our fellow citizens
In the same direction. and. third, that
we shall endeavor to obtain q national
commission. composed mostly Of white
men, north and south, to take evidence
and devise remedies for this impossi-
ble gituation."