The Washington times., 1921-10-26

ASKS RACE
CLEAVAGE
Equality Of Opportunity But Dis
similarity in Social Life De-
fined as Promise.
BY GEORGE X. HOLMES.
Interna tional News Service.

InternationhI news bSrNtCe.
BIRMINGHAM. Ala. Oct. 26.-
Straight into the heart of the Dem
ocratic South, with it's millions Of
negroes, President Harding came
today with a frank and stirring
message dealing with the race prob-
lem.
Race Is World Problem.
The time, has passed. the President
said. when the problem OF race is OF
/ concern ersiy to the South. or 1evsca 20
| the United States. II has now be-
come q world problem he declared.
and he suggested that II can best be
dealt with by recognizing these funda-
| mentals:
/. That the negro be accorded
equal opportunity In matters Of pol
itics, business, and education, and,
2. That there be absolute d.
yerKence racially and socially, each
race with its own tradition, ideals,
etc.
| surely" said the President, I'VE
shall gain nothing by blinking at the
facts, by refusing to give thought TO
them. That is not the American way
of approaching such issues
Speaks TO Great Crowd.
President Harding spoke to a great
audience Of Southerners gathered in
Capitol Park at the celebration OF
Birmingham's fiftieth birthday. II
| followed a parade through the city,
and his speech dealt entirely with the
Industrial south and it's problems.
Men Of both races" continued the
| President, may well stand uncom-
promisingly against every suggestion
"a LII IL xxyna ha hnl
| full to have that word equality elm.
| mated from this consideration, to have
IL accepted on both sides that this In
not a question of social equality, but
a question of recognizing funda-
mental, eternal, and unacceptable diff.
| ference
Politically and economically there
need be no occasion for great and
permanent differentiation. for imita-
tions of the individuals opportunity,
provided that on both sides there shall
be recognition of the absolute diver
gence in things social and racial.
II would say let the black man vote
when he is fit to vote: prohibit the
white man voting when he is unfit TO
vote.
Would Break Tradition.
II wish that both the tradition of a
solidiy Democratic South and the ira
dition OF a solidly Republican black
race might be broken up.
Il want to see the time come when
black men will vote for Democratic
candidates, IL they prefer the Demo
cratic policy on tariff or taxation, or
foreign relations, or what-not; and
when they will vote the Republican
ticket for like reasons.
we cannot go on as we have gone
more than half a century. with one
great section of our population. num-
bering as many people as the entire
population of some significant coun-
tries of Europe, set off from real con-
tribution to solving our national is-
sues, because of a division on race
lines
The President warned his audience
that the South must do something
educationally for the negro, and not
make it's black population "a vast
reservoir of ignorance to be drained
away by the processes of immigration
to other sections The growing in
dustrielism OF the South, he said, will
not permit this IL the South is TO con.
tinue to prosper.
alf-Bslxed Altruism."
In speaking Of education, the Presi.
dent said he had no sympathy with
'half-baked altruism" that would over.
stock the country with doctors and
| lawyers and leave no laborers,
we are under necessity to raise
honest, hard, manual work to n new
dignity II we are to get IL done" he
said, pointing to the fact that re-
| Continued on Page 8, Column ~