Paragould soliphone., 1921-10-31
IS
 CRITICIZED BY
 S0UTHERNERS
Harding's Plea for Political Equality for the Negro Scored Vigorously-ls De- cEared Unfortunate.

Washington, Oct. 28.-President
 Harding's plea in the heart of the south for political equality for the negro aroused southern Democrats of the senate yesterday who de- }nounced. it in interviews. No refer ence to the presidents Birmingham speech was made in the senate de-
 bates, however.
 Criticism of the presidents ad-
 dress came chiefly from Senators Watson of Georgia, Harrison of Mis- Isissippi, Heflin of Alabama and Me Kellar of Tennessee, who pronounc- ed it as "ill-conceiyed," ''unfor- | tunate" and "a blow to white civil lization'' Republican leaders gen. erally praised the presidents posi- tion, although few wished to be
 quoted on the subject, among them Senator Calder of New York and Spencer of Missouri.
 If the published reports of the presidents speech Birmingham are correct" said Senator Watson, 'I very much regret that he made it.. | It is an unfortunate thing when the
 president of the United States ac- cepts an invitation to speak in such southern states as Georgia and Ala bama and then finds it necessary to lecture their people about the treat n,,f flf fI,o As ov1t lis native of Ohio he cannot pos Isibly understand our situation in the lsouth where the people are almost lequally white and black. It is
 Therefore great pity that man
 holding the highest office on earth
 should go down and plant there fa-
 tai germs in the minds of the black
 trace.
 1 Does the governor of Alabama,
 who indorsed the presidents lamen-
 table speech, think that Alabama
 should have a negro governor in-
 stead of white man like himself?
 Would he like to see the supreme
 court of Alabama filled with negro judges? Would he like to see ne-
 gro bosses over white boys and
 white girls? Would President Hard
 ing be glad if his successor in the White House were to be a black
 man? Would the president like to
 see his cabinet filled with negroes !? We are not going to permit
 social OF political equality of the
 kind the president advocates because
 we know it would mean the destruc-
 ancestors handed down to us.' Senator Harrison of Mississippi characterized the presidents pro posal of racial political equality as unfortunate and added:
 T believe in giving the negro every right under the law to which
 he is entitled, but to encourage the negro who in some states, as in my own, exceeds the white population
 to strive through every political ave-
 nue to be placed upon an equality with the whites, is blow to the white civilization of this country that will take years to combat"
 Ut is unfortunate, said Senator McKellar of Tennessee, that the president should have seen fit to discuss in the very heart of the black belt the race question on his first trip south after his election to the presidency. There was no demand for a discussion of the racial question at this time. The address will necessarily start a racial con- troversy at a time in our history when we ought to give all of our and disposition of the economic questions of vital concern to all our people. President Harding cannot make the negro equal to the white man either economically or political ly, If he has mapped out this task for himself he will he disap- pointed, however much he may de- sire to do so. No man can do the impossible. God Almighty has there fore organized and directed his work and I doubt if He will allow any man to interfere and take charge of it at this late day.
 "The speech in my judgment was ill-eonceived, ill-timed, ill-plaeed, and can serve no useful purpose Many will contend that it violated the amenities. It's only effect will be to arouse racial discussions and racial prejudices that had better been left dormant"
 "Lincoln,' said Senator Heflin of Alabama, 'in his debate with