The daily times. [volume] (Wilson, N.C.) 1902-1936, 1921-10-28
DENOUNCE
The President Went a Little
Farther Than Any Other
Chief Executive Has in
Handling the Negro Prob
lem by Thus Publicly An
nouncing His Policies.
(By David Lawrence)
Copyright, 1921, by The Daily


Times)
| Washington, Oct. 27-President
Harding's speech at Birmingham,
Alabama, advocating political and
economic equality for the negro was
| the talk of the town" today
Southern Democrats privately de-
nounced it and predicted that the
hopes of the Republican party for
white Republican vote had been
| absolutely dashed to the ground. Re-
as Lincolnesque They called it a cour-
! ageous speech delivered as it was in
the heart of the south itself
! Irrespective of the merits of Mr..
! Harding's doctrine, there are certain
i interesting aspects to it from a poll
| tical viewpoint. Republican candid
ates have in the past spoken of poll
tical equality in their campaign
speeches without creating much of
ripple. Mr.. Harding said virtually
the same thing in his presidential
! ampaign as he said at Birmingham
it pleased the negro voters and was
hardly commented upon at the time.
But as President no one has gone
quite as far in recent years in handl-
ing the negro problem as has Mr..
: Harding. Theoretically, Republicans
and emOcrats have admitted upon oc-
casions that true democracy means
| hut in
tice both parties have had their con-
itroversies about granting that equal
ity.
| For several months the leaders of
the Republican party have been
planning a real campaign to break
the Democratic hold on the "solid
south" Some have advocated that the
way to do it is for some statement
to be made which would assure the
whites in the south that they could
vote the Republican ticket without
fear of negro domination. This has
indeed been advocated by those Re-
publicans who hailed from the south
land who knew that some such utter
ould be persuaded to desert the Dem
ocratic standard On the other hand,
northern Republicans who have been
helped in recent years by the influx
of negroes into their congressional
!. districts have feared that such a
!, statement would be regarded as hos
: tile by northern negroes
i Mr.. Harding has tried a COM
!, promise He declares he does not be-
, lieve in social or racial equality.
That's an important statement for
President of the United States to
| make But while the south has al
: ways insisted upon its own right to
, determine Who shall OR shall not be
: is that the true fear of political equal
7 ity is that it may lead to social equal
ity. At least the Southern Democrats
here who have made a study of the
? question declare that the line be-
tween political and social equality is
too hazy to draw. They argue more
. over that political equality means the
election to Office of negroes to rule
over whites. Such status they add,
f inevitably carries with it social fric-
S ton.
Republicans who defended Mr.
: Harding's speech we're vehement in
: their expressions of approval, point
: ing out that the President had made
e real appeal for united nation and
K had not minced words in contending
}. for a genuine and not an imaginary
2 democracy. The fact that negroes in
the audience had applauded anc
lcheered while whites stood silent, a:
reported in the dispatches from B1r
y mingham, was regarded as of lesser
e Importance than the after-effects O.
b the speech on the mass of people wh'
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