The New York herald., 1921-10-28
SOUTHERN EDITORS
DIFFER ON SPEECH
Presidents Views on Race
Question Receive Editorial
Praise and Blame.
VITAL MESSAGE rs SEEN
His Standpoint Held to Agree
With Policy of Abraham
Lincoln.

President Harding's address in Birm-
ingham, Ala. on the negro problems has
aroused widespread comment through
out the South. where his solution meets
with general endorsement Typical OF
the editorial expressions are the follow
ing:
Knoxville (Tenn.) Journal and Tri.
bunes In the several addresses made
by the President on his journey he
said nothing to show that he did not
feel he was at home amongst his
friends Nothing was said. nothing oc-
CURED while coming In contact with
the hundreds OF thousands of Southern
people tending to show that he was be-
ing greeted by men and women other
than his friends. It is believed that a
vast majority OF the Southern people
are hoping and praying that the Har.
ding administration may be success
full"
Charleston News and Couriers Pres
ident Harding's Birmingham speech
will attract wide attention and we be-
lieve that It's effect will be wholesome.
, 1t Is spoken in the South but 1t Is ad-
( dressed, we believe not so much to the
South as to those who are engaged In
the unwise efforts to set before the ne
groes the false and dangerous ideal of
social equality. This is the aim Of an
agitation which has been in progress
almost continuously since the close Of
the world war. and while the white
people of the South have heard little
of this agitation, 1t has had its eff
fects. The Presidents speech should put
quietus on II.
ut may be we'll that one OF the pur-
poses Of the Presidents speech is that
of laying the foundation for
new Republican party in this section.
1t is no easy task and there are many
of us who will believe 1t possible to
make progress on this line only when
we see that progress actually recorded.
"On one point the President is, we
think, laboring under a mfsapprehen
sion. He appears to think that the
South is opposed to the immigration of
negroes to the North; If so. he is very
much In error 81
Louisville Times, President Har-
ding's address at Birmingham was
wise and courageous, delivered by
Northern man. a leader of that party
which has so long held the Southern
negroes in political bondage. 1t comes
as a gratifying surprise. AS the ut
terance OF the President of the United
States. Il is an impressive enunciation
of truth.
"The wish expressed by Mr.. Harding
that the solidarity OF the white vote
and of the black vote in the South be
broken UP will meet with strong In
dorsement. The political salvation Of
the South lies bt the development Of In
dividuality In voting. So long as white
and coored people are voted in vast
blocks. regardless Of party merit and
public service, so long will the South
be powerless in the councils of the ma
ton. f
bravery was required for the ut
terance that men of both races may
well stand uncompromisingly against
every suggestion of social equality.
This Is not question of social equality
but a question Of recognizing a funda-
mental. eternal, inesca~able differ
ence. Racial amalgamation there
cannot be- ,fr
'The negroes Of the country should
be grateful to the man who has so
definitely stated the case. They should
recognize the truth in the Presidents
declaration of racial difference
Baltimore Evening sun, Tt is grati-
flying as 1t is fortunate for the country
that the Republican President has off,
cially discarded the old policy. has come
to look at facts from the patriotical and
commonsense standpoint. Some South
ern politicians will disagree with the
President as to giving the negro political
rights but assuming that negro is fit
to vote and cannot be herded by crooked
adventures we believe that intelligent
and feir minded Southerners will find
no fault with the Presidents PROPOSE
tions"
Baltimore Americans while the
whole structure Of interracial relation
ship which he outlined may not prove to
be sound structure In every detail, that
question does not affect the general solid
and Illuminating fact that the President.
az titular leader of the Republican party,
did declare against the policy Of hitching
the negro to the wagon OF one party for
the suppositious benefit of both the
black race and Of that party. He did
show very clearly that such a policy Is
injurious both to the negro and to the
South, that 1t makes for racial enmity
and hurts economic development The
South will listen to the President, for
that is the sort OF talk 1t has been wait
ing to hear from the responsible Repub-
lican leaders.
South that while the Republican party
will see to 1t that the negro Is treated
fairly. II does not intend to give him un-
due power nor to pursue chimeras which
are not relevant to all progress"
Baltimore Evening Newss "As long
as the racial question remains a po-
litical question there will be a solid
South and there will be no real solu-
ton of the difficulties in which the me-
gro finds himself. The racial question
must be taken out OF politics, both In
the interests OF political health and In
The interest of the two races. 1t Is for
that reason that the President is CIV
ing sound advice when he urges that
both races accept as an unalterable con-
dition that there can be no such thing
as racial and social equality. II that
formula Is accepted II might be possible
to work out satisfactory modus
vivcndi in which political and economic
equality could be made a reality"
Birmingham Newss 1T has taken
some sixty years for President Of the
United States, a Republican President,
to pick up the broken threads OF un-
derstandlng as they fell from the cold
hand Of the martyred Lincoln. Abra-
ham Lincoln made II plain In one mo-
table utterance that he was not ana
never had been In favor of an admix-
ture or social equality OF opportunity
to achieve an equality before the law.
That has been the Southern viewpoint.
The people of the South have
poured forth considerable treasure to
help the nero develop. They have
aided him, educated him and carried
him on their shoulders financially for
more than fifty years. But the South
has always drawn the line at having