The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1921-11-04
RESIDENT HARDING SHOULD
HAVE VISITED ocALA

Our good friend. Slr. J. g. Holmes
Of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, has honored
us with d marked copy OF the Cedar
Rapids tIowa) Evening Times In
which it bestows on President Hard.
ing flower garden OF praise for his
Birmingham speech.
We make the following extracts
president Harding's voice rang
clear and true when he told the south
ern democrats that they must cease
denying to the Negroes political and
economic equality.
aThe white auditors heard this
coldly. whereupon the president. in.
stead Of attempting to gloss them over
and modify them. pointed straight at
the white section and reiterated them
with emphasis.
.The negro has been denied politi-
cal equality, but President Harding
intimated that he will do his level
best to see that these injustices shall
cease.
Before making his Birmingham
speech President Harding should have
visited Ocala where the "Ocala Plat
form and the "Ocala Demands had
their birth and he would have seen
his theoretical conjectures already put
into practice so far as the South's
treatment of the Negro along bust
ness and economic lines are in Ques-
ton and he would have been saved
from making statements that were
out of place and gratuitous.
President Harding would have seen
the Negro here pursuing unmolested
any number of trades, business enter
prises and professions.
He could have seen and conyersed
with contractors, carpenters, brick
layers, blacksmiths, shoemakers, mer-
chants, school teachers, dentists, doc
tors, Zone a woman winning diploma
Of high rank, hotel proprietors. mer-
chants and bankers.
Does this show that the Negro is
held in restraint of trade?
Mr.. Harding would have seen that
these mercantile establishments are
not mere shacks but are capacious
and one at least ranks as depart
ment store and as such is well pat
ronized; the hotels are not merely
SO in name but are two story estab-
Iishments well furnished with all
modern equipments.
He would have seen a bank housed
in a three story brick building, owned,
controlled and conducted entirely by
Negroes.
He would have been taken to
movie picture establishment and a
knitting mill also conducted by them.
, He would have seen apotheeary
shops. ice cream and soda vac. es-
and an up-to-date hos
pital.
This is the manner of treatment
Of the Negro in q little out-of-the-way
town like Ocala, SO it is not to be
that the treatment accord
ed the Negro here is any different
from his treatment in other parts of
the South, so it does seem to us a
little offending to the properties for
the head of the nation to take advan-
Lage of friendly invitation to come
US and give us an undeser-
ed scolding upon matter in which he
seems to be so ignorant
Do the things we mention appear
as if we were not giving the Negro
At least chance in the race of life?
His name appears on the registra-
ton list; he goes to the polls unmo
Tested and casts his vote for those
Of his choice; his name appears in the
list of professions and in his business
enterprises; instead of being hinder
ed he is encouraged
His places of worship are large and 4
and pretentious buildings
we'll equipped with the latest make of
he lives in homes sup
piled with all the conveniences of
modern life: Gas, electric lights,
baths and other luxuries.
These things being true, and they
are true, does it appear that we were
IN need of the seedlings that the head
Of the nation pounded onto US?
Can Cedar Rapids tell the same
story that we have here recorded
about Ocala and the treatment the
Negro receives at the hands of its
people?