Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1921-10-27
Racial Prejudice
Continued from Page one)

NAL celebration was driven home
with vigorous gesture and deliberate
utterance such as Mr.. Harding sell
dom has employed since he became
chief executive. He spoke with a
manifest determination to drive his
shafts to the heart of racial disagree
, ments and to make the pronounce
/ ment one of the most plain spoken OF
his administration.
/ The crowd before whom he appear
ed packed the inadequate confines OF
Woodrow Wilson park and many
hundreds on the outskirt apparently
unable to hear. kept up a hub-buh
which made his declarations inaudible
to all but those close by. Repeated
bursts of cheering swept the segre-
gated sections to the negroes IS they
caught portions of the speech relating
to political and economic opportunity.
In the white section there were occa :
sional ripples of applause as the sig
nificance of a phrase here and there
was realized by those near the speak
or.
In other parts Of the city Mr. Hard
ing was received with succession Of
intensive demonstrations. For mule
he rode through surging. cheering
crowds in a street parade. He was
Cheercd nearly minute when he APP
pearcd to speak at a luncheon after
the park address and he received re-
peatcd applause as, attired in scholas-
TIC cap and gown, he addressed the
student of birmingham Southern col
lege and then. wearing a Masonic
apron, laid the cornerstone of new
Masonic temple.
Throughout the day the president
insisted that his visit to the heart o.
the south was wholly non-partisan and
everywhere he went he was accompt-
MED by Senator Underwood of Alaba-
ma the Democratic leader of the SEN
ate. At reception late in the day at
the Republican Club he asked Senator
Underwood to stand at his side and
shake hands with each of those in the
line, and in his luncheon address nc
paid a warm tribute to the statesman
ship of the Alabama legislator. Dur
ing the early evening he paid a call on
Mr.. Cnderwoods mother.
The speech on the race problem was
carefully prepared, setting forth the
presidents views in direct terms He
appealed to the Republican party 60
dcsist from 'demogogy" in making
the black man mere adjunct of the
Republicans: warned the south that
blacks should vote when fit to vote
and insisted that there must he equal
ic1llcHt ion AU1jnSt Cncinf
urged both races to stand "uncom-
ipromisingly" and suggested that nat
ural segregations" might be the log
ical result of a properly applied pol
icy.
Twice the executive departed from
his manuscript. once to declare he was
speaking his sentiments here in the
south because he never wanted to say
anything in one place he could not
say in another; and again to point a
forefinger at the white section of the
audience and warn that whether you
like it or not, unless our democracy
is lie you must stand for that
equality which gives the black man
a Just economic opportunity.
OF the shorter speeches. which
helped make up the Presidents pro-
gram, the first was delivered to men,
bers of the Alabama legislature soon
after his arrival here carly in the
day on special train from Washing
ton. The legislators were assembled
in a room at Mr.. Ilarding's hotel
and he took the occasion to en-
phasiZe that he had come on a non
political mission and to caution
them that the test of government
efficiency was not in party emblems
but i'll service. If the Democratic
party did not serve Alabama. he said,
it never could continue il power.
Later Il similar sentiment was ex-
pressed at the luncheon given in Mr..
Harding's honor at the Tutweiler
hotel. Before he paid his tribute to
Senator Underwood, the latter al
luded to the long friendship between
| the two and declared his personal
regard for the President despite their
political differences Mr.. Underwood
also referred to his being selected as
one of the delegates to the armament
| conference and continued:
| The President and l have held op-
posite views on the fundamentals OF
political principles, but we are not
| playing politics now. We have
crossed the three mile limit and are
! fighting together the battles of
America"
Again at the cornerstone laying,
Senator Underwood referred to the
| hopes of the nation in the ,,rmaments
conference and appealed to the ma
| sons present land to every other ma
. son to give YOU aid in sustaining con-
/ fidence in the trying months that are
/ just ahead"
A tribute to masonry in the build
( ing of citizenship was paid by the
! President in the address he delivered
/ after Welding a. trowel in the placing
! of the cornerstone.
! Suggesting there had been misun-
/ Outstanding of the purposes and re-
\ quiremcnts of the organization, the
\ President said:
4 Il want to tell those outside the or
der that there isn't ANYTHING in the
ritual or the oath that any free, right
eous and just American couldn't sub
! scribe 10 and be the better citizen for
/ it I know am better citizen for be
I! ing 4 better Mason.
/ There are moments Of anxiety
when one wonders what the morrow
| will bring. and i can say it publicly
| + can find myself hcartcncd be-