New-York tribune., 1921-10-28
Dixie Senator'S
DecryHar>ling's
Race Solution
Negro Economic Equality
Would Increase Friction
in South, Where Whites
Must Rule, Critics Say
Wins Republican Praise
Calder Points to Success
Of Colored Citizen Here
in His Approval of Plan
srons ras Tr.sans.s wasn,noton Bur,

Eroffs 1Ae 7Stbune'S Washington BureGa
WASHINGTON, Oct. 27.--Prcsident
Hsrding's Birmingham speech, in
which he advocated economic and
political equality. but complete social
divergence for the negro. drew the
fire of Southern Democrats to-day.
Senator Harrison, of Mississippi. led
OF with statement in which he
sharply criticized the speech. and Sem
ator Watson, of Georgia, also objected
70 it. On the other hand, Republican
Senators generally referred to the ad-
dress in commendatory terms. SEN
ator Calder, of New York. called it q
courageous one- and Senator Edge, of
New Jersey, and others indorsed this
view. Senator Calder said he ap-
plauded the speech of the President
as timely and right to the point"
"The negroes should have political
elect colored men to the United States
Senate" he added. "We have one
negro in the New York State Assembly
and two on the New York City Board
of Aldermen, and ] cannot speak too
highly of their services"
Unfortunate, Says Harrison
Senator Harrison authorized this
statement:
"The Presidents speech was un-
fortunate, but to have been made in
the heart of the South, where in many
states the negro population predomi-
mates, was unfortunate in the extreme.
"Of course, every rational being de-
- 81 toI in, *
life, liberty and property. 1 believe
in giving him 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 avenue to be placed upon
equality with the whites, is blow to
the white civilization of this country
that will take years to combat.
"If the Presidents theory is carried
to its ultimate conclusion, namely, that
the black person, either man or woman,
should have full economic and political
rights with the white man and white
woman, then that means that the black
man can strive to become President of
the United States, hold Cabinet posi-
tions and occupy the highest places of
public trust in the nation. 1t means
that white women should work under
black men in public places, as we'll as
in all trades and professions. [ am
against any such theory because
know it is impracticable, it is unjust
and it is destructive of the best ideals
of America. Place the negro upon
political and economic equality with the
white man or woman and the friction
between the races will be aggravated.
"The President is right in that the
race question is national one and
not confined to any one section, and
his unfortunate and mischievous utter
ance on the subject will be deprecated
by people in every section of the coun-
try who believe in the preservation Of
white civilization"
Senator Watson, of Georgia, said that
the white people of the South would
not permit either social or political
equality, as it would mean destruction
"of the civilization which our ancestors
handed down to u.s." He expressed re-
gret that the President made the Bir-
mingham speech, said the negro ques-
ton was Southern and local and SINH
lar to the Japanese question which is
''vexing the Pacific Coast" He thought
it unfortunate that the President, "who
did not understand the situation in the
South" should "lecture" the South
ern people about treatment of the
negro. He denied there was economic
discrimination against the negro in
the South and said political equality
'is inseparably connected with social
equality"
Senator Hitchcock, Democrat, of Ne
braska, thought the President right in
principle" but said the race question
could not be solved by argument and