The Washington times., 1921-10-26

without nafrOwtns any rights,
such AZ are prOoeedins An both
rural and urban communities now
in Southern States. satisfying
natural inclinations and adding
notably 20 happiness and content
ment.
Educ alton Necessary.
on the other hand would In
slst- upon equal educational oppor.
tunity for both. This does does
not mean that both would become
equally educated within a genera
ton or two generations or ten
generations. Even men OF the
same race do not accomplish such
an equality ss that. They never
will. The Providence that endowed
men with widely unequal capaci'
ties and capabilities and energies
did not intend any such thing.
But there must be such education
among the colored people as will
enable them 10 develop their own
leaders, capable ot understanding
and sympathizing with such a dif-
frentiation between the races as
have suggested-leaders who Will In,
spire the race with proper ideals OF
race pride, OF national pride, OF an
honorable destiny, an important
participation In the universal ef-
fort for advancement OF humanity
as a whole. Racial amalgamation
there can not be. Partnership or
the races In developing the highest
aims OF all humanity there must be
IL humanity. not only here but
everywhere, is TO achieve the ends
which we have set for II. g.
can say TO you people OF the
South, both white and black, that
the time has passed when you are
entitled TO assume that this problem
of races is peculiarly and particu.
larly your problem. Mare and
more II is becoming a problem or
the North; more and more II is the
problem OF Africa. OF South Ameri'
ca, OF the Pacific, of the South
Seas, Of the world. 1t Ia the prob
lem OF democracy everywhere. II
we mean the things we say about
democracy as the ideal political
state.
Coming as Americans do from
many origins of race. tradition, Ian
guage, color. institutions. heredity;
engaged as we are In the huge ef-
fort to work an honorable national
destiny from so many different ele-
ments; the one thing we must sedu.
ously avoid is the development OF
group and class organizations In
this country. There has been time
when we heard too much about the
labor vote, the business vote. the
Irish vote, the Scandinavian vote.
the Italian vote, and so on. But the
demagogues who would array class
against class and group against
group have fortunately found little
to reward their efforts.
That is because, despite the de-
magogues, the idea OF our oneness
as Americans has risen superior to
every appeal to mere class and group.
And SO I would wish II might be in
this matter of our national problem
of races. would accept that
black man can not be a white man.
and that he does not need and should
not aspire to be as much like
white man as possible in order to
accomplish the best that In possible
for him. He should seek to be and
he should be encouraged to be, the
best possible black man, and not the
best possible imitation OF white
man.
Wants Fullest Patriotism.
It is a matter Of the keenest nas
tional concern that the South shall
not be encouraged to make its col
ored population a vast reservoir OF
ignorance, to be drained away by
the processes of migration into all
other sections. That II what has
beenn going on in recent years At q
rate so accentuated that 1t has caused
this question Of races to be, as
have already said, no longer one OF
1.aA
do not wish the South to be politt-
cally entirely Of one party; just as
7 believe that is bad for the South.
and for the rest OF the country as
well. so do not want the coiored
people to be entirely of one party.
. [ wish that both the tradition CT a
solidly Democratic South and the
tradition OF solidly Republican
black race might be broken up.
Neither political sectionalism nor
any system of rigid groupings or
the people will in the long run pros
per our country. i want to see
the time come when black men will
regard themselves as full partici-
pants in the benefits and duties OF
American citizenship: when they
will vote for Democratic candidates,
IL they prefer the Democratic policy
on tariff or taxation, or foreign re-
lations, or what-not; and when they
will vote the Republican ticket only
for like reasons. We cannot go on.
as we have gone for more than a
half century, with one great section
of our population, numbering as
many people as the entire popula.
ton of some significant countries OF
Europe, set off from real contribu-
ton to solving our national issues,
because of a division on race lines.
With such convictions one must
urge the people Of the South to
take advantage of their superior un.
derstanding of this problem and to
assume an attitude toward 1t that
will deserve the confidence Of the
colored people. Likewise, I plead
with my own political party to lay
aside every program that looks to
lining up the black man as mere
political adjunct. Let there be an
end of prejudice and Of demagogy In
this line. Let the South understand
the menace which lies In forcing
upon the black race an attitude OF