The herald and mail. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1873-188?, 1878-02-01
THE NEGRO UNDER A SOLID SOUTH.
interesting Lecture by the First Elected
coiored Congressman.
washington Union.

| washington u nlons
There was full audience of colOred
! people, with fair sprinllling of white
| men, at the Second Baptist Church
last evening to hear John Willis
| Menard give his views. on the present
| and~future status of the negro in the
! South. The effect of the Presidents
| Southern policy received large share
of the speakers attention. He said
| that the ultimate adjustment of the
social and political status of the negro
is problem which time aided by the
| enlightenment of popular education,
alone can solve. The failure of recon-
structiOn he regarded as an admitted
fact, but says that the time is near at
hand when
THE STORY OF THE NEGRO'S WRONGS
will become stale, and he will be eX-
pected, like other men, to hoe his own
row in the great struggle of life. The
idea that the negro race Is doomed to
extinction he combatted by reference
to the last census, where it is shown
that their increase in the decade of
1860 to 1870 was 32S, 900 in the old
slave States alone.
The "solidity of the South" is, in his
opinion, merely temporary; it may
last till the next Presidential election,
yet the various independent political
movements, and the recent success of
the Independent candidate i'll Georgia
obtained in every case by negro votes,
indicates an early break in this solid
ity. He thinks it absurd to expect a
whole race of people to maintain one
set of political opinions. This may
have been necessary during the period
of reconstruction for selfprotection,
but now with the necessity will pass
away the fact.
should be no longer considered an is
sue in American politics, and the
sooner his rights and wrong are taken
out of party platforms and political
discussions
THE BETTER 1T WILL BE FOR Jim.
The best policy, he thinks, is to seek
such local political alliances as are
favorable to widespread system of
internal Improvements at the South
by the Federal government. The fact
of the negro race being one of labor
ers, seeking employment, and that
the supply of labor at the South is far
in excess of the demand, makes very
vital question to them.
The Negro would reap his share of
the prosperity following the advent of
Northern capital, which is beingdrawn
South by the establishments of safe and
responsible State governments. In
creased enterprise and educational
facilities are necessary to prevent the
ballot being
AN ELEMENT OF WEAKNESS
to the cOlOred race.
Another point which the lecturer
4 L . l.
South on the condition of the negro.
He said that not only were these hos
tile to the negro, but provoked from
troops were used to maintain the he
gro in power over them. He thought |
no additional epIdeace was needed to
show that the Republican State gov
ernments had been unable to protect |
the negro, W'hOhas little, if any, cause !
to regret the withdrawal of troops |
from the South,
Among the means for ameliorating |
the condition of the lower classes Of |
Southern negroes he advised
a MIGRATION WEST OR SOUTHWEST
and also to the negro republics of |
Hayti and Liberia. The negro must |
work out his own salvation, and not |
it for him; he has been played long |
enough aS trUmps in the political |
game, and it is high time for new |
deal.
The Southern policy of the Admin |
istrati0n IS, he thinks, only wise |
and timely anticipation of an end |
made inevitable by public opinion,
and urgent necessities of the country. |
He only follows the events as they |
had commenced to shape themselves |
at the close of Grants administration
and which had really inaugurated in |
the troops from Missis-
sippi and Arkansas, lii conclusion, he |
said the condition of his race would, |
indeed, he deplOrable if they had not |
faith in the ultimate triumph of liber- |
ty and justice, quoting the beautiful
lines of Lowell:
New occasions teach new duties,
Time makes ancient good uncouth;
They must upward still and onward,
Who would keep abreast of Truth.