The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1889-01-10
TO STOP "NEGRo UPRISING s."
Another View of the Knotty
Negro Problem.
To the Editor Of tho Statesman

Please allow me small space in your
valuable paper to give expression to
few thoughts in mind. We are much en-
couraged by your constant able editorials;
none more fertile and calculated to stimu-
late to noble effort than your retrospect
of 1888, and the prospective for 1883; the
true beauty of such articles are seen and
commend, on their merit, the oonsidera-
ton of the thoughtful. l have also been
impressed with articles from the pens of
Messrs. E. L. Blackshear and E. II. Car
rington, on the so-styled NEGRO Prob
lem" Both are somewhat suggestive, in
greater or less sense. 1t seems, to some
people, that the negro problem is new,
but it is not; it antedates the colonial and
revolutionary days of our republic, which
PGnix-llke, has sprung forth from the
ashes of the furnace fires of those days.
1t was then discussed by able statesmen
and the best writer's. Now, at its result
ant and eliminating point of solution, it
becomes a free fight, aud is discussed at
the county precinct CROSSROADS as earnest
ly as 1t used to be in congress and the cor
ridors of our legislative halls. Whether
this subject was purposely in5inuated or
was precipitated upon the American peo-
pie by designing foes cannot now be east
| ly decided 1t is hard to know which has
| been wronged most, the sinner or the
sinned against. One thing may be sur
missed, the large heart and cultivated brain
and trained craftsmanship, the higher
patriotic zeal of the American people IN
der Almighty God, will surely find the
true solution and finally adjust the
subject Twenty-Five years ago, when
was member of 1 company, Ninth United
States cavalry, also belonged to club
and debated this subject. We boys in
blue noticed everything we could see on
this very subject. Yes, remember quite
we'll the scathing editorials of the San An
tonic Herald, of ante bellum journalistic
fame, from the pen of Mr.. Logan. When
the stage arrived from San Antonio at
Fort Davis and Quitman, we would rush to
get copy of the San Antonio Herald to
see what old one-eyed Logan had to say.
The recollection of those bygone days
come trooping back over memory plains
| like consoling angels whose wings are
tipped with gold. Since, hardy civiliza-
ton has followed rapidly in the tracks
marked out by the ashes of our camp fires.
Mr.. Editor, I contracted two
things while on your frontier border,
amid the heroic scenes and flying
encounters with the Indians and border
marauders, which 1 can never get rid of;
one was rheumatic pains from exposure,
incident to the life of soldier; the other
was love for Texas, with its wide spread
ing prairies, covered with high grass and
chaparral teemings with antelope and
prairie dogs, and it's high mountains filled
with Indians and hostile bandits. The
former wish could get rid of, but the
latter, "God do SO to me, and more also if
aught but death separate u.s." Mr.. Car
rington might have, to high advantage
and good taste, used the adjective "some"
/ in relation to the action and conduct of
"preachers and teachers" and not written
in such a sweepstske style. Professor
Blackshear is regarded by many of us as
a man of good qualities and acquired sbil-
| ity, but his estimation of the moral growth
and status of his race he placed at low ebb,
entirely too low, when used in compar-
alive sense. He occupies a position as
teacher and local preacher to make of his
race what he desires them to be. ALI the
cold criticism and minifcation he can
employ from now till the crack of doom
will not accomplish the good work and
lack which he sees we need. Besides, his
ideas in this particular are at variance with
that of the active brain, spirit and genius
of the board of educators and their Great
ors of this state. If his views are fairly
set forth in his article they are diamet-
rically against and contradiction
of what we read in the re-
ports and statistics made, showing
| tho educational Growth and moral devel-
opment of the negro youth of Texas.
These self-evident facts prompted our leg
islators to appropriate money to found