Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1889-01-16
The Race Problem.


selected to delivere an address at the New
England Society dinner recently given in
Charleston, s. G., and his speech appeared
in the Ne,us and Courier of that city. His
subject was the negro problem of the south,
and his treatment Of It It SO able, eloquent
and profound that we publish the following
extract from it that our readers may have
the benefit of the views of that distinguish
ed statesman as well as r-topgued
. o,.SoT:-
CALM WORDS FROM A SOUTHERN STATES
MAN.
The nature of the problem therefore pre-
scented to you may be somewhat expressed
thus: How is it possible to preserve to the
people of the sixteen Southern States the
control Of their affairs and the preservation
OF their institutions, their civilization and
their wealth, consistently with the content
ment of the seve millions of black people
resident therein? This must be solved.
THERE WILL BE NO MORE RECONSTRUCTION.
have not the slightest doubt that it will
be successfully solved. Precisely how, l
am not prepared 10 say that any one of this
generation can fully understand, for it does
not devolye upon u5 to make the solution
entire We are only responsible for its
proper treatment during our generation. l
do not hesitate to say that have no alarm
at the election of republican president
and the control of Congress by the republi
can party, as to the ultimat esuccessful sol
ution of this problem. The return of the
sad, harsh and corrupt days OF recOnstruc-
lion is as impossible as the reinstatement
ofthe negro. The country has gone beyond,
never to return, the institution of slavery;it
has passed forever beyond the days of arbit-
rary, despotic and corrupt reconstruction.
There may be temporary anucyapces. Ii tur-
bulent and INSCRIPTIONS men, who are in the
main the noisiest of the politicians, who at
present ELL the public eye, have their way,
there may be local disturbances in which
there may unfortunately be bloodshed.
Good works may be temporarily embarrass-
ed, if not stopped, but the great current of
progress and development cannot be arrest.
ed by any political party. 1t is not posi-
be. Nor can these temporary embarrass
ments be mitigated by cowardice or cring
ing. They will be greatly increased, if
there is that conduct which is sometimes
called prudent, but which always is coward
~, which simply means that the duty which
we ought to perform shall be performed,
not according to our conscience, but accord
Jog to the supposed conscience of our
enemy; that you are not to do what under
The circumstances your own manhood and
sense of right seem to require. but you are
to do what the supposed political necessities
If your adversary may demand at your
hands, This always means personal degra-
Cation in him who does it, and always by
Divine retrlbutioD, means temporary defeat.
WE MUST TREAT THEM KINDLY.
sJn the other hand, there can be no plain
ar proposition than that we should not per-
snit any indignation at political opponents
to tempt US to unkindness to these humble
people placed by Providence in our midst
On the other hand, we ought to do our duty
as il seems to us best, precisely as if we
were in possession of the Federal govern
ment. On the other hand, we ought to be
as generous as if we were in possession of
all the powers that could be given to US. 1t
is in this spirit that we ought to meet this
problem, and it. is in this spirit, and this
spirit alone, that we can solve the problem.
TIE SOLUTION OF THE PROBLEM DEPENDS
UPON THE WHITE PEOPLE.
| do not know how to impress upon you
and upon the people of the south my intense
conviction that the solution of the race
problem depends upon the intelligence, the
courage and the conscience of the white
people among whom these negroes have
been placed, and that this is the plea which
we have to make at the bar of public opin.
ion in the north, and to the world; that
Gcd, without our fault, put upon US the in
stitution of slavery; that by the war iG was
destroyed, leaving these slaves among us
unchanged in every way save in their legal
relation; SO that while they have passed
fiom the legal condition of slavery to that
of citizenship, they are precisely of the same
race, and with all of their past history and
all of their present development, precisely
as they were in slavery, except so far as the
development of twenty three years has caus
ed change. This quarter of century, of
course, has not been sufficient to indicate
with any certainty what they are capable of
becoming, nor what relation that race must
bear to the white race in the south; but it
has developed that the people of the south
do desire to have them educated, to have
them christianiZed and to give them fair
chance in the race for life, and that their
future development is necessarily depend
ent upon the good will and the conscience
of the white people among whom they are
placed.
HOME RULE THE, ONLY RULE FOR TIE
SOUTH.
The white people of the south do not need
any aid in any possible hostility, or any real
friendship to the colored people placed in
their midst. I have no doubt that if the
two races in the States of the south could
once be assured that they are to solve this
problem for themselves that there would be
peace and law and order as the first fruits
of that understanding; and then the full
natural and generous treatment of the prob
lem in spirit of cordial aud Oh. istian snx-
iety to do the very best possible under the
environment with which they are limited.
On the contrary, every interference, under
any pretence, by whatever authority, can
only work delay and temporary harm;
whether it be under the pretence Of aid for
educational institutions, or by operation of
courts of justice, or by political organiza
tiobs, it matters not; the gst of the matter
is that any ffreign interference will work
harm, and ealy harm. The race question
Z must be eliminated from national politics
( This is the first necessity to its proper solu-
tiou, and TINS is what, of all people, the col
ored people mos5 need. / cannot use lam
gusge too strong to express my profound
conviction of this truth. You cannot per-
NIT the domination of your Stats to pass
from your control; nor can you have this
determination and necessity put to yonS fol-
low citizens Of the North too strongly.