Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1890-03-23
Tho Race Problem.
To p,e Fli,or of no DisDnicb.

Tho Race Problem.
To he Eitor Of he Dispatch:
Mr.. Lodges bill to regulate natlonl cleo
tions by the Federal Government is Mt last
before Congress. For months past the
subject has been discussed in the maya
zines and daily press. 1t is an old subject
in q new garment. No people in the world
realized the trouble sooner than the Viz
giniaus. The injustice Of the North is in
the fact that its politicians-they should
not be dignifed by the name of states
men-will insist upon forming Judgment
on this pulling problem from hearsay owl
dence, and not direct testimony. They
will not even listen 30 what we have
10 say-we who speak from personal
knowledge and experience-but they
eagerly seek information from brilliant
fanatic like Cable The autonomy of the
States, winch in our form Of government 10
the foundation-stone of our greatness, is
seriously threatened TO crafty an idle SEN
timent. Neither intelligence nor liberty
can be forced upon any one. let his color
be what it may. The greatest republic
which the world has ever yet seen recog
nlZed this fact and maintained Its Liberties
until II was forgotten amid the immense
wealth which it had accumulated. There
were four classes Of cit.zous IN ROme-the
fIulHdif uuAA tiAo lAatlAs nAAAih NNAiAlAAALi-
ties, the Roman burgesseS (sine sutrr-
gio). and the burgesses with tho
full franchise. The true distinction
was that there were citizens without
the right OF voting sine sWrdgiO, and those
who exercised the complete franchise. The
others were IN fact either subjects or allies
of the State. There IL certainly nothing
new in the idea that in republic there
NAV be several classes OF citizens. No enc
in the United States would even now vote
10 extend the right Of suffrage to an Indian
ifhe had ever seen one IN his wlldhome:
Maybe be would not do It even II he had
never seen him. Certainly the question ID
not live one. In the abstract there can
be nothing repulsive in the thought Of
living on terms Of equality with race
which is so warlike as TO die rather
than not rule. All of US rejoice
in the fact that slavery Is no more.
But the race problem is as live as it was
one hundred years. Men like George Ma
son raised warning voices against the IN
crease of slaves. He went SO Tar as TO say
that the United States Constitution should
be rejected in the State convention If for
no other reason because It permitted the
importation Of slaves for twonty years.
He spoke Of it as "dIabolical traffic"
and lie keenly realized the fact that there
was no security provided IN the Constltu-
ton for that species of property.
All the world knows that it was NIr-
oinia's plan which practically made
the Union. She had Randolph and
Madison aud Washington IN that great
convention which formed the Constitution.
Every step she took was carefully consld-
cred and she acted from motives OF the
highest patriotism. The passage of such
bill. while it may be constitutional, viii
tend to ceniralize the power OF the Gov
eminent and seriously impair the rights OF
every State in the Union. Whatever else
1t NAV do it can never have the elect OF
placing ignorance and alleged patriotism
over Intelligence. That ls impossible.
There 10 scarcely a man IN the Republican
party at the North who will take time to
investigate the problem ~ II is. He
looks at the situation with Jaundiced
eye and seeks to force an lmpractl-
cable theory into operation, though
by so doing lie endangers mis- own liberty.
At the time Of the adoption OF the Con-
stitution it is well known that negro sui
frage was not necessary to a republican
form of government. That idea certainly
ls no older than the reconstruction period.
IL came into being IN 1866. wlcn the four
teenth amendment was proposed in Com
gress. lecturer before the Political
Science Association Of the University OF
Nichigan-PrOiesso Charles 4. Kent, Of
Detroit-in the spring of 1889, speaking OF
the Supreme Court since 1861. uses the
following significant language: If the
legal rights of the negro 10 vote IN
the southern States become fully recog-
nized in practice. and the result Is that
the State governments where tho DiackS
have a majority become unendurable,
some restriction Of the suffrage by change
of State or United States constitutions
will become necessary. The government
OF the majority cannot permanently en-
dure anywhere unless that majority. IN
fair degree. represents the Intelligence OF
the people," His closing sentence can and
should be submitted without argument.
Race prejudice IS a curious thing; Inc
writer Of this article was once IN Seattle
before Washington was a State. The over
whelming majority of the people there
are OF northern Republican origin; but
there are several thousand Chinese,
who are hated 10 an extent when
cannot be understood by any one
who has not witnessed it by the whites.
The city was in great turmoil because OF
the alleged danger of an outbreak OF emma
men. The whites were ali armed 10 the
teeth, q number with the formidable
Sharp's repeatlDg-rlfie, and seven hundred
Of the leading citizens were sworn III AZ
Celestials are dreadful towards. They
were in weak minority, and really there
was nothing in the alleged trouble but the
violent ace-preiudice. But during TINS
excitement one thing was specially
noticeable. The Republican newspa-
pers found time to denounce the
South for behaving a hundred times
better than they were. Where
man IL conscious of his ignorance he can
guard against mistakes, but when ne
thinks he knows and does not he Is a p1tla-
bic object. Our people have the right to
manage their own affairs. They know
what they want and what they can do.
Their sense of justice and right needs no
whetting by the Republican party OF the
North. The civil and political equality or
all men is recognized before the law freely:
We want no cloud-walker in the realm OF
abstract aud moral philosophy 10 tell us
what TO do. The indisputable le-
Rahty of the measure and the poilti-
cal folly of the Republican party
in advocating it are on q. par.
British India with its 25O, OOO, 900 of inhab-
itants is governed by England with an
army OF occupation Of only 10000. ms
shows what the Anglo-SaEon race can 90
and is doing when it comes in contact WIN
an inferior race. The Democratic party
should preserve contact organization,
and as soon as possible drive the RepuDii-
cans from power, for they are as corrupt IN
their restoration as was King Charles H.
and his hungry and unprincipled tollo"-
ers. ). >. j. PATIfsoN'
Iichpond, Va, March IS, 1880.
United States Marshal Newlin, with