The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1890-02-27
TIE soUTH,s GREAT PROBLEM.
Senator But1er Explains his Negro Exodus
Bill.

proposition of the leading Democrat Of
Mississippi, and which is seriously con.
sidered by the State Legislature and
generally throughout the South, that the
Southern States shall surrender large
part of their representation in Congress
aud the Electoral College if the country
will repeal the 18th amendment, shows
how very serious question "the negro
problem" is to at least ten Of the forty.
two States in this Union. II is clearly a
matter, therefore, which concerns all.the
people of the United States and which
should be discussed calmly and without
partisan prejudice.
Senator Buffers bill proposing national
aid to deportation" OF negroes, at least
from States in which they form an
undue proportion of the people, is
another indication of how desperate the
situation has become in the South. This
proposal would prove that its industrial
evils are even more important than its
political, since there seems to be no
difficulty in maintaining Democratic rule
in either South Carolina or Mississippi,
where the negroes predominant, nor in
Louisiana, where they form about an
equal proportion with the whites.
Senator Buffers measure does not
propose compulsory deportation either to
Africa or to other States. By the pro.
visions Of the bill the negroes are to be
given government aid in removing either
to Africa or elsewhere, as they may them.
selves designate, and only upon their own
application. It is probably now gener.
ally forgotten that Abraham Lincoln
himself proposed practically the same
measure nearly thirty years ago, naming
Central America, however, as the most
available country to which the negroes
might be voluntarily removed.
The question being, then, so moment.
ous one to eleven millions or more of
the people of the United States, the
World correspondent requested a COM
prehensive interview with Senator But.
Ter on the industrial, social and political
issues involyed-just what are the evils
of which his people complain, and which,
in their opinion, demand such stringent
remedies. Senator Butler is certainly
one of the most representative men in
the South. No man can better speak for
that section, and, in his authoritative
and carefully considered words herewith
he frankly answered many questions put
to him from the standpoint Of the
Northern inquirer.
The interview will be read everywhere
with great interest and covers many
points not likely to be discussed in Con-
gress.
The Senator was found in his comfort
able home on N street. "You ask me-"
he said, "if consider the race problem
s great national question affecting the
whole people9 I certainly do: One Of
the greatest, if not the greatest and most
serious, with which the people of this
country have, or have ever had, to deal.
One phase of it was settled by the emau.
cipation of the slaves the other phase
is upon us. 1t is the same race occupy
ing different aud, if possible, a more
dangerous relation to the white race.
NOT wHoLEsALE DEPORTATION.
"Do you suggest SO radical q measure
as wholesale deportation 2"
81 am glad you have put thatquestion
to me, for grave Misrepresentation seems
to have got abroad about the measure I
have introduced. IhaYe never anywhere
or at any time suggested or advised
Wholesale or retail deportation. Depor.
tation carries with it the idea Of b0nish.
ment or exile and would be harsh and
cruel. All I have suggested is the vol.
untary and gradual Withdrawal of the
negroes from the Southern States so as
to relieve the congested condition of the
unprogressi7e masses of the colored
people in certain of those States. II
they do not wish to go, they will not
20. But if they should choose to 80,
my proposition is that the Government
shall aid them. That is all. Tae plan is
necessarily tentative; I introduced it for
discussion, everybody admitting, I be-.
lieye, that the race question is now con.
fronting us with problems ofthe gravest
magnitude. I have no feeling of un-
kindness to the negro and would do any.
thing in my power to help him and pro.
mole DIS WelldIc.
'sThen what, Senator, are the present
political evils from the negro7 The
socialY The Industrial? Are they like.
" to increase, and how 2"
"This opens very wide feld-too
wide, fear, for my time and your space.
In the frat place, the political evils,
grave as they are, are not the most seri-
Gus. am quite well aware that the
Northern mind has been greatly
poisoned with the idea that the Southern
whites, having acquired the increased
political power by reason of the onfran.
chisement of the negro, have gone
deliberately to work to suppress or nulify
-as it is sometimes insidiously charged
the negro vote, for party or political
advantage. This is very far from the
truth. The South would never have had
this increment Of political power if il
had not been forced upon. She did not
ask it, did not desire it, certainly not in
this form.
THE. DAYS OF NEGRO POWER.
ut is also charged, with equal injus
tice, that the Southern whites have never
given negro suffrage fair trial-because
forsooth, the negroes voted the Republi
can ticket whila the whites we're Demo: