The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1890-09-07

The negro u Il cnllu Oh the sun. Inc cOlu
Northwest is not his land. His labor was
not profitable in the North, even under the
frugality of the slavery regime. when ma
chinery and skill had scarcely entered the
field 10 supplant his simple hand-work. \
southern land must be his; where shall il
be- Any Southern state or states, even
could the whites be dispOssessed. would still
present lhe same political difficulties rs the
Northwest The negro would still be en-
croached upon and driven To the wall.
What of Africag Even if the herculcan
task Of remOval-great. yet not Impossible
were accomplished, and the negro estab-
lished in his own land in political indie
pendence, what would be the re-
suit. Certainly our experience with
Liberia is not encouraging; yet we ought
hitherto sent TO the dark continent were
brought into contact with the barbarism of
myriads of natives, and a weak Christian
civilization took into its stomach more
heathenism than it could digest. seven or
eight millions of American negroes would
have an overwhelming influence upon Cen
trail African civilization, could they he re-
lied upon themselves To preserve the Germs
Of the nome civilization; but this. I'm view
of the yOOhOOism and other supersttious
pr,.ctises Of the negro. seems 10 be exceed
negro character can estimate the force Of
this influence.
The question recurs, Where can the negro
find "A home. and at the same time be So
cure i'm his rights and be under favorable
conditions for moral and intellectual pro-
gressg This is really the cruX Of the whole
issue. We MAY accept il that race antagO-
nism will ultimately force a separation Of
races. or the subsection or the eXtermna-
ton Of one of them, under present cOndl.
tiOns. We can See no reasonable pr0bablll-
Is of change Of environment while the race
contact continues. Would IL not be vastly
better for both races 10 agree. like
Abraham and Lot, 10 "a pcaccable scpara-
ton each Ia 90 it, own way IN race Progress,
the whites aiding the removal by their
means and good Oilicesy OF course, such
removal would be the task OF many years.
perhaps of more than one generations:
nevertheless, ought not this peace-bringins
policy 10 be inaugurated: The former
slaves, reared in the cabins around the
big house" on the old plantations, fed from
the same kitchen with " old marster's -
family. and holding as strenuOusly and
proudly by the family name and honor As
the whites themselves, will never remove.
they will die and be buried in the old land
But the younger people are held by no such
enduring Ties. lNtii Itldllph l' tu' Nlit'9
Is that Of tenants to landlords. or that OF a
town population brought more and more in
10 contact and competition with white labor,
which hates them and would gladly drive
them from the field. NEGRO and white Will
not compete and continue to exist. The
colonization must be- beyond our BORDERS;
but whereg Perhaps the most available
spot would be the West Indies, Mexico, or
Central America. But these lands are al
ready owned by governments, If not 10y in
diyiduals. from whom they must be pur-
chased. most likely al Government expense
Under United States prOlect0rate the
work Of removal and colonization might be
begun and prosecuted, such inducements
being offered as would draw the ne
groes thiiher. The emigration agents
now at work in the south could
probably persuade the bulk of the
negro population in few years to migrate.
Fertile lands, homes, independence, and
race-grOWth would be powerful agencies in
mclining the negroes 10 90. The discon-
tented would naturally be the first TO mi
crate. Ii these should prosper, general
exodus would set in. and in less than a
half-century, after transporting few more
people than nave crossed the Atlantic 10
our own shores in the same time and under
far greater difficulties, the work of trans
pOrtatOn would be ended. Meanwhile the
work of educating and eyangelizing those
left behind could still 90 on, and the negro
would he able 10 demonstrate his capacity
for citizenship and for taking care Of him
self in civilized s0ciety.-Ihe Forum.