The daily citizen. [volume] (Asheville, N.C.) 1889-1890, 1890-01-17
THE RACE PROBLEM.
BUTLER SPEAKS ON
THE ESUBJECT.
The House Meantime Discusses
the worlds Fair Project, and AZ
Usual Comes to No COnclusiOn-
East and West Dividing Line.

the worlds Fair Project, and a,
Usual Comes to No COnclusiOll- =
East and West Dividing Line.
WAsnINGToN, January 16.-SENATE.-
The senate has passed the concurrent res
olution reported from the committee on
finance requesting the secretary of tn,
Treasury not to take any steps towards
making new lease of the seal fisheries
until after February 20.
Among the bills reported from the com
mittee and placed on the calendar were
the following: Appropriating $40, 900 for
n statue In Washington of James Madi.
SON. for the removal OF the Indian pris.
oners in the east lGcronmo's bandl to
Fort Sill. Indian Territory.
The Senate then took up the bill intro.
duced by Mr.. Butler on p,,ember IL, to
provide for the emigration OF persons OF
color from the Southern States.
Mr.. Butler proceeded to address the
senate. He proposed to discuss the sub.
jcct. he said, entirely outside of party
lines, and to make II frank, dispassionatc
statement of facts and experiences. II
Others took it upon themselves to give par
tisan or sectional coloring. the response
bility would rest with them. To his mind
it was too grave subject to be distorted
by party considerations or confined
within the narrow boundaries and limits
of party lines. II rose above party or
cabal, and deserved to bc held above the
sections. Cupidity had brought the AZ.
rican here, cupidty hadinvcigled the Chi.
naman here, and cupidity had driven him
out, The Indian had been here and would
not I've reduced to slavery, and so the In
dian was bounded and corrallcd. He was
bounded and corrallcd now, but he was
still here. and what were we to do with
the Indian? Make citizen of him? Give
him the ballot, with full civil and politi.
cal rights, Why not? The Indian was
here before the white man. the African or
the Mong0lian. He spoke of the grant
ing of suffrage to the colorcd man as n
craze which had come on the hem of bat
tie; hut as having been neither wise nor
judicious. But the act was done aud he
could not see now how it was To bc un-
done. He would not discuss the rcspon-
sibili,y for it. lie would admit for the
sake of argument that both sections and
both political parties were responsible.
Some persons who held u high rank in
the intellectual world held that in the
history OF the African race in this coun-
try was to bc seen the hand of God for
the accomplishment OF a great purpose
in another hemisphere. Events, Mr..
Butler said, appeared to bc shaping them
selves in a manner to Justify such con
clusion. The race question raised by
chance changing the attitude of the two
races toward each other was burning
evidence that the issue was not confined
to any locality. section or party. What
was to become of the 200, 900 Indians in
this country aud Of the 100000 China
men was difficult problem, but the
most profound inquiry applied directly
TO the pending bill, and that was what
was to he the fate Of the six or eight mil
lions q: ucliuss in this country. They
were citizens; they had the ballot; they
had all the civil and political rights
which the white men had, and which
were denied to other colorcd races.
Would the colored people in the United
States, he asked, be able to maintain
I themselves on an equal footing with the
white men, and so as not To jcopardizc
the well being of American institutions
The opinion appeared to bc growing that
he made to ascertain why no, and to de-
tcrminc what was best To bc done. The
interest of both races required that the
problem should be carefully weighed and
fairly dealt with. lie confessed that the
problem oppressed him with its gravity
and difficulti-S II was ton serious to bc
trhcd with and too urgent To bc ignored
or neglected.
Mr.. Butlsr referred to the absence of
I he colorcd people from all high positions
in this country and saw in that fact the
proof oi all unrclcntiBg, uniorgiving, in
curablc race prejudice. II anybody, he
said. had predicted before the war that
I he Southern States would. within u few
years, he represented in both houses OF
congress by men who were then slaves
he would have been laughed nt and dc.
ridcd as ncgrophilist, aud II, after
many negroes were in congress, II had
been predicted that in ten years not one
negro would be sitting in either house
The prediction would have had few be-
levers. And So II any one predicted to-
day that within half a century not full
genuine negro would bc found
in the United States, he would not he bc.
lievcd and yet there were mcn who cx-
pccted that very thing. II was unsafe,
to enter the domain of proph.
ccy on the question. The scenes shifted
so rapidly, the unexpected So often hap
,cncd and the events followed each other
with such unforeseen precipitation that
he became almost dumbioundcd by the
historic Kaleidoscope, and was impressed
with the profound sense of human innbil.
ity to shape and control events.
The bill. he said. contemplated the
gradual orderly. voluntary movement oi
the colorcd people out Of the Southern
States. aud provided government aid TO
enable them to do so. II lie were called
upon for authority whereby congress
could properly make such an appropria.
ton oi money he should point to the ap.
preparations made to aid the Indians IN
moving out oi the Northern, Middle and
Southern States, and To the appropria-
tions to exclude Cinnamon. II appeared
to him that il would I've u proper exercise
of the constitutional power of congress
to appropriate money for the national
or general welfare. Thccitizcnship of the
negro strengthened this claim over that
OF the Indian tor such government
ASST tnncc.
Mr.. Honr replied To Mr.. Butler. char
actcrizing his proposition ms the most
astonishing that had ever been heard in
the legislative history of the senate.
Mr.. Blair spoke against the bill, which
he declared tn bc either u manifest impos.
sibility or an absurdity.
The bill then went over without action.
II will be called up again next Tuesday,
probably, when Mr.. Ingalls, will address
the senate in opposition to il.
Mr.. Pasco gave notice that on Monday
next he would address the senate on. the
subject of the federal control Of elections.
Mr. Teller presented the credentials OF