The Portland daily press., 1890-01-18
The southern Negroes.

1t is difficult to believe that Senator But
ler's bill calling for an appropriation of
$5,OoO.0OO to settle the Southern negroes in
Africa is regarded seriously even by its auth
or, although he argues 1t with show of sim
certify. In 1880 there were in the United States
over six and half millions of negroes, most Of
them Of course, dwelling In the Southern
Sates. Senator Butler proposes to induce
all these people to pull up stakes and remove
t. Africa, and the people of the United
States are to be taxed in order to help them.
In the first place, the trouble with this
proposition as far as the appropriation of
money Is concerned is that 1t Is of very
doubtful constitutionality. Mr.. Butler him
self seems to have suspected some weakness
In this direction, for he undertook to prove
sffirmatively that IL was not in violation of
the constitution By citing our treatment of
the Indians and the appropriation Of money
from time to time for their removal from one
place to another But the Indians are not
on the same footing as the negroes The
former are wards Of the nation. The latter
are not wards in any sense. Under the con-
stitution they are citizens entitled to all the
rights Of white citizens and burdened with
all the latter's responsibilities. Suppose the
citizens Of this country Of Irish extraction
should conceive the idea that it would be for
their advantage to move to Ireland, and
should apply to Congress for an appiopra-
to pay their passage money, does anyone sup
pose that single Senator or Representative
would claim for a moment that there was au-
thority In the constitution to support any
,aH
But from constitutional stand
point such proposition would be
quite as defensible as Senator Buffers to de-
port the negroes to Africa. We suppose II
the Senator were pressed upon this point he
would fall back On the general welfare
clause Of the constitution, and contend that
II the expenditure Of money for the removal
Of the negroes would promote the general
welfare it would come within the constitu-
tional powers of Congress. Indeed he made
a suggestion of that sort In his speech. But
that is a broadening of the clause which its
authors never intended, and which 1t is al
together improbable that the courts would
sustain it if the question were brought
before them.
In the second place, there Is not the slight
est evidence that single negro In the South
wants to 60 to Africa, and Mr.. Butler pro-
poses a voluntary deportation. The
Southern negroes are, to. be sure, of
the same race and color as some of the PEG
pie of Africa, but they are not drawn thither
by any ties Of kindred or patriotic love of
country. Africa is to them terra incog-
nttd. All the considerations that bind
men and women to country bind them,
not to Africa, but to America Here
the great majority of them we're born and
brought up. They have adopted the habits
and manners Of living of America, not of
Africa. They are timid and dependent
people too, without adventurous spirit To
suppose, therefore, that any considerable
number Of them, or any number of them,
would voluntarily exchange their present
surroundings for the unknown regions and
unknown opportunities of the Dark CONT
nent, is to affront common sense and COM
mon experience.
1t may be that Senator Butler is as sim
cere as he appears to be and has really
offered this proposition in good faith in the
belief that it will In time settle the negro
problem, but the difficulties in its way are
so obvious and insurmonntable that one
finds himself almost compelled to accept the
view of the Boston Globe that the whole
thing is to DO taken as huge and solemn
oke.