The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-12-02

GETTING THEIR EYES OPEN.
In our Washington dispatches yester-
day # was stated that Senator Lodge of
/ Massachusetts called on the President on
Wednesday for the purpose Of discussing
with him the advisabihty Of legislation of
some kind to prevent such race troubles
as occurred in North Carolina and South
Carolina recently Senator Lodge was the
author Of the last force bill II was also
stated in our dispatches that Senator
Pritchard Of North Carolina intended to
bring the race troubles which occurred in
his state at the time Of the recent cleo
ton TO the attention Of the Senate.
No doubt an effort will be made 70 get
bin during the approaching session of
Congress, but there is no need for uneasi-
ness on that account. We shall never see
any more force bill legislation in this
country. The people Of the North are get
ting their eyes open TO the fact that no
amount of legislation can remove the
antagonlsm which exists between the white
and black raees-that, in the present
moral and intellectual condition of the
negroes at least, there is bound TO be
trouble between the two races as long as
The inferior race is permitted 20 have po-
ltical rights equal to those of the superior
race.
And at last the fact that there is as
much race antagonism between the white
people and negroes in the North as in the
South is finding Judgement in the North
ern mind. The autagonism is not
so noticeable in the North as
in the South for the reason that
there are comparatively few negroes in
the North. Such incidents as that at
Pana, Illinois, where negro miners were
shot down by the militia because they
came to take the places of white miners,
and the assertion of the Governor of that
state that he would prevent any more
negroes from the South from entering the
state, even if he had to use Calling guns
to do It, show beyond a doubt that the
negro has no better chance for permanent
political equality in the North than he
has in the South.
No there viii never be any more force
bill legislation in this country few of
the Republican leaders may propose such
legislation with the hope of holding on to
the negro vote for a while longer, but they
will not have the support of the North
in their undertaking, and, eventually, will
have to abandon IT, It is worthy of no
fire fbat fb. ratxfsro move Of ~. NTcral,
moi crying out for force bill legislatio nor
for any similar legislation. They know
that the people are pretty well satisfied
that the race troubles are not of a kind
that can be reached by legislation. The
most of them are inclined 10 agree with
Booker Washington, about the brainiest of
the negro leaders, that the negro was
given the ballot altogether too soon. And
they have been watching the conduct of
the negro troops In the home camps. What
they have seen has not created a senu-
ment in favor Of the negro. On the con-
trary, it has led them TO believe that the
Republican party did the negro and the
country a great injury when ii put the
ballot into his hands.
In every town in which the negro troops
| have been located there have been riotous
| proceedings and crimes of violence. No
| community wants them. Little Rock pro-
| tested against the order sending them
there and it was rescinded. Macon is anx-
ious to get rid of the few companies en-
camped within her limits
No, there will be no force bill legisla-
ton, and we undertake to say that the
President win not be so unwise as to re-
commend any. The day for trying to set
tie the race question by statutes is past.
1t is a question which nature will settle.
The superior race will dominate.