The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-05-04
TWO CONVENTIONS SUGGESTED.

TWO CONVENTIONS SUGGESTED.
Two conventions nave been suggested TO
! deal with the condition Of affairs which
| exist in this state-a condition which was
] brought forcibly to the attention of the
| people by the crimes and Synching of Sam
| Hose. One, suggested by Judge George
Hnlyer is that a convention Of the most
| prominent men Of the state be called to
consider the best means for dealing with
| lynching and the crimes which lead TO il.
| The other. proposed by Mr.. Louis Garrard,
is that a constitutional convention be call
ed for the purpose Of practically ehminat-
ing the negro from politics and to provide
for a more speedy trial of those guilty Of
the crime for which lynching is the most
common.
The condition which confronts the people
of this and every other, Southern state Is
likely 10 grow worse rather than better
no matter what means are adopted to i'm
prove 1t except the migration of the blacks
or the withdrawal from them Of the politi-
cal and civil rights they now have. We do
not believe there can be peace between the
political equality is permitted 10 the blacks
The superior race must dominate every
where and at all times. Ex-senator ingalls,
stated the truth the other day when he
said that the President would not dare TO
appoint a negro postmaster in any North
ern city-that no village In either Penn
sylvania or Massachusetts would submit
to negro domination 10 any extent He fur
Their said that the reason the race question
was not so prominent in the North as in
the South was that in the North the negro
was not in the white mans way but that
if there was a large negro population In
that section, as there is ia the South,
there would be the same race frictions
there as there are here. That he under
stands the situation there is no doubt and
il is to his credit that he has the courage
TO state his convictions.
The race question, then, is not a ques-
ton for the South alone. II is a question
for the whole country. and it ought 10 be
discussed now with view to its perma-
nent settlement 1t is doubtful il anything
that could be done by a convention of
prominent men of this state or by con-
stituuonal convention would permanently
settle it. It is probably true that a speedy
trial of criminals guilty of assaulting wo-
men and law for taking the testimony
of the victims of the assaults in private
would help the situation greatly in the
rural districts, where there is now con-
slant alarm. because the certainty of swift
and sure punishment would tend TO lessen
the number of the assaults, and the shield
ing of victims of them from courtroom
publicity would have a tendency to pla-
cate the mob spirit, but the race problem
would not be solved
Is there not something worth consider
ing in the suggestion that the migration
of negroes to the Philippines be encourag-
ed? L. Thomas Fortune, a negro of con-
las solution of the difficulty, I be-
lieve that If the taGe about popuatlng the
Philippine islands wish Afro-Americans
could take tangible shape il would do 1t.
If the government will furnish the trans
portation we can furnish plenty of people
who will go to those islands. They would
be strong men, thoroughly imbued with
American ideas. who would be positive
acquisition to the Philippine population
If only a smaM part of the negoes emil
grated the negro would be less in the way
of the white man in the South and the
race antagonism therefore wouldn't be
so intense. The race problem is a most
serious one, and Its solution calls for
careful thought of the best minds of the
country. Hasty and ill-oonsidered action
might be productive of worse difficulties
than those with which we now have to
contend.