The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1899-05-23
doyernor Northen OF Georgia Tells the
People OF the East Some Truths.
,ors TO THE ROOT OF THE GREAT ouEsTIc
u status the Black Man in American Civilization National
~ and Not a Sectional Question and One of the
Greatest Moment.

,ne dependence OF the one upon the other
or they intermarry.
| Miscegenation by law will n.var ,a,o
place in the South That NAV he ac.
cep'eo as an established fact and settled
beyond question. lntermarrage at m.
south need not be argued moment I'm
less the South breaks the record n, On
history, there is only one alternative 1eft
ana mat Is that the negro must be de-
pendent in a measure at least, upon the
| him. ''n''e
| The status OF the negro In American
clVllization Is problem OF vast dAal
more important than many are inclined
10 peIleVe. The problem is National and
MOI sectional. The sin OF slavery what
\ ever that may have been, was the sin of
me Nation and not the sin Of the S,u,h
! Whatever may be its present title--the
| negro problem; the race question; the
white mans burden. the south's shame
or the Nations sn--call II what van NAV
the thing is here, full OF peril and danger
to the whole people
| whilst Georgia became slave state
ABOUT the same time as Pennsylvania and
New Jersey, this condition in the South
was made possible because of the trafAc
in slaves By the States at the North. and
not by any original efforts made by Georgia
or any sister State at the South.
These statements would seem to indicate
that the South was not in at the begin
ming, however much she may have borne
the curse of her sins, later on as well as
the sins Of those who preceded her in the
iniuuity
The story of America by Mahie. page
2S2. tell US IAN the Northern States
abolished slavery, beginning with Vermont
In 1777, and ending with New Jersey, in
1904 1t should be added. however, that
many of the Northern slaves were not
freed. but sold to the South. The agricul-
tural and commercial conditions in the
North were such as to make slave labor
less and less profitable. while in the South
the social order of things, agricultural
conditions and the climate were gradually
making 1t seemingly Indispensable
Economical conditions caused a gradual
gravitation OF the negroes toward the
South, until. eventually, the people Of the
North were rid of such as they could dis
pose of at financial profit, while some
others were set at liberty in various ways.
and remained upon the soil OF THAR original
homes"
Moore tells us page IS; aged and in
firm slaves were set free, 10 relieve the
master from the charge of supporting
them"
This, dare say, is enough to show
that the South was not, originally re-
sponsible for the presence of the negro
within her TERRITORY.
If never a word had been written in de-
| Tense of slavery at the South the conduct
of the negroes during the eutire four years
of our civil war is enough to belle all that
has ever been spoken or written about
! the Yillainy of the slave master and the
iniquities practiced upon the slaves at the
South.
Whilst almost the entire male popula-
ton of the South was absent from home
in war, the women and children were lett
without protection except as 1t was fur
niehed by the strong arm of the negroes
who were slaves upon the plantations of
the Southern States. 1t never occurred for
moment that there might be an upris-
ing or an Instruction OF slaves to destroy
our homes and slaughter our loved ones.
We knew their attachments and their 10y
atty.
The South has made one great mistake,
attributable. / am sure, to poverty and
tho bitternessI engendered by reconstruc-
ton, in failing TO rear a monument TO the
slaves of 1860 10 1865 for the unceasing
devotion to our homes and the gallant
protection they gave tho women and chill
dren of the South all during the dark
days of our bloody civil strife. II any
thing like it has occurred in the history
of nations. | have never read 1t. All
honor and gratitude to the old-time negro.
| as we knew him before and during ~
| war.
IL is quite pertinent TO ask how this de-
votion was so suddenly and. radically
changed into such unfortunate antagonist
This brings me 10 the discussion of the
immediate question before me, and in
wolves, first, the negro's relation TO citi-
zenship and politics.
Before issuing his proclamation, in Sep
TENDER, 1862, threatening the emaniclpatlon
of the slaves the following January. 1t is a
matter of record that Mr.. Lincoln hest
tated most seriously upon taking SO I'M
portant step,
Mr.. Seward had lived in the South and
he knew the conditions that afforded fear
full opportunity for massacre ana blood
with the women and children exposed 10
the maddening fury of four millions of an
gered slaves, IL Mr., Lincoln's prociama-
ton should stir them to insurrectlon. This
really seemed the only way in which the
slave element should be for us. as MT
Lincoln expressed it. No wonder Mr. sew
ard was appalled, No wonder Mr. Blair
thought the order inopportune and Mr.
Bates insisted that the slaves should be
taken out OF the country before sueh cruel
slaughter as ne evidently apprehended be-
gan.
The proclamation. however, was issued;
the civilized world listened in strained and
painful silence for slaughter and butehery
the like of which history had never re-
corded; horror hung upon the face Of nu-
manity. And yet not an assault was made
not a child was slain, nor residen e
burned Every negro slave at tue Soutl
stood true to the trust committed to hin
ana cur homes. our mothers, our wives
and our sisters were saved in the midst o.
dangers that never before were made pos
sible in civilized warfare.
1t IS not my purpose. here or airy :
where 10 defend human slavery. m}asi
owned slaves We ut the South are glaa
more than we can tell, that we are ria
the burden and the responsibility.
Whilst we had strcng attachments FOL
the negroes Of those days. the bonds Were
all finally broken. bitterness ensued. an'
we became literally two people, Steadla@
as they stood during tho war, the pressure
became too great under reconstruction
To the people OF the South. war. as
sherman SAYS. had been he'll. II there
is anything worse In the dlanollsm o
cruelty reeonst urtion was that thing
After the war. the NEGROES were proinp,
ly made citizens. They were entranchissn
and moi only made equal with thur inr
mer masters. but they we're taught ihs
liberty meant license, and that ths dohi
natior OF the white msn was me che
thing for them 10 strive for ana at,sll
Ths poople Of the South locked no, on.