The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1899-05-05
d MAY 5. 1899.
oOLoRED PROFESSOR ON LABOR

4 COLORED PROFESSOR ON
Among those who indorse President
Booker Washington's wise, moderate
and safe views as to the true policy for
his race to pursue, is Professor H. M.
Browne. of Normal Institute at Hamp-
ton. Va, a we'll known institute or
much merit. Professor Browne IS a
mai OF intelligence and education. He
is familiar with the situation, the con-
dition of his race, and their needs. He
holds with several others of the best
educated men of the negro race, that
the greatest enemy to the negro and
the greatest obstacle to his progress Is
the politician, and that the negro poll
tician is the worst of all. These poll
ticians, he says, have taught the ne
groes that they are asserting their In
dependence by voting against the inter-
ests of the very men to whom they go
in time of trouble, and that the negroes
have not been able to realize that their
VuICIESLS ll0 ClO0O0L ~ -
those whom they oppose at the polls"
This is true and the pity it's It's true"
Professor Browne thikns it very unfor-
tunate that reconstruction engendered
antagonism between the whites and the
blacks of the south" Clothing the
lately freed negroes, utterly united
for citizenship and wholly ignorant OF
political history and duty and the real
meaning and force attaching to the
ballot, with the elective franchise was
"a blunder and a crime at the very start,
and after thirty-four years of expert
ment it remains still a blunder and mis-
fortune-a curse to the south and to
the country at large. The Richmond
Times has some judicious remarks upon
this informed teachers statements.
We quote.
But will the negro take the advice
of Washington and Browne and men
of that class? Not many of them. The
negro newspapers ridicule such men
and hold them up to contempt, as boot
ticks who are trying to curry favor
with the whites. Professor Browne
says that what the negro needs now
most of all in order to promote his ma
terial welfare is to learn how to work.
Amy German farmer, he says, whom he
has seen in the fields of Europe, would
do two or three times as much work In
"a day as the negro can do, and think
nothing of it. When the negro is
taught to work. he concludes, when
he is shown that a few political offices
will never help him, and when he goes
to work earnestly to improve himself,
then the real solution of the negro
problem will be in sight
sit is men like Washington and
Browne who must bring the negro up
to a higher level"
In confirmation of the Professors re-
marks as to the great superiority of
German white labor, let us give two
illustrative facts:
A New Jerseyan now residing in an
eastern county in this state was in to
see us a few months ago. He was
talking of the work done by the negroes
in the county in which he lived. He
said that it was very poor and unsat-
isfactory, that a New Jersey workman
would do twice as much, and that negro
labor would not be tolerated in his ma
tive state because of its ineficiency.
A gentleman in this city gave III
within the last six months, as we recall
it. If not precisely correct as to de-
tails, it is correct as tt the special point
we would present: He had seen eight
negroes in Wilmington loading a barge
with coal. This was the usual number
required. He had been assured that in
Nova Scotia four white men would do
the same work and in less time. 1t is
nonsense for people who are not well
informed to say that negro labor is the
best the south could get. We do not
urge a change. The negroes are here
and will no doubt remain here so long
as they are prudent enough to be law
abiding and good citizens. But they
can be taught "how to work." as Pro-
lessor Browne says, and to accomplish
more in a given time. Industry, sys-
tenn, earnestness of purpose, sobriety
and economy are what they need.