The Washington weekly post. (Washington, D.C.) 1878-1916, 1899-08-15
lust a Few Questions.

OF all the wild schemes that we're ever
Matched in the human mind, the widest
T is that OF settling race troubles In the
United States by deporting the negroes.
/ Il seems strange that go utterly absurd a
/ proposition should ever have been made
! by intelligent men; stranger still that. in
/ spite OF It's fantastic absurdity, il has liv-
/ ed along. year after year, and been
/ brought out as q rational remedy for race
/ troubles whenever those lnfelicities have
been prominent in public discussions.
| There are at this time some 100000 Of
/ colored Americans. constituting about
one-ninth of the population of the United
States. The sreat majority of them are
in the South The President Of an agri-
cultural society in a Southern State. a
man of influence and, presumably. OF in
telligence. is one OF the latest and loud
est advocates Of the deportation plan.
/ There are a few colored men Of more or
less promicance who agree with this dis
tinguished agriculturist. Taking the whites
who want the blacks sent out Of the
country, and who appear 10 regard the
project as feasible, and the blacks who
agree with them. we have a somewhat
formidable showing. II seems pertinent.
therefore, TO PROFOUND a few interroga-
tories with a view TO getting information
as 10 some things TO which these people
should. aud doubtless have, given seri-
Gus consideration.
nb hot -
100000 negroes to be shipped? Is there
any vacant place or the globe waiting to
be occupied by so numerous a company?
Is there any government that wants
them? If so. what are their chances for
making a living there? How many ships
will be required to transport the 100000.
and who is going to furnish them? Are
there transports enough in existence to
carry of a number equal TO the natural
increase Of these s,OOOO 200? Surprising
there are, and supposing you get them.
how will you get the other ships, sew
eral thousands Of them, capable of taking
off the remainder. the main body of the
blacks? Supposing that you have the
place selected which is impossible: that
you have provided some of the comforts
OF life in the new home and a chance
for the immigrants to make living. also
impossible; supposing you have your
ships, another impossiblity, what next?
Do you look for q grand rush for a
simultaneous movement of all the Afro
Americans to get out of a country that
Is just as much their rightful abiding
place as 1t IS yours? Do you not know
that, with very few exceptions the black
Americans are as much attached TO home
and country as the whites? Do you pro-
pose to. use force tc compel them to go
nence? Would not that bring on a race
conflict million times worse than the /
troubles now confronting us? And how |
about labor in the South when the blacks |
are gone? Could their place be easily fill |
ed? And If not, if millions did not at |
once push in to I'LL the void. how would /
the South, how would such States as |
South Carolina, Mississippi, and Louisi- |
ana like to have their political power,
their representation in the National House |
OF Representatives and the electoral col |
lege, cut down to lawful, fair, and Just |
When the advocates of the deportation
scheme shall have answered these simple /
The Post will have another
batch on hand ready for launching.