The Bellefontaine Republican. [volume] (Bellefontaine, Logan County, Ohio) 1855-1905, 1899-03-24
Booker WashingtOn's Idea Of
Industrial Training Pro-
nOunced UnsOund.
NEGROES OPPOSED TO RAPE
Political Status of the ColOred Man
Set FOrth-Plea Made for the
Whites and Blacks to Live
Together in Peace.
To the Editor of the American.

To the Editor of the American.
The revival Of the race question is but
one of the crucibles in which the Chris
tian -siision is being tested. The theo-
~ of the brotherhood of man must
evolve into Lying reality before Chris
tianity shall have done it's perfect work
1t is useless to expatiate about the in
feriority of the darker races and the
divine right of the white race to rule
them, which implies that God has dele
gated part of his sovereignty to the
latter. Human pride and arrogance,
engendered by the transition from q low
to high estate, may assume such; still
God is sovereign and supreme, and is as
jealous of His sovereignty and as an
willing to share it with any of his crea-
lures as he was when his wrath was
provoked by the lsraelites when they
fashioned their jewels into golden calf.
God may assign to the white race, as q
part of it's Stewardship, the civilization
and redemption of the darker races, but
their civilization and redemption must
be according to his plans, and not &C.
cording to the dictum of race prejudice.
Then it would be well for the proud
Anglo Saxon to be certain of his steward
ship in this particular, lest in the end
he should find himself as much deceived
as was Caesar when he based his con-
quest of the Britons on the assumption
of divine right.
Industrial and Mechanical Training.
Yes, I am heartily in favor of the in
dustrial and mechanical training for
such negroes as may feel that their call
ing is on the farm or in the factory, but
1 challenge the assertion of those who
claim that the only solution of the 60
called race problem lies in the direction
of the industrial and mechanical train
ing of the negro. Then, again, the me
chanical and industrial training of the
negro has been in progress ever since
the first cargo of slaves was landed on
the banks of the James river in Virginia.
Slavery Was School.
Surprisingly strange, perhaps, but
nevertheless true, slavery itself furnish
ed the slave with valuable lessons in in
dustrial and mechanical training, and
produced grade of high-class mechan'
ics, skilled workers in wood and iron
and metals of various kinds, many oi
whom remain until this day, and ]
regret to say, far more than can obtain
employment, caused by the unressona.
BILE and unfriendly attitude of the trades
unions toward colored mechanics. How
then, can the multiplication of negro
mechanics help to solve the so-called
race problem, when those who are
already skilled cannot obtain employ
ment? In this city, to my persona
knowledge, there are score or more o.
skilled negro mechanics who are subject
to enforced idleness by reason of the
colorphobia which dominates the trades
unions. Those who are disposed to ad
vance the negro's best interests car
render him invaluable service by de
manding in tones of thunder, loud ant
long, that the trades unions shall cease
to draw the color line, and that fitness
and character shall be the only passpor
to their fellowship. When this barrier
shall have been removed, the time fol
the multiplication of negro mechanics
on an nything like a large ecale, will hav'
become opportune; but not until then
The COntra-Argument.
We know full we'll the argument of tn
contra contendents-how that an appre
ciable increase IN the present number O
negro mechanics would make a whit
contractor Independent of white me
chanics when his interests might wal
rant the employment of negro trades
.. men. But it cannot be justly elaine
that this language rises to the force an
dignity of an argument. 1t is at th
very best but a mere theory, and on
:, shorn of plausibility for the reason ths
8 it apparently overlooks the fact that th
trades unions. by the power of the bo,
V colt, could influence the dealers both
=, raw and manufactured material, not
e sell to said contractor, and thus abo
le m bis designs to defy them by the emplo
meut of negro artisans. The trad
unions constitute most potent organ