The daily morning journal and courier., 1899-06-07
SOUTHERN RACE QUESTION
FIRM WORDS or RET. DR. W. HAYES
 WARD.

Spoken Before Connecticut Valley Con- gregational Club-Belief in Superi. olity of AnglO-Saxon Race Not Borne Out by Fncts-Wero He n Negro He Would Kill First Man Who Attempted to XIII His Friends.
 Easthampton, Mass. June 6.--An in-
 teresting session of the Connecticut Val-
 ley Congregational club was held this
 afternoon in this town. In the absence
 of the president of the club the first vice
 president, Rev. H. T. Rose of North
 ampton, took charge of the meeting. He
 introduced Rev. Dr. William Hayes
 Ward, editor of the Independent, to
 speak upon the subject, "The Race
 Problem in the South" After a few re-
 marks, Dr. Ward spoke, in part as fol-
 lows:
 ''This subject is particularly inter-
 esttng one to me and I always feel that
 it should be to others. However, as I
 look about me see few in the audience
 who can have real knowledge of the
 conditions which this subject implies.s
 Only those whose hair has become grey
 can know of what the conditions were
 in the years before the civil war. In
 1853 anti-slavery was not by any means
 popular profession. The war ended slavery, but it did not end the conditions
 which have continued to the present
 time, and will continue until fairly met
 by sturdy opposition. do not regard this as really a race problem, but rather as problem of conditions. I believe that the fibre of the human brain is the same in all races. do not believe that there is special brain structure for the black man. There is a large ability In all races. It is conditions and oppof- tunities which makes the difference be- tween people. There Is general feel ing that the Anglo-Saxon race is far superior to any other race on the earth, but this is not borne out by facts We have no right to set ourselves up on pinnacle and say that we shall not cons SIoCI lIlS OldCh Illttll, HUT LIG ycllQW man, nor any other race of men on q level with ourselves.
 ''In some states they have made laws proven ting the negroes from voting, and they call it constitutional. There are more negroes in Alabama than white men, yet they must not vote, so say the whites. Such action is in direct oppo- sition to the United States constitution and the time has come for opposition to l. such methods. The whites made no bones of the purpose for which they enacted these laws. The system adopt ed to disfranchise the negro is not test of intelligence but one of color and any ignorant white may vote while negro is refused the right. Some time there will be clash it is bound to come as the inevitable result.
 "The negro leaders never fail to con- 1emn the perpetration of such crimes as we read about, but if the laws of the south were anywhere nearly executed there would be no need of the mob vio- ence. Were I a negro in the south [ would shoot the first white man or any kind of man who. with an unprinci- pied mob, attempted to take the life of my friends of my family. I consider and self-protection right sous. The only way to solve this prob- em and to give the negroes power is oy educating them. Give them culture. education and knowledge md the problem will solve itself.''
 After Dr. Wards address, the merl- oers adjourned to rooms of the church Or supper. After the adjournment to he auditorium the audience listened to l strong address by Dr. Lamson, pres- dent of the American board of foreign missions, upon the Apostles creed.,' There was also a general discussion ira he evening.