The Mankato free press., 1899-12-08

says ABOUT the existence OF race Ieellng,
and that that prejudice will always stand
in the way of smooth and peaceful run
ming of affairs between the whites and the
blacks without those sudden jars and
chickering's which breed more or less dis
cord His plan in brief is, to create and
set aside new state somewhere in the
southwest, which shall be devoted only.to
the negro, and that white men shall be for
ever disfranchised within its borders, and
not allowed to hold property of any kind
there. Likewise he would deprive the
negro of such rights outside. Of course
this would be an innovation upon the
theory of our institutions, but Mr.. Graves
holds that it is serious condition that
confronts us, and not theory, and that a
radical innovation like that is justified in
accordance Herewith.
AS to the conditions today existing in
the south, he was very frank to say they
could not be justified before the law, nor
by common honesty. But he was equally
frank in his statement that there would be
no change That right or wrong, the
white race would rule, even though in the
very small minority; and held that no mat
ter how highly educated the black man
may become, he will never become the
ruler of the white race, and declared that
this would not be allowed even in the
north.
AS to whether it would be possible to
set aside a state founded on the lines
marked out by Mr.. Graves, of course, only
time will reveal. Many will say it is Wis
ionary and impossible, yet there are many
questions that have come up in the past
that proposed solution has been declared
visionary and impossible, and yet time and
agitation have brought them about. The
scheme of a state for the blacks alone is
not new, that has been many times pro-
posed, but the idea of depriving one class
of citizens all voting and property rights
therein, and those therein of those rights
outside is decidingly new and startling to
the masses, and will need considerable
educational work to wear off the prejudices
against such an innovation to our form of
government.
There have been many suggestions since
the Spanish-American war, that the pos
session of Cuba might open the way for
settlement of this vexed problem, by the
colonization of the negro there, and to a
certain extent it may, but it is hardly prob
able that it could in years, if ever, be
made such a state as Mr.. Graves suggests.
Another objection ito Mr.. Graves state
plan comes up in the shape that there is
no state large enough fol. the present negro
race. 1t must be remembered that the
speaker did not propose taking any par
ticular state as at present formed, but
would form an entirely new state out the
vast areassof vacant land in the southwest,
which are now only partially settled, and
which he claimed from government reports
could be made most fertile and productive
through irrigation, and would support a
population several times that of the present
negro race in America. This state he pro-
posed should have all the rights of any
other American state, with its senators and
representatives in congress, and its state
machinery handled entirely by the blacks.
He did not hold that this would be sue
cessful, but that it was more practical than
any other form of colonization that has
been proposed, and would retain them
where they would be under the supervis-
ing care of the United States government.
He admitted that it would cost millions to
bring it about, but held that millions OF
wealth, and rivers of blood had been spent
to bring about the present undesirable con-
dition of affairs, and that the country
ought to be willing to spend many millions
more if it would solve the problem and
remove constant menace from the path
of the countrys welfare.
Such was the scheme for the settlement
of the negro problem by Mr.. Graves.
Whether it is practical, or will ever meet
favor with the maScec IF aoitated remainc