The Lexington dispatch. [volume] (Lexington, South Carolina) 1870-1917, 1899-09-13
Tillman On the Negro.
Says the Problem Bafies Him, but
Offers Sensible Suggestions.

Offers Sensible Suggestions.
Some days ago, when Senator B.
R. Tillman strongly denounced the
whitecapping of negroes in Green
wood, the Rev. j L. Dart, of Charles
ton, wrote him letter of thanks on
behalf of himself and his race for
his strong words Of condemnation
and denunciation Of outrsges and
lawlessness. Besides tharking Sen
! ator Tillman the writer took occasion
in his letter to touch upon several
topics of public interest, among them
being the relations of the races in
the South and the future of the ne
gro in this country. On this subject
the Rev. J. L. Dart said:
"Nhether we be Democrats or Re-
publicans, Sontherners or Northern
ers, white or black men, there is a
common ground upon which We all can
stand, and that is our united and
/ firm determination that all forms OF
lawlessness in our midst, whether
carried on by whites or blacks, shall
be put down and completely ban,
ished from our borders; that the law
shall have it's course in every case
and instance, and every citizen shall
have the guaranteed protection of
life, liberty and the pursuit of hap
piness.
But for myself I have come to
believe in the ultimate separation OF
the races in the South-the emigra-
tion of the race, not so much to
Africa as the colonization of our peo-
! pie in the newly acquired possessions
of Cuba aud Porto Rico and through
out the North and West. This, of
course, cannot be done for several
years to come, but while the negro
race is gaining in education, wealth
and experience, preparatory for their
departure, they should have tie pro-
lection of the law and the generous
aid and sympathy Of their white
neighbors."
To this letter Senator Tillman re-
! piled as follows:
The Rev. J. L. Dart, Charleston, S. G.
Dear Si,: Your letter cf August
18th has been received. I confess I
am both surprised and grati6ed at
receiving it. I am only sorry that a
badly garbled and in some respects
distorted report of my speech was
published in our State papers and
sent abroad. I used much stronger
language and my appeal for justice
was much broader than what you
saw. The correspondent of the News
and Courier, Mr.. Kohn, wrote me
that his report by mail did not reach
the Office in time for publication.
I am considered as the arch enemy
of the negroes, or colored people, be-
cause while Governor, and before, I
exerted all the influence I possessed
for the purpose of disfranchisipg
them. Ii you will contrast the con-
dition of the negroes in South Caro-
lima with that in North Carolina and
Georgia you will see that there is
much more good feeling and less
friction here than where political ac-
tivity and the franchise exist on the
basis of manhood suffrage. The
Ptenix riot is directly attributable
to the political virus injected into
the negroes of that neighborhood by
designing white men-the Tolberts-
and the recent outrages are the after
math.
What the ultimate solution of the
race problem will be I do not know,
but I do know that race and caste
feeling are insuperable barriers 10
social and political equality in the
South, and that the negro, as the
weaker and inferior race, will always
be the victim Of every conflict by
which he seeks, either Of his own &C
cord or when led by designing white
men, to break down those barriers.
! There is no room in the Northwest,
or opening, for any negro communi-
ties, as you will find if you 60 there
to investigate. The Northern whites
no longer sympatbise with the ideas
which brought on the civil war, as is
proven by Governor Tanners attitude
and official action. There may be an
opening for limited number Of ne
groes in Cuba and Porto Rico, but I
think the Philippines is already occu-
pied by race that would be more
intolerant and cruel than the whites.
What the end will be cannot say,
but this I do know, the negro must
remain subordinate or be extermiuat-