The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1899-05-23

Il
negroes vote. Uniting themselves to the
.arpet-Lagsers and getaways. who Hooked
70 the South. like vultures over dyinr
cmicsss, they eat carrion together. as In
a,i the shame of unl0n leagues and mid
sht political marauding. they plauntd
iot the negroes antagonism toward the
waite people at the South The brea h
was wldsned by the presence OF the mill.
Jury all over the South. not only enoous-
| aglne the schemes of division and domi.
haticn eoncocted In the Union leagues, but
cnerlng support and defence by such arms
as might be needed
Our legislatures were composed OF ne
! grces and carpet baggers; our laws were
mace on the one hand. by those abso-
iutely ignorant OF our institutions and our
| government, and, on the other, by those
VINO had no sympathy with our Interests
ana not dollar in our business.
since that day the negro at the South
! mas oeen determined TO oppose everything,
politically, that he believes the white man
wants. He is republican. an lndepcnd-
| enl. or what-not. just SO re may OPP
| pose and fight against anything he be-
lioves the white man wants.
| Notwithstanding the poverty OF the
Whlte people and the bitterness of the
negroes. the white people gave them shell
! ter and food and employment. | do not
believe there are Ave hundred negrces IN
my State today out of employment who
could not get work II thew wanted II.
Negroes have access TO all the trades
! ano all the professions. as BARRIERS me-
cbanics, artisans masons. lawyers, dem
llsts, etc. They are not prevented BY
labor unions from work Such distinction
would not be approved by our people.
| Starting in 1865 without home ana
| without penny. the negroes In Georgia
/ ray tax on onesixth as much as the
whole state was worth at the end OF tie
| war and for the entire South they pay
! ONE alt as much as the entire state q
| Georgia paid the year before the war be.
/ gan. From this 1t would seem that
| negro has some business chances at tho
| South.
A few years since, when the Eagle and
! Phoenix Cotton Mill company In Cplpm
1 BUS, my state, was constructing mill 10
! 3, there was employed upon the huildm3s
number of masons from the North One
morning there was an incipient strike, and
a delegation from the Northern white
ntFons called on the mechanical ongi-
| leer and said they could not work under
a negro foreman.
The engineer had placed a negro man
| on one corner of the building and had
give en- him a little authority. as ne APP
peared to be much the best mechanic In
the lot, He was a native Columbus negro
| Rather than delay tho work. and with the
iden of pacifyinE these Northern masous
the engineer told them that II they could
pick out a man from heir own number
who could take the place of the negro he
| was ready to make the change. They Sc
lected one Of their number and after "a
hours' experience the engineer sen. for
the committee and told them be was not
pleased or satisfied with their selection.
and he wished candid expression from
them rs to whether or not he had made
better selection for foreman in the negro
oil !, In he
man. After some little parleying, they
agreed to resume with the Columbus negro
carrying up the corner. Several of these
Northern masons, after admitting the ne
gro was the better ne hpnic saii they
would never work under a negro Thev
left All the white men who left were
from the Northern States. No white man
from the South abandoned the JOB,
Next, let us consider the uegrn's rela-
ticn 10 education
Hon. W. T. Harris. T. s, commissioner
o. education, in a pamphlet published IN
1896 Education in the Various States. -
page 1881, says
Since 1876 the Southern States have
expended 1888 100000 for public schools.
and 1t Is fair - estimate hat natwaen
100000 and $50 600 coo Of this sum have
been expended for the education of col
ored children In 1895 the enrolment of
colored pupils was a little more Than q
!
in the Southern States. 1t is not elaine d
that they received the benefit OF q pr
cent Of the school fund and perhaps IL
one would say they re reivcd less than %
per cent. 1t Is a fact well linoWr that
almost the entire burden Of educating tine
colored children OF the South falls up3n
the white property owners Of the { m -
; slave States. OF the more than $40, 900 600
expended in the past twenty years for The
instruction of colored children in south
ern public schools, but small percentage
was contributed b. the negroes them
selves, in the form of taxes. This vast
sum has not been given grudglngly The
white people Of tho South believe that
the State should place n commoa sc15ol
education within the reach of every CHI d.
and they have done this much to give all
citizens. white and black, an even stare
in life
what have the negroes themselves &c
complshed to Justify the generosity OF
the white people OF the South nni The
henevolcnce of the people Of the No,th?'
1T may be said that in 1860 the colo
race was totally illiterate. In 1870 more
than So per cent of the coored popula =
ton of the South, 10 years Of age and
over could not read nor write. In 1881
tho per cent of illiterates had been re-
duced to IS per cent AMI in 1890 the IL
literates comprised about 60 rer Ce.i. a..
the coored population 10 years of age aid
over. In several OF the Southern states
the percentage is even below % per c-nr,
In thirty years 40 per cent ii tla il.It-
eracy of the colored race hal dislpp3nre l.
In education and industrial 0 ograss this
race had accomplished more than il co aid
have achieved In centuries In a differ
ent environment without the AID OF the
whites, The nero hos resded the exam
pie as we'll as the aid of the Will }
IN sections where the c-lored popua ion
Is massed and removed from contact viii
the whites the progress OF the negro has
been retarded. He believes in educa ing
his children, because he can see that an
increase OF knowledge will enable ire
to better their condition. But legte cate
the colored population and YOU lake away
the object lesson"
The negro at the South, as | take II,
! and at the North as well, is nothing II moi
religious Before the war they bsloagei
to the same churches, in all denomina-
tions. as the whites, | am sure you would
be Interested If you should read the church
, records recognizing these people as OF equal
right religiously with the white brethren
= II was only after the negroes themselves
, broke the bond Of union that we became
e two peoples. WIZ they have Their own
b and separate churches for their services
. every Christian denomination at the S5uth
q eypends fair proportion OF their general
Z contributions for religious purposes 70 the
= religious development Of the negroes. They
VIII never suffer along these lines. as lonl
a.. thair hrethren in white are able tn aid