The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1900-05-17
THE RACE PROBLEM
IN THE SOUTH
CONFEItENCE AT MONTG GOMEkI'
lex Secretary HcI bert Opens the Dis
cussion-Ihc Races Must Abide
Together.

LEX Secretary Herbert Opens the Dis
cussion---Ihc Races Must Abi,l,
Together.
The conference for the discus ion o
the race problem in the South assem-
bled in Montgomery, Al la, ON the SUI
inst, and ut the opening session thur,
was one OF the largest ana most repre-
sentative gatherings ever seen in thn
city. This conference IS held under
the auspices Of the Southern Society
for the promotion OF The study Of the
race conditions and problems in the
South. Governor Johnston made an ad
dress OF welcome on behalf OF tho
State, and gave interesting facts and
figures. In Alabama cons idcruble pro
grcss has been made in the line OF cdu
eating the negro. The school fuud is
paid almost entirely by the whites aud
distributed impartially to children OF
both races.
Convict records show a steadily in
creaSing number OF negro cOnvlcts
The record shows 50 per cent Of con.
victs are negroes, there being now ID
the peniteutiary 253 whites anu 2,Il,
negroes. OF the total OF 2,ll1 colorcd
cohvictS 925 are confined iOr serious
crimes. On October |, lS1S, there wulc
Go4 State convictS against $50 now.
We nave now one negro Ia the pcni.
tent.ary for each 81 OF population.
and one white for each 3 30 g." SAID lnr
Governor. 1.-THE negro who accumu.
iatcs property becomes Il conservative
citizgn, ccHocS to listen To p.litica!
agiLutLrs and desires no return OF lr-
responsible and corrupt Legislation.
, The moro he aCCumulatcS the greater
| his Interest in the reign OF Jaw and
the preservation OF peace"
| Hon. John b. CASTOR. OF MontEUmc y,
as temporary chairman, introduced
lion. Hilary A. Herbert secretary
Of Tie navy, who made the iutroduc-
tory speech 70 the able discuss ions
which followed, in which ne contend-
Cd that the two races must abide TO.
! gCtncr in the Southern States, ana
that We must work out the problem AS
! best we can in the providence Of God.
lie began ny thanking the .uciety
| Tor the nOUOr conferred, aud said the
negro question had been always with
the people OF the South and would
| abide with them, in one phase or
another. The present Is happily nn
! er" Of good feeling between the see.
tinus. more complete anu perfect than
any that has ever existed. The force
! OH! h@S hccn dropped, Lhu ncgru was
! mol IN thu lresi,!"mti@! c&mpMign Of
| 1886: the new constitutions OF MiSsis-
| slppi has been decided Ivy the supreme
| court uf the United States to be valid.
anu we have the sympathy Of thought
| ful men in the North 10 an extent that
never before existed.
Soclclogists in that section are
studying cur situation. No paper
could portray more clearly the gravity
u the problems now before the South
tuan an address by Prof. Wilcox, chief
Statlstician Of the census, On Negro
criminology, delivered az Saratoga
| last summer. Let us so use this Op.
portunity that all Of our fellow citiz"ns
" no may follow these proceedings
shall see that we are here to ste what
can be done towards the puriticnlion
Of the ballot box, the prot cLion OF our
women and the adjustment Of the re
| latiOns between this two races in such
a spirit Of moderation, charity and
| justice a5 shall strengthen anew the
| foundations Of government and per.
petuaLc its blessings to our children.
The two races are here and must
abide together. The deportation Of
| eight or ten millions 81 blacks is nn
in!possihili. Prof, Cope. tho dis
| tiuguishcd naturalist Of the University
of Pennsylvania, u few years ago, after
q dis pass SiOnatc study Of tho differences
| between the white man and the negro
in which he clearly pointed out the in
! lcrlOrlty OF the negro, recommended
that the negro, AT Whatever cost shUuiI
be deported. HIS fear was that tn.
outcome in the South was to be ANAL!
gamatiOn and the consequent destruc
tiOn OF a large portion Of the finest race
upon earth.
Necessity has compelled us to resort
| TO election methods which we desire
to abandon. The results OF the cXpen.
diture OF millions on negro education
has been so unsatisfactory that some
good people arc advocating the nban.
dOnment OF the system. The cost OF
trying negroes for crime is out OF al
proportion TO the cost Of trying white
men : and assaults by negroes upon
white women have brought us 10 lynch
law. These questions We arc here TO
discuss. ldiencss among negroes is
undoubtedly growing and crime in.
creasing. Prot. Wilcox states facts
showing idlcness to d degree that is
startling, and he gives ccnsus figures
to show Cis that in the South the crimes
OF negroes, compared according Il
population with whites we're, in 1890
as Is little less than ) to |, and in tho
North considerably over TO /. Govern
mcnt statistics show that for 10 years
beginning with 1879, OF births among
the negroes Of the District OF Columbia
1876 per cent. were iilcgitimatc, an(
that for the next period OF II years
ending with 1899, the percentage o
illegitimate births was 2G9. Crimes
however, in the district by the figure,
appear to be only q little over , to /
according to popuIation-whicn Is de
cidediy in favor OF the district.
The situation becomes gravcr still
when We consider the assault by /
negro upon white woman. Such 81
alarming feature OF the present situn
ti0n was unknown when the ncgrOc,
were slaves, and remained unknown
until % new generation Of negroes hOrl
In freedom, had grown into manhood
and this after all our enorts to clc
vate the negro by education. Wha
does this mean? Two answer; nay,
been suggested; one, that these cr imc'
proceed from a spirit Of revenge. Prol
Wilcox, who suggests this, aays tha
such crimes frequently resulted during
the middle ages from hatred OF th'
church. The other theory H. tha
| n.,i,, Il mn, N,