The colored American., 1900-05-26
north, it will remain while the Constitution

pOrtunity, that the door which rewards ana
encourages virtue, intelligence, thrift, econ
omy, usefulness, the possession of property,
be kept wide open to the humblest black
man from one shore of this continent to
the other.
Close this door against a negro now, and
within few years the temptation will be
to close it against a class. of white men.
The minute you recognize law which
taxes negro for support of government
and denies him the opportunity to make his
wishes felt at the ballot box, that minute
you begin to undermine our whole theory
of government and throw to the winds the
principles for which the revolutionary war
was fought.
To Preserve a Republic.
The minute you deprive one-eighth of the
population of the right Of franchise, by
reason of the accident of birth and race,
that minute this country ceases to be a re-
public
1 stand today where have always stood,
advising my race that in their present con-
dition it is a mistake for them to enter
actively into general political agitation and
activity; but when the foundation of our
citizenship is attacked 1 think 1 have
right to speak, and 1 speak here in the
same spirit that 1 have already spoken in
the heart of the south.
It is to the interests of the southern
white that there shall not be one law which
can be made to apply to the white man,
and another to the negro. Take away from
any class of people in a free government
the hope of reward, that the use Of the bal
lot holds, and you produce state of stag
nation, ignorance, crime, corruption. A
people thus deprived of hope of reward be-
comes an eternal milestone about the neck
of the body polite.
Any subterfuge, any makeshift in the
form of law that gives the ignorant white
man right to express his wants at the
ballot box and withholds the same privi-
lege from the ignorant negro, is an fnjus-
tice to both races. In most cases such
laws give the negro the incentive to pre-
pare to become a voter by getting prop
erty and intelligence, but says to the white
man in so many words, remain in ignorance
and poverty, and a way will be found for
you to exercise the franchise. No question
is ever settled till settled right, till settled
by the absolute immutable laws of justice.
Qualified Suffrage the Way Out.
In this matter there Is but one way out
of our difficulties in the south, and that
is for each state that finds it necessary
to change its constitution to make an cleo
tion law, excepting possibly the soldiers
who fought on both sides in all wars, that
shall be based on intelligence, or poverty,
or both, that shall apply every day in the
year, honestly, squarely, fearlessly to both
races.
Surely if the negro is willing to meet this
test the white man should not shrink from
it.
In closing, may repeat a thought with
which I began, 1t is my faith that the
matchless combination of the northern
white men and southern white man and
black Americans who during three centuries
have exhibited virtue, patience, wisdom,
skill, physical power and perseverance
enough to clear the forests, build the rail-
roads and highways, tunnel the mountains,
plant the cities, defeat foreign foes and es-
tabliSh system of schools and churches,
that has made ours the most inviting coun-
try known to man, [ say the forces that
could achieve these results will not be baf-
fled or defeated in the settlement of our
race problem.
No, there will be no race war. Race wars
have been predicted in this country for
three centuries, and the first has not oc-
Cured.
The main weapons of defense used by the |
negro have been the hoe, the shovel, the |
plow, the pick, the school, the church, kind |
ness, forgiveness, meekneSS, his foreday |
prayers, his midnight groans his songs and |
an inherent faith in the justice of his |
cause.
The Caucasian in the south needs the |
negro, the negro needs the Caucasian. The |
black man has gotten much from the white
nan. The white man has gotten much from
he black man.
Judge Us by Our Best.
We must teach the white man to judge us
~ our best and not by our worst. We
must judge the south by the best types of
Ter white manhood, not by her worst.
This is not an age for pessimism, doubt
md halting and prediction of disaster. The
world is going forward, not backward. The
accumulated and accelerated momentum OF
he universe for 1900 years is in favor OF
living men everywhere more liberty, more
pportunity, more intelligence; is in favor
f more sympathy and more brotherly
indnaSS and the trend in this direction |