The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-12-10
THE SOUTH IN CONGRESS.
An Argument Favorfng a Policy OF
"Wise and Mastery Inactivity"

To the Editor OF the indianapolis Journal:
Congressman C~rumpacker has been
prompt with his bill to reduce the con-
gressional delegation of the old slave
States according to the fourteenth amend
ment to the United States Constitution.
which provides a remedy for the suppress
sion of the negro vote. From Washington
the word comes that this bill will not be
considered at the present short session,
nor will 1T pass the next Congress-; Presi-
dent Mckinley has not recommended any
such legislation and the entire North is
Indifferent to it. Indeed, ever since, in 1877,
Hayes decided to and did abandon the car
petbag governments to their fate the entire
North has finally concluded that the four
teenth amendment was a mistake, and they
do not now raise even a protest TO its nulli-
fication by such States as Mississippi or
Louisiana, and, last of all, the old semi
free State of North Carolina, where, as in
its neighbor, East Tennessee, slavery never
had any very strong foothoid. AS Nor
ton pointed out when the fifteenth
amendment was on its passage in Congress
1t is too deficient in its provisions TO ac-
ompliSh its purpose. 1t prohibits any
State from denying suffrage TO any United
States citizen ION account of race, color
or previous condition of Servitude," but
leaves open prohibitives for any other than
these three causes (for example, ignorance
or poverty, of which prohibitiyes other
than the Southern States have taken adj
vantage SlllCe 1905.
To reduce the congressional representa-
ton of the South would not enfranchise
the negro; indeed, it would give an excuse
for rendering permanent what now may
i'm the end prove only a temporary disen-
franchisement Nor would it avail to
amend the amendment by additional in
hibitionS such as these pointed out, for
then the South would. on account of race
prejudice, wholly abstain from it's present
commendable efforts to educate its col
ored population. They would reason, ''Why
SDpn0 the States money. whV fax Our
States to make negro votes?"
KS the fifteenth amendment now stands
it is it's own sufficient punishment upon the
Southern people. To nullify it they are
compelled to resort to dishonesty and in
timidation as a paramount policy. Moth
ing could be more undesirable for young
or old men. Every officer connected with
the collection and certification of votes
must resort to fraud and perjury as neces-
sary features of his public duty. Now, for
men of high and sensitive honor (such as
our Southern brothers undoubtedly are) to
be compelled at each election TO resort to
such methods to thus nullify the law of
the land must be extremely humiliating.
and by and by this fact of itself will work
the beginnings of a revolt against the whole
business.
Then the negro is slowly becoming edu-
Gated up to the duties and responsibilities
of citizenship. At present he is less than
forty years out of slavery. 1t took his
white Anglo-Saxon brother 400 years to be-
come fit for self-government. And in addi-
ton. while the fifteenth amendment was
a mistake in 1868, it by no means follows
that it will be a mistake in A. d. 1868 or
206S. "a wise and mastery inactivity is
what the Southern question at present de-
mands. '"To do nothing in particular and
to do it very WELL" so far as negro
suffrage is concerned. is far better in the
present temper of our people than the
passage Of Crumpacker's bill. Time. and
plenty of ii when il comes to the solution
of a great race problem, is far better than
legislation. Even though the fourteenth
amendment provides the remedy in unmis-
taxable terms. still the proposed remedy
will only aggravate the disease. 1t is no
use to make a bad case worse. And there
is another side to this question of proper
tional representation. What business has
Nevada. with only 1900 people and, say.
10,00n or 1900 actual voters, with two
United States senator's and one member
of the lower house? If a vote in Missis-
sippi is equal to seven in Minnesota a vote
In Nevada is more than equal to seventy
in the old slave States.
d. P. BALDWIN.