The progress., 1900-01-26
7HE HARDWICK BILL.
An Interesting Interview in the At,
lanta Constitution by
3, e MaS4ingtoq9.

she look matters in the face and grap- |
pie with it bravely, taking the Negro
by the hand and seeking to lift him |
up to the point where he will be pre-
pared for citizenship? None Of the |
laws passed by any southern state, or
that are now pending, will do this
These new laws will simply change
the form of the present bad election
system and widen the breach between
the two races, when we might, by do
ing right, cement the friendship be
tween them.
DANGEROUS ALL AROUND.
"TO pass election law with an 'un-
derstandIng' clause simply means that
some individual will be tempted to
perjure his soul and degrade his whole
life by deciding in too many cases that
the Negro does not understand the
constitution and that a white man,
even though he be an ignorant white
foreigner with but recently acquired
citizenship, does understand it. In
a recent article President Hadley, of
Yale university, covers the whole truth
when he says: we cannot make law
which shall allow the right exercise of
discretionary power and prohibits its
wrong use. The understanding
clause may serve to keep Negroes from
voting, but the time will come when
! it will also be used to keep white men
from voting if any number OF them
disagree with the election officer who
| holds the discretionary power. While
discussing this matter, 1t would be
unfair to the white people of the South
and my rOCe if [ were not persectly
frank. What Interpretation does the
outside world and the Negro put upon
these understanding clauses? Either
that they are meant to leave a loop
hole so that the ignorant white man
can vote or to prevent the educated
Negro from voting. If this interpre-
tation is sorrect in either case the law
is unjust. 1t is unjust to the white
man because it takes away from him
the incentive to prepare himself to be
come an intelligent voter. 1t is un'
Just to the Negro because it makes
him feel that no matter how well he
prepare him self in education for vot
ing he will be refused Il vote through
the operation of the understanding
clause.
IN A FALSE POSITION.
land what is worse this treatmen
will keep alive in the Negroes breas
t the feeling that he is being wrongful.
! treated by the southern white maj
E and therefore he ought to vote agains
p him, whereas with just treatment tn
y years will not be many before a larg
S portion of the colored people will b
: willing to vote with the southern whit
h people. Then, again, l believe tina
e such laws put our southern white pee
is pie in false position. cannot thin
d that there is any large number OF whit
e people in the South who are so lgnuraT
Y Of SO poor that they cannot get educ;
p tlon and property enough that WI
dnable them to stand the test by tt
side of the Negro i'll these respect
d L do not believe that these white pc,
n pie want it continually advertised
, the world that some special law mu
If be passed 10y which they will seem
: be given an unfair advantage over I'll
J. Negro by reason of their ignorance
y poverty. 1t is unfair to blame ii
$. Negro for not preparing himself f
N citizenship by acquiring intelllten
m and then when he does get educate
,e and property to law that can he
Sc operated as to prevent him from bei
# citizen, even though he may be
at large tax payer. The southern VIII
v. people have reached the point whS
i'll they can afford to be just and gen