The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-05-07
THE NEGRO PROBLEM.

The emancipation Of the slaves was
revolutionary measure which carried
with it as a natural corolIary, under our
system Of government, universal suf-
frage Under ordinary circumstances an
amendment would have been added to the
constitution comforting upon the freed
men limited franchise, but at the close
OF the civil war men were not in condi-
tion to fix the political status Of the
negro by granting to him a measure of
liberty commensurate with his known
capabilities Sentiment was allowed to
take the place of reason and to inject into
the body polite an element that any wise
man would have pronounced unfit for
self-government. The fourteenth amend
ment was mistake. We know it now,
and many knew it then, but it would
have been political suicide for any man
of prominence in the North to have op-
granted-a franchise which would have
been gradually opened to the freed race
as it came into possession of the solid
elements of citizepship-the act would
have been most wise,
Since his emancipation the negro has
done wonders, but it will take more than
one generation to place him on a par
with his one time master There must
take place painfully slow evolution.
The political philosopher must consider
the action of certain Southern states in
limiting the voting rowcr of the negro
as step in the right direction. 1t is a
step that should have been taken by the
national government thirty-fve years
ago An educational qualification dis
franchises no man who is fit to have a
voice in the making and in the execution
of the laws that govern society. It is
the nearest approach that can be made
to an index Of ability to take part in a
civil government.
Booker T. Washington has secured the
key to the negro problem in the United
States. He is a veritable Moses, come
to lead his people to the promised land.
He possesses that most uncommon at
tribute. common sense. He sees that
the only way to elevate the race and
make it fit for self government, here or
anywhere. is to educate it, not only in
the rudiments Of common knowledge, of
reading and writing, but in those arts
and sciences which will make 1t self-re-
liant and self-supporting. To read and
to write is well, but to be able to build
to produce, to create is infinitely better.
There is no influence SO potent in civiIi-
cation as the ability to use the forces
of nature for the benefit of mankind.
The knowledge that defies disease and
suffering, that conquers the soil, that
eliminates space, that brings to man the
luXuries as we'll as the necessities of
life, that creates wants and satisfies
them and that tends to keep the hands
and mind active is the knowledge that
the negro must first acquire. The way
to civilize race is to make it self-sup-
porting, When once it has acquired the
tastes of civilization. Those tastes the
negro inherited as a result of his years
of bondage. He was hurled into tire
world by the fourteenth amendment, a
child in all things but his acquired
tastes. The aim of Booker T. Wash
ington is to build from the foundation
to make the negro se1f-supporting-
teach him to farm, to construct, to con-
duct ordinary business and to do what
| he does scientifically. With this in
struction goes the ordinary education,
but there are no frilis< about the in
struction of the Tuskegee Industrial in
stitute. A commencement programme
| usual graduation subjects such as 1.-THE
Scholar in Politics. ''Over the Alps Lies
Italy" 1.-The Battle Of Life" and s'Ev-
cry Cloud Has Silver Lining" Such
subjects as these: How to Reclaim
Worn Out Sol,' How to Make
Pump" How to Dress Wound" tThe
Range of Cotton Production" Such in
struction If carried on will solve the ne
5LO pAOOiSlIi dho II - LILO only way.
Washington advises his people to let
politics alone and learn to do things-to
support themselves independently of the
whites and thus earn the right of citi-
zenship. No more convincing guarantee
can be given Of the work of this practi-
cal reformer than that the German gov
eminent some time ago selected COM
mittee from this school to experiment
with cotton raising in the German prov
inces in Africa. Arriving in Togo early
in January last-they report Progress, all
| ready The new South needs the negro
in its Industrial development, but it
needs the trained negro. If the energy
that is wasted in foolish attempts to r.
range the political status of the negro
were devoted to his education along the
lines laid down by this representative
of his race, the mistake of the revolu-
'tionary times that gave him liberty
would be corrected
Can it be true that the municipal ad.
ninistration of Minneapolis received a
..f No ioj,