The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1902-12-26
THE PaEsDEsr AND THE MECH
Suggestion That Solution Of Race
Problcm Might be Aided by Ap-
pofntment OF n Commission to
study the Conditions.

New York. December S.-"During the
last few weeks / have heard a number
OF thoughtful men-of the class who
care more for the general welfare than
for politics-commending The New YORK
Sun as a safe guide in coming to COR
rect conclusions on the really important
question Of the hour. And this has led
me to read that paper more regularly
than for some time past, n the result
is that I should be glad to see The New
York Sun more widely circulated in the
part OF the country with whose thought
and progress / am concerned" So
many Virginians whom one meets in
this city.
IL IS not at all surprising that men Of
the kind just quoted should. while So
journing in this head center OF yellow"
Journalism. look TO sucn papers as The
Sun for light On the questions of the
hour; in fact. there are localities outside
OF Virginia-for instance, just across
the Potomac-where The Sun ought to
be read quite carefully. In fact, there
has just appeared In The Sun (evening
edition Of December Al an editorial
which may serve to help even the pres
ident out of his perplexities. In Its
treatment of all three Of the most i'm
portant questions of the week just pass
ed The Sun has been singularly felici-
tous. The conclusions 1t has reached
for these three questions will, / venture
to say, be considered sound by a ma
jority of the substantial men north II
south. be they democrats or republicans.
These three questions have been, first.
the presidents message; second, the
L 4 nDl IL r. ocrTn
presented bv a recently published state
ment by Senator Pritchard, of North
Carolina. The first two of these ques-
tons will at first be thought to so "out-
class the third as to make it seem a
side issue at the present time. But
there are some people who already fully
| realize that upon the final answer which
the president shall give to the question
raised by Senator Pritchard much more
depends than on how far the president
meant that trusts should be regulated
or on what will be done with the absurd
proposition brought onward by Senator
Cullom. If the president shall decide
to sustain Senator Pritchar1. the result
may be the early distintegration Of thu
so-called solid south" If he shall ar
ray himself against the men who are
seeking to eliminate the negro from
southern politics. the solid south" viii
so continue until after Mr.. Roosevelt's
successor shall have been elected.
The element at the south which may
be termed the business class looks with
favor on any movement likely to even
uate in unrestricted freedom of political
thought and action. 1t was the ou'e'
influence exerted by this class which
made practicable the proclamation" Of
Virginia's new constitution, which, if
1t had not been proclaimed" bv the
convention, but submitted to the voters
for ratification, might nave been de-
feated. That would have meant the
continuation of the negro as an obsta-
Gle tn political freedom. and consequent
ly a continuation of the evil of one par
ty power.
AS has been intimated, the effect Of
the presidents final conclusion as To-
whether he will lend a helping bar" 4,
those who are trying to develop a white
mans republican party in the south will
be seriously far reaching. IF the -
white" element shall be "sat down
upon" by the president there is great
danger lest the southern vote In the
next republican national convent'~- will
be cast for some other candidate, and as
ex-senator Lindsay pointed out in The
Manufacturers Record of December 4,
that would be unfortunate for the bust
ness interests Of the whole country. If
the president were a mere politician
ookin out for his own interests, there
would be little doubt as to the attitude
he would be induced to take by this fea-
ture of the case. But he is not a self
seeking politician, but a very earnest,
conscientious man, with an eye single
to abstract justice. In this matter the
danger lies in failure to look at both
sides. 1t will be better for the pub
lie good IF he shall decide not to act
too hastily. 1t will not be inconsistent
with his dignity nor at variance with
the record he has made as a modiier of
premature opinions to await the foht
which Just such u~cterances as The New
York Suns editorial throws and will
cause to be thrown on this question.
Since there are, perhaps, a hundred
men to be found in the south who -
concerned about the outcome of the
issue raised by Senator Pritchard to
one who cares particularly o the
real significance of the presidents re-
concentrations for the regulation Of
trusts or for puerile measures purport-
ing to be in harmony with those recon-
mendations, it is worth while to uote
in full The New York Suns article on
his subject. 1t is as follows:
Senator Pritchard Of North Carolina
differs with the president about the wis.,
dom of appointing negroes to important
federal Offices in the south. Mr.. Pritch-
ard was born in Tennessee, n has al
ways been a republican. His career
shows him to be a consistent and a stall
wart party man. When he movad to
North Carolina in 1873 he became the
owner of The Roa Mountain Republi-
can. A Garfield elector in 1880, he was
afterward a member of the legislature
for three terms, candidate for Ieuten-
ant governor in 1888, in 1894 succeedir-
Zebulon b. Vance In the United States
senate. Senator Pritchard was re-elect-
ed in 1897. Perhaps there could be no
better evidence of HIS devotion to repub-
lican politics than his election as p-eei-
dent of the North Carolina Protective
Tariff League in 1891. 1t was an up
hill fight to make the republican
party in the state an ifluence for useful
and responsible government, and the
lions share of the credit belongs to
Jeter c. Pritchard. 1t is doubtful If a
~northerner can realize the odds this
man had to contend with. Upon the
political conditions in North Carolina
he must be regarded as a sound author
ity.
Experience has taught Senator