The Batesburg advocate. [volume] (Batesburg, S.C.) 1901-1911, 1902-12-24
1T WON'T WORK.
What Senator Tillman Says About
Senator Morgan's Scheme
TO CoLoNIzE THE NEGROES.
Ii Would Cost Too Much Money
Negro Question in the
SS;,Itll.

SOuth.
A dispatch from Washington saws
Senator John II. Morgan, of Alabama,
has succeeded after two ycras of en-
deavor in interesting the war depart
ment and incidentally President
Roosevelt in plan tc use the Philip
pine islands in coloni2ing the negroes
OF the United States. The war de
partment has made arrangements TO
test the practical possibilities of the
plan and the president has sent IL
special envoy, II. Thomas Fortune, Il
negro leader, to the Philippine islands
to make investigation and report OF
the conditions there.
1t is the Alabama senator's purpose
in the future to start legislation in
congress for the movement to coloniz,
the negroes in the Philippines. He
has not pushed this part of his work
because he believes the time is not
ripe yet for legislation: the farmers of
the south, he says, think they need
the negro now and until conditions
are more favorable. he will withhold
The proposed legislation. lie believes.
however, shat the move now under
way will result eventually in millions
OF the negroes cmigrating to the
Philippine islands and working their
own salvation out. This. he says. is
the solution of the grave negro GuCS-
tiOn which now COntrOntS the Amer-
can people.
Senator Morgan'S plan is to iucor-
porate for the negroes. steamship
transportation companies: to give
them hOmcSteadS OF about twenty
acres each IN the island and to give
them the best possible commercial ai-
vantageS The plan would not deprive
them Of their protection under the
flag of the United States: it would not
deprive them of citizenship. Of which
they are proud, and il would enable
them to become Il Sclf-SuStaining and
prosperous race OF people, because the
Iand iD1he Philippine island is cX-
tremely rich and fertilS- The climate
is exactly suited to the negroes physi-
cial and industrial character ne says.
Under this plan Senator Morgan be-
lieveS great numbers of the negroes.
but not all of them, of course. would
so TO the islands.
WHAT TILLMAN SAYS.
a dispatch from Washington to
The State says Senator Tillman is
politically and emphatically opposed
to Senator MOrganS plan of utilizing
the Philippines as Il colony for negroes.
Commenting ON the scheme the
South Carolina senator said: 1t
seems we never 20 beyond the pen
etratiug stink of this lily-whitc-aud-
black-and-tan business. 1t is cCntin-
ually popping up in one form or an
other. First ii is giving the negro
his rights then it is eliminating him
from politics, with the educational
question and colonization schemes
following close in the rear
Il tell you none of these plans will
ever succeed. that is, from the hu-
manitarian point of view. and the
American people viii insist upon that
being taken under consideration. Now,
say that the negroes are taken to the
Philippines, there will be the cost of
transportation to the Pacific ocean, Oi
the ocean voyage. of the preparation
of some temporary hahitatiun until
they are able to provide for them
selves, and feeding them until they
raise, harvest and market their first
crops.
IF this is all the government in
tends to do for them, why the item of
expense would be something enormous.
1t would be necessary To tax the peU-
pie to the point Of oppression. suppose
such a plan is put into practice 10y the
government possibly with hurrahS,
camp meeting lcrvor, and promises ot
paradise, 1000, 900 people might be
induced to 90 To the Islands, but then
yod would have 1000. 900 left The
removal of 100000 negroes is not
going to solve the problem. The race
breeds so fast that the 1000. GOO gap
would be filled in no time and you
still have that great expense on the
other side of the Pacific ocean.
1T is too much like the lO-aCrc-
:and-mulc scheme that was suggested
at the close Of the war. Most of The
plans are suggested, I believe, aS the
result of speeches 10y negroes who
have acquired some education and the
gift Of CAB, like Thomas Fortune Tor
instance, Il blOwhard who goes around
lccturing i'm highfalutiu way. why
he has even made talks about advising
the negroes TO arm and assert them
selves