The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1902-07-16
TnF NEW SOUTHERN PROBLEM.

IN. General Acknowledgement OF the
o,.o votars of the South has oreo
,,,Ia,,,io interest in the proposal, OF
which Congressman Crurnpachei u
diana Is one OF the recent sponsors -
reduce the representation IN CoHei
of the states where the voting mas Oeo-
TINS abridged. This procedure WIZ
"a, be az radical as it seems. 1t ""'
nroxIded for in the terms Oh the Aou1
.aa,,tt, amendment, which decided thal
vbo,a number of voters shouIo De
49, ..sis of representation but specl-
sod that If any class should be olslIa al
chised by the states, the nunioei
C,on~ressuaen from such states shouiu
be cat down proportionateiy.
81 .an,itted facts the South mas lot
ra;,.d be.siSight to thirty-fve seats III
the House OF Representatives..
.,,raJ,y she does not want TO give
them, IN without a quid pro quo; anu
continent, is shaping itself there To-
wards the offer Of a comproIhse
which. in return for the SURRENDER
tho thirty-five seats, the rest OF 'he
Country will consent to the repeal VI
.,,a 7fteenth amendment, by which the
right to vote shall not be oehieo u
,,,,;dSad nv the United States nor oy
any state on account of race, coior' VI
-,.,.,,,o,,a condition of servitude.
,rbara Is no probability that these
terms will be accepted. Yet thoush'iu'
mon in the North quite generally agree
that the full acknowledgements Oh the
negro was a mistake. kno"leose vi
tba Science of government cannot De
GAINED by the magic of a oaiiol !"
hand: self government by the MASS
like self-control by the Individual Is
ottar of personal and even of ances-
,ra, training. BY suddenly enfranchis-
ing the negro, great brute pup
human ignorance and vice was gwen
not only the privilege of enacting laws
for its own benefit but laws unuer
which moral and intelligent beings
must i've This meant chaos anu
chaos came. 1t is the opinion Oh many
observers that the negroes, as Grass
.ra No more fitted than they were IN
.sss for the duties of voting citizens
Freedom and equality" seem to nave
spoiled what little virtue they mao III
the first place just as it viii spoli the
character Of a child. Nevertheless the
die has been cast and that vast ma
iority which is not closely touched ny
Tho negro mass will probably stand out
for the principle expressed in the M
taantb amendment The idea of JUS
tice,' to the negro increases in the Uni
ted states as distance from hlm Is
gained. The North knows little OF MIN
and what little it does know prompts
it to keep him out OF arpointive ana
elective offices; butsthe pressure from
the negro race is so slight that the
North is not prepared to deprive him
of the rights witch too broad ar inter
pretation Of american principles gave
him II, the terms of the: organic law
This being true the matter is left TO
the states most affected by the negro
presence.s There is a tacit feeling IN
the North that these States are doing
the best thing the circumstances sus-
sest in practically eliminating the Al
rican vote: but sympathy does not go
so far as to concede that one vote III
the South should continue after the
negro has been eliminated, to count FOR
as much as three votes in the Nortn.
The feeling is that If the South dis
franchises the negro voter, she Ehoulo
not be permitted to use him as nasls
of representation. 1t is an idea paseo
on exact principles of fair play and IL
ought to lead. we think. to the excelsior
of the thirty-five surplus Southern
Coneressmen at q very early day.