The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1902-07-31
The Plan Of a virginia Philos opher.

INV Hiou W ~ s"h
friend in Richmond calls our at,en-
ton 10 a letter printed in the Times Of
that town recently as throwing light
on the conditions under which the negro
must live and struggle toward a higher
civilization
This letter is from Mr.. JERRY Mon
rAGUE and II Is dated from " Deep Run
Hunt Club It's writer IL evidently a
man OF much intelligence. and his srgu-
ment proves AT least. that he has thought
very earnestly on the subject of which
he treats. But II il q a convincing
argument. The facts do not sustain II.
We do not see IN II the : light Of which
IA friend speaks
Mr.. MoSrAGUEs solution Of the negro
problem IL that the negro must go.
But he does not propose To drive him
out. He would merely let him 60 under
the leisurelv action OF the forces Of
nature" II these are not lntcr-
cepted by violence. used bv : pent-up
philosophers and philanthropists and
doctrinaires, IN the attempt To defy
natures law. Mr. MONTAGUE believes
that they will bc sunicien, for the
ncgro'S destruction.
Consideration for the negro which
shows itself IN efforts Ia hit him up in
the scale Of civilization, 10y encouraging
him to buy land, ~ into farming and
attach himself Ia the soil, instead Of
following the present tendency OF the
race tn crowd into cities, ar by educating
him above has state in nature "a a
rival he looks on ~ examples Of
such violent interruption. Mr. Mos
TAGUE would =" let the negro come up 20
town and be ground out If existence, :
and the sooner the better for both the
negro and ourselves.
This seems a cruel way ~ solving the
negro problem. but Mr. MONTAGUE j.
merely advising that the natural law Of
the survival Of the iittest shall be allowed
To operate without sentimental re-
straint. or course. II - not the Chris
tian law II defes the law Of CHRIST
that the poor. the weak and the op-
pressed must be -avci nv Christian
charity from destruction hv the opera
ton Of that remorseless natural law
MT MoNTAGCE, a. a natural philosopher.
would put no obstacle IN the negro's
path 10 extinction. not eve II IN pur-
sums n he Is sure 10 60 IN the devil
He would stand hv and watch With phil
osophical calm the proccss Of the crush
ing out Of the negro nv tho competition
and race hatrei If white labor. bv " cx-
chision and the boycott " until these
poor. improvident people = are "deci-
mated hy the - oven less sanitary living
and poorer food, siege rations immu-
rality and disc - " which will result
from their inability to get work and.
consequently monev lot the negro
come up - town. for the negro
must 60
In the United Statee there were in
1870. according 10 the census Of that wear.
$50. 80 negroes, including all persons
~ negro descent. and Of the number.
about eight millions were c~ongregatci
IN the southern States only Now, n
the negro $ goes . whore will the ndns-
trial system of those States get the labor
upon which il depends. for thai labor i
negro almost EXCLUSIVELY Mr. Mos
TAGrE contends that the new agri-
culture and the modern industrial do
velopinent 81 the South " ar" held
down and pulled hack hv the inferior
capacity 81 tho negro" But what signs
are there that this now essential negro
labor will he displaced by any other or
better7 II the negroes were relatively
few. a. they are here AZ the North. hi-
theory that. naturally, they would he
overwhelmed hv competing and con
umptuous white labor. might he sus-
tanned by experience. hut nj, the South
whore. under present conditions the
white laborrrs are few and the urcrnc~
MANY II would not work The rmmi-
grafton 81 this last year has been tho
greatest IN the history N This country.
with the exception 81 me wear only, vet
few Of these immigrants. not relatively
hui actually. have gone 10 the southern
States. and there is no CONSIDERABLE"
tendency thither ~ Northern labor
II there should be set on foot anv
organized attempt 10 carry out Mr..
MoSTAGrE's plan 81 assisting the negrue~
to 90 tn destruction " would he resisted
nv the whole South 80 soon ~ It's fruits
began To appear in the . going 81 the
negro. Moreover. Southern civilization
could not stand the strain 81 the process
81 negro Decentralization and degrade
ton nv means 81 which Mr.. MONTAGUE
would get nd 81 the race. . In nature {