The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1902-12-24
IT WON'T WORK.
What Senator Tillman Says About
Senator Morgan's S Scheme
TO CoL0NIZE The NEGROES.
1t Would Cost Too Much Money
and Would Not Solve the
Negro Question in the
South.

4 dispatch from Washington SAYS
Senator John T. Morgan, of Alabama,
has succeeded after two yeraS OF en-
deavor in interesting the war depart
ment and incidentally President
Roosevelt in a plan to use the Philip
pine islands in cotcnizing 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 a
special envoy, T. Thomas Fortune, a
negro leader, to the Philippine islands
to make investigation and report on
the conditions there.
It is the Alabama senator's purpose
in the future to start legislation in
congress for the movement to colonize
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, that the move now under
way will result eventually in millions
OF the negroes emigrating to the
Philippine islands and working their
own salvation out. This, he says, is
the solution Of the grave negro Ques-
tion which now confr0ntS the Amerl-
can people.
Senator Morgan'S plan is to incO:-
porate for the negroes, steamship
transportation companies: TO give
them homeSteadS OF about twenty
acres each in the island and to give
them the best possible commercial ad-
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 it would enable
them to become a SelT-SuStaining and
prosperous race Of people, because the
land in the Philippine island is eN-
tremely rich and fertile. The climate
is exactly suited to the negroes physi-
cial and industrial character. he says.
Under this plan Senator Morgan be-
lieveS great numbers Of the negroes.
but not all of them, of course. would
60 to the islands.
WHAT TILLNAN SAYS.
A dispatch from Washington to
The State says Senator Tillman IS
politically and emphatically opposed
to Senator Morgan'S plan Of utilizing
the Philippines as colony for negroes.
Commenting on the scheme the
South Carolina senator said: 1t
seems we never go beyond the pen
etrating stink Of this lily-white-and-
black-and-tan business. 1t is contin-
ually popping up il one form or an
other. First it 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.
4 tell you none Of these plans will
ever succeed, that is, from the hu-
manitarian point of view and the
American people will 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, Of
the ocean voyage. Of the preparation
Of some temporary habitatIon 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 peo-
pie to the point of oppression. Suppose
such a plan put into practice by the
government possibly with hurrahs,
camp meeting fervOr, and promises OF
paradise. 100000 people might be
induced to go to the islands, but then
you would have 100000 left. The
removal of 100000 negroes is not
going to solve the problem. The race
breeds so fast that the 100000 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 40-acre-
and-mule scheme that was suggested
at the. close of the war. Most OF the
plans are suggested, believe, as the
result of speeches by negroes who
have acquired some education and the
gift of CAB, like Thomas Fortune for
instance, a blowhard who goes around
lecturing in highfalutin way. Why
he has even made talks about advising
the negroes to arm and assert them
selves.