The independent., 1903-11-26
the new SOUTH
A Retrospective and Prospective view
or tho South by ! Northern Man

Editor Independent: A new south
is coming to the front. This must be
kept in mind by those who would
found new party. The new south
will demand protection instead Of tar
IFS for revenue only.
There are places in the south, now,
where the negroes do not know that
they are Free But this will not al
ways be so Ever since the civil war
they have been gradually gaining In
knowledge and prosperity. Northern
capital has been going there. Mills
and factories have also been going
there. Gradually the south is becom-
ing northernized. The negroes, as
well as the whites, are feeling this
new force.
There is a great deal of discussion
throughout the country with reference
to repeating the. 14th and 18th amend
ments of the constitution Of the
United States. Why do they want to
repeal these amendments? Why not
also repeal the 18th amendment,
which declares that neither slavery
nor involuntary servitude shall
exist within the United States, or any
place subject to their jurisdiction ?"
The 14th amendment declares that "all
persons born or naturalized in the
United States, and subject to the jur-
isdiction thereof, are citizens of the
United States and of the state wherein
they reside" This declaration is
broad enough to include negroes as
well as foreigners, because negroes
are persons born" in this country;
and, therefore, we have solemn,
constitutional declaration that negroes
are citizens not only Of the United
States, but of the state wherein they
reside This gives colored citizens
all the rights that white citizens have,
and If this amendment can be re-
pealed the 18th amendment abolish
ing slavery will also be repealed and
become null and void.
The object of repeating the 14th
amendment then is to deprive negroes
OF all the rights of citizenship, which
would certainly reduce them TO slav-
cry. The 18th amendment declares
that 'the right of citizens of the
United States to vote shall not be de-
MED or abridged by the United States
or by any state on account of race,
color or previous condition OF servi-
tude." This gives our colored fellow
citizens the same right of suffrage
that our white fellow-citizens enjoy.
1t does not, however, give them the
right to vote, if they are ignorant and
don't know what civil government
means; but it does give ignorant ne
groes the right to vote, if ignorant
white men have the right. In other
words, it makes ignorance among
white people as bad as ignorance
among black people. 1t says that the
right to "vote shall not be denied or
abridged on account of race, color or
previous condition of servitude,"
which means that the vote shall not
be given to the white man unless it
is given to the black man on the
same conditions; that If the black man
is disfranchised on account of ignor-
ance, the white man must be dis
franchised for the same reason; that
II the black man Is disfranchised on
account OF poverty, the white man
must be disfranchised on the same ac-
count.
1t does not compel the states TO con-
fer the suffrage upon the blacks, but
II does prevent the states from dis
eliminating against the blacks on ac-
count OF their color. tits a glorious
declaration and will eventually help
the states To make suffrage depend
upon intelligence and virtue. II will
be a great benefit TO the south.
The several states can make such
laws as they please on this subject,
provided they give equal rights 10 all
and special privileges To none: but IL
the supreme court Of the United States
finds that there In discrimination
against negroes either by making n
state law or by adopting state con-
stitntlon. the court will set aside tho
state statute or state constitution IA
null and void and compel the states
To mako equal laws.
The new party must resist the
movement for repeating the nth and
18th amendments. aa movement IN.
tended Ia revive negro slavery: II not
so intended. this Is at least the ten.
deney; aud the civilization az our day
recolla from any such tendency.
II the object of repeating the 18th
and 10Th amendments la not 10 keep