The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-06-08
THINKS PHILIPPINES
IDEAL COUNTRY
FOR NEGRO
[. Thomas Fortune, Govern
mentSpeciai Commissioner
to Hawaiian and Philip
pine Islands, Visits st.
Paul on His Return and
Talks of Prevailing Con-
diti0ns.


American people desire really to solve
the race problem in the United States,
and TO reassure the Filipino people, let
them appoint some such able Afro
American as Booker T. Washington
to be governor of the Philippine ISL
lands, with sympathetic fellow commits
sioners, and l believe that, while such
appointees would give very general
satisfaction to the Filipino people, a
large number Of Afro American people
would desire to live under the Ameri-
can flag in the Philippine islands, with.
the firm hope and belief that at some
future time the constitution would fol-
low"
So spoke T. Thomas Fortune to T h e
G b e yesterday. Mr.. Fortune is the
special commissioner sent by the Unit
ed States government last November
to the Hawaiian islands and the Phil
ippfnes with the object of Investigate
ing the conditions there as suited to
the Afro American.
With the possible project in view Of
colonizing those islands with American
blacks and thus reducing the cOlOred
population of the South, Mr.. Fortune
lectured before the local council of the
Afro American association, of which
he is national president, in Pilgrim
Baptist church yesterday afternoon,
and was introduced by Frederick l..
McGhee, who spoke Of him as being
a man who has fearlessly fought in an
Intelligent manner for the rights Of
the colOred people during the last
twenty years. His name, said Mr.. Nc
Ghee, is household word among the
colored race, and the errand upon
which he has been to the Orient was
well known to all.
Good Place to Dream.
81 am suffering from the effects Of
climatic fever" said Mr.. Fortune, and
am not yet steady upon my feet. I
have been to the Hawaiian islands, and
1 am in love with the place, but 1
would not care to live there. If I had
untold wealth I would like to go there
and dream-that is what the place is
made for. AS for going there to make
a living, one could not make a greater
mistake.
"The climate of the Hawaiian islands
is a dream, it is perfect; but it costs
money. and lots of it, to live there.
Those of the dominant element are de-
scendants Of New Englanders who
went there two or three generations
ago; they are all Yale or Harvard
graduates; they are immensely wealthy
and, as they are about one-tenth Of
the entire population and control near
ly all the wealth, one can see that the
country is no place for poor man.
'In the Philippines 1t Is the direct
acI, he atprUy hoe
just been visited by war, pestilence and
famine. 1t is rapidly recovering. The
Filipinos are a very Independent class
Of people. And they are right. Had
the negro instituted the same mode Of
conduct and retaliation twenty years
ago as the Filipino did two or three
years ago, things would be vastly diff
ferent toby. If you step on Fill
pino's corn he'll step on yours; if you
pop nim on the jaw he will pop you
one OH the same place. And in this
way he has earned the respect of the
white.
Philippines Ideal for Negro.
Living there at present is very ex-
pensive. But under proper govern
mental conditions it is the ideal place
for the negro. 1t is the. climate lie
likes, or at least the climate he can
stand. The white cannot live there
and make a living. If he lives there
at all it is as parasite. He may &C
there and suck blood-he cannot make
it; for the White man in that climate
is the most Iistless being imaginable.
THE Filipino and the negro get along
splendidly in a social way; it seems
that the white and the negro cannot !;
and it is Just as much a matter Of
general knowledge that the white man
and the Filipino cannot agree; and
from the knowledge of these facts :
cannot hesitate in saying that I long
fo~ the time when the Afro American
may go to the Philippine islands and
live there as he should and would like
to live.
'"The Philippine islands are possessed
of wonderful possibilities. The noun
tains are the repositories Of untold
mineral wealth; the foothills are ideal
grazing grounds; the plains will grow
almost any kind of grain, and in the
feI tile valleys may be cultivated and
| brought to the highest state of per-
| lection almost any fruit that grows.
The people are not only pleasant and
| SoCiable. they are intelligent and act
! i've. They have had their former ideas
| concerning American institutions and
American liberty sadly abused WITT
! the past two or three years, and it
will take some years Of hard work I'm!
unceasing teaching to overcome tee
prejudices already planted in their
! breasts"
| Mr.. Fortune is on his way to Wash
| ipgton to report the result of his in
vestigations, and the interview grant
/ ed T h q l0be IS the first exposi-
! ton Of his ideas on the subject that
! has been given since he left the ORR
J ent.
/ During the afternoon the Mems Sun
day Club Of the Pilgrim Baptist Church
concluded to adjourn till the first Sun
| day IN October on account Of the warm
weather.
The Afro-American local council also
transacted business and elected dele
| gates to attend the national council
to be held in Louisville. KY, in a few
weeks. tt e delegates elected were; DR.
v. D. Turner, DR.. w. T. Francis
Charles Miller end Mrs. J. H. Hick-
man.
| Ocean Crossing Crank Starts Again.
! GLOUCESTER, Mass June Z