The independent., 1903-03-19

means negro rule. With them the
paramount issue is the control OF their
state governments. They care more
for this one thing than any national
issue. The tariff is but OF little con-
sequence, compared with the negro
problem. The money issue is OF still
less Importance.
The south is the democratic party.
The north is the republican party.
Here are two conflicting civilizations.
Neither party is truly national In the
sense of being supported about equal
" throughout the country.
For about ten years after the civil
war negroes voted and negroes were
elected to Office in the southern states.
This became SO offensive to the whites
that negro suffrage became the para
mount issue. Force was used to pre-
vent them from voting. The United
States government was appealed to
for help, and the army was sent to en-
force the right of negro suffrage. The
great money panic of 1873 to 1879 came
along This put stop to all prosper
ity in the north. The democrats elect
ed the house of representatives at
washington in 1874 and in 1876 the
democrats claimed that they had
elected Samuel j. Tilden president.
The country was threatened with civil
war again. The matter was settled
by compromise. One part OF the COM
vromise was that the army should be
n @oved from the southern states. AS
500. as this was done the "carpet-bag
governments" fell, and there were no
more negroes elected to office-no
more negro suffrt ee.
Thus ended the experiment OF thu
republicans to settle the negro ques-
tion.
For twenty-five years the democrats
have been trying to solve the problem
and thus far have failed. The demo-
Gratis can govern the southern states
in their own peculiar way, all the
time. But they cannot govern the
northern states. There is something
in democratic civilization that does
not find favor in the north. 1t is the
treatment of the negro and the tariff
question. IL the democratic party
should come into power again, 1t
would set the whole north against it.
Mr.. Bryan tried to get the party out
of the old rut, but 1t could not rise
above the old level. A large section
of the party wanted negro slavery and
tariff for revenue only.
The whites make the laws in the
southern states, and they ought to
make them in such way that men
like Booker T. Washington can at
least vote.
There are about nine millions OF
negroes in the United States. What
shall we do with them? The south
has appealed to the north, to know
what we shall do with them. They
are citizens under the 14th amend
ment, not only of the United States,
but of the state wherein they re-
side" They are citizens because they
are natives of the country. They were
brought here against their will. They
were held in bondage two hundred
years, and then liberated. They can
not be sent out of the country, be-
cause they are citizens. If the demo-
cratic party discriminates against
them in any way, they will all be re-
publicans. They are republicans now
because they have been Disseminated
against by the democrats of the south.
Is the south afraid of negro domina-
ton? There are but two states in the
union where they are in the major
ity, namely, Mississippi and South
Carolina. If, in these two states, the
whites, who now have the exclusive
power of legislation, would make 4
law giving the blacks the right to vote
as they reach a certain grade of intel
ligence, the race problem would soon
be solved. The door of hope must
be opened to these people or there
will be a race war. To deny them the
right of suffrage, simply because they
are black. is to reduce them to slav-
cry again. This cannot be done, be-
cause the federal government, in the
hands of the north, will not tolerate
1t. And as long as there is any dam
ger of it, the federal government will
be In the hands of the north.
The president has right to appoint
or nominate negroes for Office. Sena-
tor Tillman of South Carolina says
he will vote to confirm the nomina-
tion of any negro the president will
name for his cabinet, but he objects
to negro for collector Of the port
of Charleston. If Mr. Tillman wants