The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-05-27
IT IS UP 10 THE SOUTH NOW,
THENEGRO QUESTION HAsTAkEN
I ON A. NEW PHASE.
Eject sfthe changed Attitude or the North
-t-Nhampered by Outside Meddl'ng.
tho south VIII Study the Negro Prob
lem In = Broad and Liberal sp'rit
--psst NIisunderSt andin6s RiEhted.


feature .of the negro question which IL
most talked Of in the Southern States just
now is the changed attitude OF Northern
sentiment on the subject and the out
DrAak,"eas it is frequently referred to
OF discussion of the topic among Northern,
speakers and Northern newspapers. This
il attributed solely TO the course pursued
by President Roosevelt.
Aggressive. raspiBg and irritating al
that course is regarded even by Southern
men of the most temperate mental habit
and unfortunate as they consider 1t in Its
tendency to prolong that sectional feeling
which tie policy OF Mr.. Mckinley was 80
rapidly CELEBRATING, yet, with all that, you
frequently hear the remark made that out
OF the evil has come good in healthier
and olesrer understanding Of the subject
than there was ever before in parts Of the
country where the question is purely aca-
demic and not acute and ever-pres"nt. as
il IL here in the South.
THE North was ripe for just such pre-
cipitation of the issue as came from Presi e.
dent Roesevelts dragoonng course In the
South" said a gentleman here to-day,
There were in the North three groups OF
people with reference to the negro.
First, there were those who believed
that turning looee the hordes OF ignorant
recently emancipated slaves with the ballot
in their hands was a hideous error, and
frankly and openly said 60. There were a
good many Of these.
"Then, second. there were a still larger
group who IN their hearts believed az did
the first. hut had not the courage to say
So And, third, there was the largest group
OF all. knew and cared little about the
subject "a nd who gave it no consideration
one way or the other.
THE course OF President Roosevelt has
had the efrect Of ca using the first group to
express their convictions more earnestly
than ever before. 1t has transformed the
silent convictions into convictions that are
outspoken and it he's set those thinking
who before did not think.
"We certainly arr indebted TO Mr. Rooee-
welt for thus demonstrating that the solid.
conservative thinking people of the North
are with.us and not with him in his attitude
toward q question which so vitality affects
social and material progress in the Southern
States.
"Suchexpressions as hose from Mr., Cleve-
land. frdnthe Rev. DR.. Lyman Abbott. from
r. W. De'Fcrest here IN Atlanta only a
few days ago: the comment in the saner
Northern papers and the equally eloquent
that, generally become wwhiriing deryishes
as a preliminary to the discussion OF any
thing pertaining to the negro and the South
all have convinced the people here Of one
We HI I've been convinced that the good
sense ofstbee country at large has Ana lily
pronoun9ed that the solution of tho
negro question shall lie reegated/ to
the South. where people know something
about it land not TO those at distance,
VII knot next to nothing about it or about
This Ipint was brought out at a little
gathering OF professional and business
man herdin Atlanta few days ago. Once
a month these gentlemen meet In an an
formal and social way and discuss current
events
There are clergymen. lawyers and bust
ness men among them, and original papers
on various topics are read. At the last
meeting the negro question was under
Raferrhsx TO- the fact that the country
at large seemed unanimously inclined to
leave the negro question to the South,
one of Che gentlemen said that, to Use a
slang expression, It was now up to the
South "a a very urgent way to approach
spirit possible and to deal with it in way
worthy of'Southern intelligence and South
ern humanity.
The general CONSENSUS was that the
question narrowed itself down solely to
what course OF teaching and guidance was
best calculated to strengthen the negro's
moral fibre and put him In the way Of best
advancing his material interests, The prob
lem in this form is that which the peo-
pie Of the Southern States now that they
are TO be let alone 10 handle their own
troubles In their own way, will hereafter
discuss with clear heads and in broader
spirit than heretofore was possible.
It IL frequent remark here. and matter
OF frequent oongratnation, 1t the cloud
Of misconoeption which by sort OF fatality
always has hung over the whites Of the
South in their relations with the blacks,
has cleared away more within the past
three months than In the previous thirty
years. This misconception dates back to
1T goes back further than that" said a
gentleman speaking on the subject over
in Alabama the other day. 1T goes back
to slavery times, Out Of the Northern mis-
msiscotcep tion ssto tie attitude Of tie whites
toward the eanancipated slaves when the
war ended. !.
at was then believed by many excellent
people intke North that the Southern slave
holders returned to their plantations from
ward their former slaves and disposed to
take outt ~ them whatever sourness Of
defeat they had, Nothing could be further
from the truth.
When we went of to the war we left our
wives and children in the re of our sla yes.
They never in q single instance that have
heard Of were otherwise than loyal to their
trust. Their faithfulIess was repaid by
their former ma sers by ca ring for them nd
helping them in every way in their power
protecting them in their personal rights md
encouraging them in every way to beca me
self-suppotting.
Then there was another Northern mis-
convention. and hat was OF the actual
conditions here during that nightmare Of
Reconstruction. The bitterness even then
was not directed toward the negro. It
was directed toward those unprincipled
Adventures who led him into that political
debauoh which spread such ruin.
Unframed by theee fellows and with the
ballot weapon in his nds, the negro simply
ran amuck. spreading terror before him
and leaving behind him a wake OF desola =
ton. To save society from ruin and to
save the negro from himself there was but
one thing to do. He had to be ca ught a nd
overpowered and held down by sheer ply
steal force.
"Of course, he got hurt IN the sou re Just
as any rnadman would be hurt In being sub
dued. He was held down, but his ballot
weapon WIS still strapped to him by the
Fifteenth Amendment All we could do was
TO prevent him by force and by ohicanery
from lkdnE " Oh us and on himself until