The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1903-11-01

IN ORDER TO ENSURE IT'S IS
tendency the old party passed the
suffrage amendments 1t promised the
people that if they would by this means
eliminate the negro vote the old condition
of solid white party would disappear
and that we should have no more cheating
of negroes out of their votes. The sue
cess of these campaigns convinced the
leaders that the issue was a popular one.
Having won Il complete success they are
loath. in spite of their promise, 10 give
up the means by which they succeeded. IT
is now good party tactics to keep the ne
gro question before the people. Booker
T. Washington's dinner at the White
House WAS SEIZED ON for this pur-
pose. The watchful party leaders Jaw
in it an opportunity TO MAKE CAPT
TAI. WITH THE MASS OF THE Pf-O-
PIE. Not long after this there occurred
in Washington what has been known since
that time as the ''bi-racial reception. y
This, too, at once suggested itself as a
popular means of appealing to the people
So successful were these two attempts
that some political editors HAVE
LEARNED TO LOOK FOR FAMILIAR
OCCASIONS. At present very inconsider-
abe affairs are made to do service in the
same way. An illustration OF how this
works is seen in the following incident:
In the month of August, 1903, Booker T.
| Washington and a party of prominent ne
groes, most OF them northern men, were
! going North after the adjournment OF q
negro business mems conference at Knox
vile, Tenn. He telegraphed to the pro-
/ prietors of a certain dinner-house on the
railroad to know if, on the arrival of the
! train, he and his party could be given
| breakfast. The reply was favorable.
When the train arrived the regular board
ers had been served. The party of negroes,
which numbered thirty-eight, were given
seats in the regular dining groom. The pro-
prietors understood that there were no
white people on the train who desired
breakfast, but few presented themselves
and tables were improVsed for them in
other rooms The negroes, according to
the evidence, bore themselves quietly and
unobtrusively. There was no attempt ia
mix the races. 1T WAS NOT ALLEG-
ED THAT THE ACCOMMODATION
OF THE ONE WERE NOT AS GOOD
AS THOSE OF THE OTHER. This incl
dent became in the hands of the politicians
| fragrant Outrage" A certain emotional
and yellow" newspaper was conspicuous
in its lurid descriptions Black men, it
said, were placed before white men. For
merly a white man ate at the first table
and sent the negros dinner out to the
kitchen. Now the negro took the princi-
pal seat and the whites took what they
! could get. 1t was long and hysterical
description of this very small affair and
| ended with the observation that the
whole thing was due to the fact that Pres
idcnt Roosevelt once had Professor Wash
! ington to dine with him. Following the
! lead of this prominent newspaper q hun
bred smaller sheets took up the matter
| in the same vein: and the dinner-house
affair now became very much of a sensa-
| ton Day after day for more than a fort
night it continually reappeared in the
| State press. and the echoes of it are still
| heard.
The effect of such agitation on the PEG
pie is decided. 1t unquestionably tends to
make votes. The removal of the negro
! from &c voting population has destroyed
the Oldest and best political capital of the
party: and its place is being supplied by
these sensational appeals to the race feel
ing OF the white man. But the affair has
ton is awakening a demon in the South.
| There is TODD hatred OF whites for
blacks and of backs for whites than ever
before EACH RACE SEEMS TO BE
! CAUGHT IN A TORRENT OF PAS
/ SION, WHICH, FEAR, is LEAD
ING THE COUNTRY TO AN END
| WHICH l DARE NOT NAME.
! Up in the North little Southern gen
| tleman with glib tongue has been going
about recently advocating the formation OF
black republic in the Philippines to
which all the negroes shall be sent A
man who can solve the negro problem in
no better way than to advocate deporta-
ton has but little capacity to solve prob
lens. Worthy old Hinton Rowan Helper,
who still lives to hear the first threaten
ing notes of a new Impending Crisis, .
mas more feasible solution, viz: Ito
! fossiize them beneath the American SOD. -
But neither solution will work. THE.
ONLY SOLUTION RESERVED FOR
US IS THE ADOPTION OF THESE
CHILDREN OF AFRICA INTO OUR
AMERICAN LIFE. IN SPITE OF OUR
RACE FEELING, OF WHICH THE
WRITER HAS HIS SHARE. THEY
WILL WIN EQUALITY AT SOME
| TIME. We cannot remove them, we can
not kill them, we cannot prevent them
from advancing in civilization. They are
now very weak; some day they VIII be
stronger. They are now ignorant and
passion-vrought: some day they will be
wiser and more self-restrained DO NOT
KNOW JUST WHAT FORM THE CON
/ FLICT WILL TAKE. IT MAY BE
MERELY A POLITICAL CONFLICT;
1T MAY BE MORE THAN THAT. I
AM PERSUADED THAT 1T IS IN
MANY RESPECTS THE OLD CON
FLICT BETWEEN ROMAN PLEBS
AND ROMAN PATRICIANS OVER
AGAIN. IT OUGHT TO BE SHORTER
THAN THAT STRUGGLE AND THE
ISSUE OUGHT BE MORE FORUM
/ ATE THAN THE ISSUE OF THE RO-
MAN CONFLICT; FOR AMERICAN
LIFE is RICHER AND BETTER
THAN ROMAN LIFE.
Some day the white man viii heat
the negro out of his coward
ice. and then ''red shirts" will exist no
more. Some day the negro will be a
great industrial factor in the community;
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