The Minneapolis journal., 1903-03-21
FULL OF BIRTHSTONE IN
Tillman's Lecture Didn't Disappoint
Those Who Wanted Char
acteristic Talk.
Colored Men interrupted and Were
Hooted -Lind's Introduction y
Causes Comment.

race war seemed imminent for a few
moments during the heat Of Senator Ben
Jam1n r. "Pitchfork' Tilman's S address
on the race problem at the First Baptist
church last evening. Speaking from the
southern standpoint, the South Carolina
statesman's remarks were straight to the
point and sufficient to arouse the ire Of
the sprinkling Of colored men present.
| AS his arraignment of the negro became
particularly severe, Representatives of the
race arose from all parts OF the house,
| asked questions, denied what had been
said and tried to precipitate q free-tor-
all debate. 81 s=ty +
Congressman John Lind, who introduced
| the speaker, arose in alarm at the pros
pect Of a general disturbance, but each
belligerent was quickly howled down with
cries OF Put him out!" and the senator
went on: unruffled by the incident. 81
i don't know why should be inter-
| rupted,'' he said, ''by the handful Of peo-
pie Of colored blood present Besides, j
see only two negroes here; the rest are
more white than black"
No more Sensational address has ever
been delivered in Minneapolis than that
to which the big audience listened win
rapt interest. His whole frame shaking
with the intensity Of his emotion, his
voice rising occasionally to yell he
poured out the walls of his wrath against
the provisions Of the fifteenth amendment
ton in the south had become a burning
question which would not down until the
white people Of that section were allowed
to. settle it as a local issue.
Damoeiean Crisis E@
The senator did not mince words He
called black black and white white with
startling emphasis, and laid bare the fes-
tering sore in all it's horrid details, de-
claring that it was the greatest problem
which confronted the republic to-day. It
was like another sword Of Damocles hang
ing over the republic by the thread of the
fifteenth amendment, giving the negro the
franchise, and unless the north took the
initiative the south would surely cut it
down. Ts- st. .'-~ H.. ~. - ~
In freeing the slaves, he said. ~ the
northern "philanthropists'' had made the
great mistake of putting the "bottom
rail on 'top' Had the southern people
known that the negro was not only to be
free but master, they would have fought
the invading armies through the swamps
of the south until they whipped them out.
In South Carolina and other southern
states, the strict enforcement of the edu-
cationa1 qualification and the raising of
the tax on free schools would stave off
the question of negro domination for
twenty or thirty years. Then, if the
north insisted on painting South Caro-
lima bla ck, the citizens Of the state would
show that they were not degenerate
sons of noble sires'' by painting it red be-
fore it became an ink spot. If meddling
northern politicians should precipitate a
race war, the extinction Of the negro
would surely follow. The sons of Marion,
Of Sumter. Of Lee, who helped create the
republic, intended to preserve the south
for the descendants Of the original
settlers: Negro domination was not to
be tolerated. p 81. Z, a....,l
Ht'No Uin GA va, IN hal 81 he Io
clared with savage emphasis. ; h:
II negroes were allowed to vote in
congress, they would soon outvoteS the
whites and control the government. Alb
solute political equality would mean social
equality. 9.=, zE'-.'E
."'That'' said the senator. working him
self into a fine frenzy, would mean
internlarriage, amalgan1ation, degrada-
tion, hell-fire and damnation.'
#s Northerners Are Blamed
No people on Gods footstool know less
about the race question than the people
of the north The present situation was
not particularly alarming. In the main
the whites and blacks of the south were
living anlicably together. The trouble
was that: every once in a while some
northern politician broke out in new
spot and fomented strife. Every man,
woman and child of the south believed as
religiousy as they believed in God, that
the white race is a higher type Of man
than any black race that walks the earth
Constitutional amendments could not
alter the will of the Creator. Under the
Fifteenth Amendment the entire nature
Of the negro had been changed. AS a
result Of his sudden elevation to an
equality with the whites he had become a
monster walking up and down the earth
seeking whom he may devour." s.-. ~.
The 1900 colored people of Minnesota
| Il
Ions of milk. They could be blotted out
l-"blea ched'-in this state and no trace
| left by absorption. If the south under
| took to absorb its colored population, with
the black in the great majority in many
| states, the Anglo Saxon race would be
! mongrelized and reduced to the level of
! the San Dominguans and other bla ok re-
publics incapable Of self government. =
| III South Carolina with a negro major
| ity of 35 900 votes. the whites had wrested
| the reins of government from the inferior.
| race by stUffing the ballot box, and they
| were justified in SO doing. In the south
! the co1ored vote was used only to keep the
republican machine in order. Delegates
considered capable. of voting Sell thei1.
| votes for enough to live on until the next
election. Z Zs H..
II the north and south had known more
| Of each other there would have been no
| war. Republicanism had meant negro
| equality from the first. II that was to
continue the issue, the south would re-
| main solid on political lines for another
| thousand years. @e.5
=s"It Is not because we hate the negro,
| that We take this position said the
speaker, but it is because we love our
| selves a Slavery was a curse because it
degraded=the white man Of the SOUTH
With plenty OF work for missionaries
among the negroes Of the south. the gov
eminent had further increased it's respon-
sibilities by assuming the care Of 5000. 900
! more colored people in the Philippines
Self government by the black race wasn't
thought of for the island. Yet it was in
sisted ON for southern communities.
ITO hell with such an infamous doc
trine. said the senator as he abruptly left
| the platform
LIND is CRITICIZED