The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-05-13
NEGRO COLONIZATION.

The Manchester (N. H.) Union. discuss ing the proposition to send the negroes back to Africa, says,
 As far as we are concerned, exporting all the negroes would be settling of the they may be, we. in justice owe them some consideration. If they want to raise the money themselves and immigrate to Liberia or anywhere. well enough. but 1t would be unfair to order them away.
 If this country, wants to get real and genuine race problem on its hands let 1t attempt the job of sending the negroes out of the country. We have seen much of this foolish talk. and it looks as though 1t would not down, no matter how often its weakness is exposed. The prop osition that our government should pur- chase ships and transport the negroes to Africa or somewhere else. and support them till they are in a condition to sup port themselves. is ap altogether ridicu- lous one. Has the government any more right to do this than 1t has to send ships to Europe or elsewhere and bring immi- grants to this country, free of cost?
 Where does it or can 1t get authority to send out emigrants if it has none to bring immigrants in?
 But leaving the money question out, and leaving out any right of the government to give free transportation and rations either way, by what right would the ne- groes be exported or deported? Our gov ernment has just as much right to gather up the Chinese. or the Germans, or the Irish. or any other class of citizens, or it has just as much right to deport the native born whites of the United States as it has to deport the negroes. The col ored people are bona fide citizens of the United States. and they cannot be sent out against their own wills.
 If suitable locality could be obtained in Africa or elsewhere, and the negroes of this country wish to colonize it at their own expense and of their own volition we do not see that objection could properly be made. In one respect it might be a good thing for the South, for 1t is our opinion that the great bulk of such emi- grants would be the idle. restless and dis satisfied negroes who are of least use here. Possibly that might benefit por- tions of the South, where there is an overplus of this class of negroes, if they would go freely.
 But suppose we should admit that Af- rica is the proper place for the negroes and that our government should send them there--how is it to go about it? The trouble. the cruelty and the injustice shown by our government in removing the Indians from their homes against their wishes was a trifie compared to what would result from any attempt to send the negroes out of the country if they objected to going. Leaving out the in- justice of such deportation of an entire race. there would be such scenes of vio- fence as no civilized government has ever witnessed.
 The whole scheme Is absurd. It is not reasonable, feasible or proper way to go about settling whatever of race prob- lem we have with us. Our own people can and will settle 1t themselves. if let alone. They will settle 1t by educating the race and making them better citi- zens, better satisfied with their condition and better qualified to live useful and quiet lives here. Education and protec- tion in all his natural rights, not depor- tation, is the solution of the race ques- tion, in the South. at least.