Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-03-13
| THE RACE PROBLEM
Discussed by Collector Robert
Smalls Of Beaufort, s. G.
FAVORS A CONVENTION
HOW HIS STATE HAS DIsFRAN-
CHIsED THE NEGRO.
Would Have the Congressional and
Electoral Representation of Such
States Reduced.

Race Problem" which appeared in your is
! sue on the 7th instant / heartily concur.
and when 1 reflect upon this farcical, but
much discussed question, am forced to the
conclusion that there is in reality no such
thing as "the race question:" save as 1t ex-
lists in the minds of such theorists as Sen
ator Tilman. 1 am at a loss to understand
Iwhat-tf1e South Carolina senator hopes to
gain by his frequent and unjust attacks
upon my race. The negro is practically dis
franchised In the palmetto state where sta
tistics compiled in 1900 show white popu-
lation Of 557.995 and a black population OF
7S2, 321, or an excess in favor Of the blacks
Of 224,828. The number of white male citi-
| zens twenty-one years of age and over in
| South Carolina in 1900 was 13O,375 and
| good percentage Of them cannot read or
| write and the number Of negroes qual1hed
| by age and sex to vote in that year was
1852, $50, and yet these colored citizens were
| subjected to a standard of educational quail
| ifcation possessed by comparatively few
| white men in the state. Small wonder that
by means of this unfair discrimination, they
| have been denied the sacred right Of suf-
! frage, about the only privilege they could
exercise under the arbitrary laws Of this
| aristocratic commonwealth.
| Cannot Serve on Juries.
1t is a wen-attested fact that a negro is
practically debarred from jury duty IN
South Carolina. When juries are drawn to
:. serve at any term Of a court Of general
sessions in any Of the several circuits of the
state, there are never more than three col
ored men drawn and this is very seldom
| the case, and II they are drawn, the three
| peremptory challenges of the state debar
them from serving on any petit jury where
| a case fanny importance is to be decided
| for or against his race.
/ When a colored citizen of this state is
possessed of property he Is again discrlml-
mated against in the matter Of taxation,
and pays out of proportion to the white
man or forfeits his estate. These are facts
that can be demonstrated beyond all
doubts.
The governor Of this state is authorized
and empowered to appoint three citizens In
each county in the state to serve as board
| Of registration and in no instance has the
executive appointed a republican. Permit
me briefly to call your attention to the
| fragrant injustice of these registration
| laws, notably in Beaufort county.
Registration Of Voters.
The board meets the first Monday in each
month for that day only, remaining in ses-
sion from am. to 3 pm, meeting the first
Monday in each month until within thirty
days of an election; their duty is to register
all those who have attained the requisite
| age since the last election, can read and
write any section Of the constitution sub
mitted to them by said board, or can show
that they own $500 in real property and
! have paid all taxes on such property and
poll tax six months prior to election. An
| other discrimination against the negro Is
that any man who fought In the confeder-
| ate army is exempt from paying poll tax
upon reaching the age of sixty, while the
negro, who did not fight in the confederate,
but did fight in the Union army, Is COM
PEELED to pay poll tax until he Is sixty years
old. The board meets at the county seat,
and any person In order to register or
| change his registration certificate, II he
has moved from one precinct to another,
| must travel by railroad or otherwise to the
county seat sometimes sixty miles, and in
| many instances after having Travelled that
| distance at the cost Of time and money,
| they cannot accomplish anything, as a
| quorum designedly cannot be obtained l
| have to my personal knowledge known this
to have happened to a score or more of per-
sons on more than one occasion, and all OF
them were colored republicans; If by chance
a quorum is obtained they would take from
three to four hours to register a man, not
withstanding the fact that many applicants
were better qualified intellectually and
| otherwise than were some Of the examiners
themselves. 1t Is small wonder when we
consider these outrages that in the last
presidential election scarce 1900 republican
| South Carolina.
The Crunn Appointment.
"God moves in a mysterious way His
| wonders to perform and it is fitting that
he should have made a. Roosevelt, with
sufficient resolution to insist upon the APP
pointment of a man possessed Of those
qualifications that fit men for public office.
| I refer to DR.. Crum, the honest efficient
| applicant for Inc collectorship of the port
| of Charleston. True, he is a colored man,
but all things else being equal why should
this fact debar him from the realization of
his honest aspirations, cleaner. perchance,
| those white DQlltician.
| The Presidents resolution in this matter
is admirable and ought to secure his ad-
ministration the Endorsement of every hon
est colored voter in the south. Such a pol
icy is in marked contrast with that of Sem
ator Tillman, whose purpose seems to be
the debasement of the negro rather than
his elevation to the plane of Anglo Sa xon
civilization. Fortunate it is that Tilman's
sphere of influence is curtailed, else he
might carry his theories concerning the ne
gro into practical operation. What the
results of such a practical application of
the senator's ideas would be it is difficult
to surmse. Suffice it to say that they will
never be realized in this age of human
progress and civilization.
Intelligence.
AS you say, 'If the negro is not inteili-
gent enough to have voice in the local
affairs of South Carolina through the ex-
ercise of his suffrage he is not intelligent
enough to serve as basis for representa-
ton from this state in the Congress Of the
United States and in the electoral college, -
Let the remedy already provided in the
Constitution of. the United States be ap-
piled in this connection and the effect of
such an application would doubtless be
wholesome to the people of this historic
commonwealth, in that it would teach some
Of them at least what constitutes citizen
J ship in it's broadest term in this republic
! and that there is a marked difference In
] the qualifications for such citizenship and
] those which qualify men to become cti-
zens in a state like South Carolina. we
do not object to the convention, but we
do object to the governor of the southern
state appointing the delegates from among
! the white people to the exclusion of the
very people who to be placed on trial
! by the convention. The meanest criminal
Is allowed to make defense, either in
person or by representation. Why then
J should the negro be denied representation
by men of his own choosing? Let the
! convention be held. but let the negro be a
J part of the body, so that he will be in q
] position to defend himself against any
: charge that his southern neighbors might
make against him. especially as to his UNI
| fitness and disqualifcations
: Competency for Office Holding.
Among other things, he is charged with