New Iberia enterprise and independent observer. (New Iberia, La.) 1902-1944, 1903-02-07
THE NEGRO'S FOOL FRIENDS.

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which the negroes of the tnIteC
States would be justified in crying
out for drliverance from HE
maciluatiouS of their friends, II
would seem that that occasion has
arrived. With hendy and i'm
petuOuS President going ont of his
way~to stir mp the dying embers Of
race antagonlsm and sectional ran
cor. aud with incendiariSts like
Hays, the negro lawyer, delivering
infammatory creeds ike the speech
before the Afro American Leagne
at Washington day or two since,
the position of the negro never
appeared in worse way than at
present.
That the Presidents uSurpation
Of law in the Indianola case, and
| his defiance of local sentiment by
such appointments as that Of Crum
at Charleston, have produced u
speedy effect upon the negroes Of
the South in theawakenng Of their
worst passions and most criminal
instincts is attested by two atroc-
ious incidents occurring in this
State during the present week On
Monday Sheriff Onryof St Charles
Parish, was ruthlessly murdered
by negro fieud who had deliber-
ately prepared for such a deed and
openly boasted of his purpose to
"kill white man." and on the
same day at Plaqnemine an inof-
fensive white man out walking
with his wife aud child, was
murderously attacked by mob Of
negroes and severely beaten before
he could be rescued. Similar in
stances have been manifested
throughout the South since the
Indianola incident, showing that
the negroes interpret the Presl-
dents act as intimating that they
are downtrodden and deprived of
their rights, aud that he proposes
to take their part and help them
humiliate aud punish the white
people of the South
Naturally such murderous out
breaks as those above referred to
meet with swift and bloody re-
sponse on the part of the white
men, and race wars Of the most
desperate character are inevitable
throughout the South unless the
insane folly of such misguided
friends Of the negro rs Hayes and
Theodore Roosevelt is stayed. And
in other material ways the negro
will suffer if this course shall be
adhered To aud the negro Is led to
look elsewhere than To- the author
ity aud laws of the State "f whlch
he may be 1t cltlzrn for protection
and help Every Southern Stat"
is providing as ihrralIy ~ possible
for the education and training "t
the negro without regard to til"
amount Of takes he may pay INTO
the State treasury. There ha>
always been a distinct sentiment,
although that seutimen, has heen
in the minority, opposed TO negro
education, more often than other
wise, has spoiled good farm hand
to make tinhorn gambler or a
nimblr artist prone to live by his
wits.
Notwithstanding the existence of
such sentiment those who have
controlled the policies and the gov
erument of the Southern States
have gone along taxing themselves
for the education of the negro, and
in very many counties and parishes
paying out for negro education
more than the total amount paid by
negroes into the treasury for all
purposes whatsoever. Does that
fact indicate that the white men of
the South are the enemies Of the
negroi Does it point to the nc
cessity of the negro looking to pre-
tended friends at the North for
protection and help against the
white men Of the Sonthg If it he
Mr.. Roosevelt's purpose 10 array
the negroes against the white men
OF the Southland whether he SO
intends it or not, his actions are
rapidly resulting in that-what
obligation will the South be under
to continue the sacrifices it has
made to fit the negro for acceptable
citizenship Why should the
South be expected to continue to
educate race whose hand is lifted
against it in deadly hostilityi
Even now a candidate has been
announced for the governorship of
one of our sister Southern States
on the distinct platform of divis-
ion Of the public school fund
between the races in exact proper
ton to the amount of taxes paid by
the respective races. 1t has been
an uphill task, owing both to
poverty and prejudice, to work up
q proper interest in public educa
tion in all parts of the South, but
Just at the time when that senti-
ment has been worked up, and is
sweeping like tidal wave over the
South, in step the fool friends of
the negro and an issue is injected
which Infinitely strengthens the
contention Of the opponents of
negro education. and raises the
Question among thinking men as to
the wisdom of the plan we have
parsued.
The-Etates is firm in the belief
that we have wasted millions of
dollars in the South by gOiug about
the educaIio,T OF the negro in the
wrong way He is not fitted to
receive the kind of education that
we have been striving to give him.
Hsy must occupy a subordinate
position in the South or get out of
here altogether. Even If he had