The sea coast echo. [volume] (Bay Saint Louis, Miss.) 1892-current, 1903-04-11

IA"eF0"oO' haFc BOtnO mOtlve 70 SUD-
serve, except the good of the people. ]
will now take up the discussion of the
school question. will discuss IL from a
different point from the other candida.
tes, ! regard this clamor for change
in the school system as an attack upon
the Constitution and white supremacy
want 10 discuss ii seriously. / am NOT
the funny man Of this show.
81 win first remind you of the impor-
tance OF this Constitution of ours. II
affects all men and women In the State
II the Confederate soldier had been LEFT
TO himself he would have rehabilitatcd
his shattered fortune, but, instead, he
had put upon him the rule OF the Negro
and the carpetbagger, whose only inter-
est was to plumber. There was no con-
fidence In the future OF State. Men left
1t for other States. This continued un-
til 1875, when the white people rose TO q
man and put out the negro ana the scala
wag. This did not solve the problem.
There still remained a negro majority.
This continued until 1890. This condi-
ton still destroyed confidence, and nc
capital came into the State until the
Constitutional Convention provided for
the Acknowledgement OF the negro. Cen
eral George advocated the calling OF a
convention. II was called. Our wisest
and best men met there, and it was one
Of the best bodies that ever assembled in
the State. The great heart OF that
Christian statesman, J. z. George, that
beat in sympathy for every struggling
man, was there, and drafted the franchise
clause, which is monument Of construc-
tive statesmsnship. He had more brains
than all the candidates for Governor in
this race put together. He saw that IL
we took away from the negro the fran
chise that we would have to give him the
schools. The two races must dwell to-
gether in peace and harmony for the
prosperity Of the country. God made
the white man superior to tie negro,
and meant him to rule. The white peo-
pie now rule without the negroes as
sistance, and their best friend are the
Southern whites, and that the best
things that they get must not come from
the shorthaired sisters from New En-
gland, but from the Southern people. |
don't agree with Major Vardaman's pro-
position.
81 do not attack his sincerity or his
honesty Of purpose, but believe he is
wrong. In the first place, we cannot
carry it'out without ieopardizing white
supremacy, and this is the first consid-
GRAFTON with every Southern man. We
must all stand together on this. This is
no new thing. Don't think that some
new leader has arisen TO spring some
new proposition. The same thing has
been sprung in half dozen different
States. In this late Constitutional Con-
vention OF Alabama it was sprung by
MIR. Cecil Brown, of Talladega, who later
withdrew it. 1t was ADVOCATED in North
Carolina; it was considered in our own
Constitution Convention. The Con-
stitutional Of the State, must be taken in
its relative Importance. The franchise
clause and the school clause have con
nection. General George made that con-
nection. You can't say to voter that
you must read and write and then deny
him the chance to learn to read and
write. You practically cannot deny the
right to vote. You can put limitations
on it. In the last Congress / was called
on to make speech on the CrumpackeI
resolution cutting down our representa-
ton. The Republicans agreed with the
position took then and the one take
now. Even If we could do ii, would il
be right? say that it would not.
"The negro don't get enough educa-
tion to hurt. Docs it hurt any human
being to able to learn to read the Holy
Sculptures? Vardaman admitted at Sar-
dis, where he spoke, that it COUNT be
done until the fourteenth amendment
was repealed. The negro would be edu-
Gated il we quit tomorrow. People, oul
of sympathy with the whites from New
England, would educate him and teach
him to hate us. Do you want thati
You cannot destroy the negro schools
without destroying your own schools
Are you willingto surrender your schools
to people filled with hate for us. The
court OF last resort has decided thai
when separate schools are maintained
for the races, the negroes cannot go K
the white schools; but where no separate
schools are provided that the negroes
may attend the white schools. Such 3
state Of affairs would never be tolerated
in this State and would lead to blood
shed and anarchy.
"Don't he swayed by prejudice and
passion. Don't believe that it degene-
rates any creature to learn to read
Gods Holy Word. 1t is not true in
Mississippi that the educated negroes
are the criminals. 1t is the reverse
Most Of the negroes in the Penitentiary
are ignorant. The white people Of Mis-
sissippi are going on record on this thing
and they are going on record right.
believe they will not jeopardize white
supremacy"
Mr.. Fox then closed with plea. fol
| industrial development, saying that one
cotton mill was better than all the poll
tics in the State.
He was heartily applauded at the con-
clusion and made profound impression
Greenwood Enterprise: Hon. A. F
Fox made the "welkin ring" before al
immense crowd at Holly Springs last