The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-04-23
AID BITTERNESS REVIVED.
p,,JON INJECTED INTO THE
NEGRO QUESTION:
Evil Effects In Mississippi OF Outside Med
ding In the Matter-Proeesai to Take
school Privileges Prem the Negre
.-.ItsdicaI Measures Gain support.

ElTCHET, Miss, hpr1l S<.-l IN tne pOflucdi
campaign now in progress In Mississippi
,bs issue Of cutting down to a minimum
che educational opportunities Of the negroes
/. souarely made. This Is the direct result
ofincdents happening within the past few
months which have injected a degree Of
n,ssion into the discussion Of the negro
nueston unknown since the days Of recon-
s,n,ction II Is a case In point showing
,he manner in which anything from out
sde which tends to disturb the ever-critical
noise Of the relations between the whites
and the blacks In States with an enormous
coored population always reacts instantly,
and often unjustly. upon the negroes them
selves.
year ago a campaign in Mississippi
in which one Of the candidates for Gov
srnor stood on platform that virtually de-
MED 10 the negroes the chance to get an
education sufficient TO qualify them for
the electorate would have been an i'm
possibility. The conscience Of the State
would have been against such a PROPOSE
ton-probably is against 1t now.
Yet MaJorJ. X Vardaman is stumping the
State now with that az one OF his principal
i.slc. and is receiving applause, whereas
prior 10 the Crum and the Indianola Incl
dents lis sentiments on this question would
have been received either In silence or with
open expressions Of dissent
When the Constitutional Convention
eliminated the negro from Mississippi
politics 10y providing an educational qualifi-
CA ion for the voter which the negro could
not meet II was accepted as coro!lary
10 that provision that there should go
with it an open door to the requisite edu-
cation. After saying that the negro
should not vote unless he could read,
TO deny him the opportunity OF learning
TO read was held to be a virtual nullifca-
ton Of the Constitution.
Andrew r. Fox and Frank A. Critz. candi-
dates for Governor In opposition to Major
yardaman. are speaking vigorously along
thc~c lines now. and in this they represent
the conservative element In the State.
That element, a. a matter Of fact, deeply
regrets the injection Of the negro into the
campaign.
Eighty per cent. Of the population Of
Mississippi is agricultural. The prosperity
Of this element depends upon the con-
tentment Of the negro and upon his i'm
proved condition as a producer.
He is no longer political danger. His
social status Is fixed for generations to
come. There should be no negro question
in Mississippi, the conservatives here say,
and there would be none II people at dis
tance would cease meddling.
Such meddling can have no possible
effect upon existing conditions. they insist.
il cannot give the masses OF ignorant
negroes the ballot and 1t cannot advance
Thorn fraction Of an inch toward anything
that even 70 much as squints at social
The only thing 1t can do. and does do.
Is to give people Of extreme radical views
IN opening to appeal to passion in the
advocacy Of measures detrimental to the
negroes themselves.
on one ground. the extremes Of opinion
here in Mississippi meet. Ultra-radicals
and ul.ra-conservatives are one In strong
denunciation Of appointments Of negroes to
Office.
But while the radicals may denounce
such acts they may very we'll secretly
welcome them. for upon them hangs the
one chance OF the success Of an appeal
for radical measures. The radicals know
Just as well as do the conservatives that
such appointments mean nothing and will
change nothing In the end.
They may. and they do unsettle. the
negroes and fill their childish heads with
notions for which they. the negroes. may
suffer more or less in the process Of getting |
disabused Of them,
Beyond this, they serve no purpose save |
as an additional dead weight heaped on the
white mans already sufficient burden in
The South.
About the future Of Mississippi with the |
negro disfranchised. and thereby eliminated |
r. a direct threat to vested interests, there
IS among intelligent men OF the State, no
matter how extreme their views on other
points, no difference OF opinion. The
progress Of the State since the adoption
81 the Constitution disqualifying the negroes
has been marvellous.
Capital has come In and factories have
,prung UP. All Mississippians are agreed
Is to this prosperity and are happy over
C. Their point Of divergence OF opinion
S as to the course with reference to the
negro which will best confirm and continue
his prosperity.
The radical wing is advocating in the
present campaign the principle that the
.ducation OF the negro 10 q failure and
hat the educational fund be distributed
lmong the whites and the blacks In
proportion to the amount Of taxes paid.
This, Of course. means practically the closing
Il the schools to negro children. Major
7ardaman. in his campaign speeches,
loes not conceal the fact that II Ii for the
purpose Of closing those schools that he
.dvocates the division Of the school-tax
money on the above basis.
Education has not benefited the negro
le said in a recent speech. and 1t will not
,enefit him. The convention Of 1890 met
o e,'.''rate the negro from politics. and
lerc hs state is spending millions to bring
Inn b..x again into politics by educating
i'm 10 meet the qualifications.
How far the people Of Mississippi will
ndorse Major vardaman's views remains
o be seen. The strong probability In that
hey will not indorse them.
The conservatives Of the State are COM
,ating the vardaman proposition at every
'oint, but they are doing 40 handicapped
" the storm OF passion on the negro ques-
ion which the events Of the past few months
ave stirred up. But for the bitterness
aused by the Presidents aggressive pro-
egro action. the radical element would
lot have a ghost OF chance Of winning.
sui for that action the issue never would
ave come UP.