The Van Buren press., 1903-04-25

! had, or ever will have on this CONT
| nent.
Refusing to listen to the admoni-
| tiOns or warnings of the South, the
| North without endeavoring to solve the
| problem Of gradual emancipation, seq
| regatiOn or deportation without en-
deavoring to even understand the social,
moral or financial condition of the ne
gro, but being blindly led by wailings
of the politician, demagogue and abOli-
| ZIONIST of the north, whom they allowed
to build up Il public sentiment, the ne
| gro was taken from us rs dependents
and cast upon us as prey rs Il thorn
in our sides to thwart the progress of a
| down trodden country.
While still bleeding from thewounds
of adversely, our homes without houses
and our fields without fences, our
| children without schools, were they
thrust upon us-not as assistants in la
Dor, but to add to the burdens Of taxation
| imposed upon us at that time by a car
pet-bag government, in throttling our
efforts to rebuild an impoverished land.
The fourteenth and fifteenth amend.
ments to the constitution have wholly
| failed to do what the North said they
would and that was to make the negro
| our equal, socially and intellectually.
| They were by the North enfranChised -
were given power to vote and to hold
Office; but alas, the leopard cannot
change his spots. For forty years we
have watched them for forty years we
have been taxed to educate them, and
for forty years we have seen them re-
cede instead of advance socially, moral
ly and Intellectually.
II am speaking Of the race, general
ly but Of course there are some eXCep
tiOns. Some have attained honor and
distinction, but the race rs IA whole
has accomplished nothing. Some
reared in slavery have demonstrated u
certain degree of intelligence aud hon
esty, but an enormously large per cent.
of those reared since the surrender have
thoroughly solved the problem that the
race is sinking morally and intellectual.
ly, but rapidly increasing in number,
and now the Northern republicans,
many Of them, are acknowledging that
10 enfranChiSe them was a mistake
only few days since prominent
member Of the Cabinet-Mr. Root,
Secretary Of War-made this statement
before an audience Of five Thousand peO-
pie in New York City. The same state
ment made in the same place twenty
years ago would have brought forth a
shower Of antquated hen fruit, Yes
gentlemen, the North is now seriously
discussing this great problem, but they
have not dared offer "A solution They
have our sympathy.
This is carrying ont the warnings
Of your fathers made forty wears ago
'The race problem may not be part
Of the OBJECT Of your camps, but is a
question that will confront YOU as CiN-
2ens IN the near future, The census of
1900 shows that there were 3, $3.50, fSO
negroes in the United States, an in.
crease in ten years of | 1852 OOl and In
proportion TO the number living there
are fifty per cent, more criminals among
those reared since the surrender than
those reared during slavery. OF course
there is more crime among the youth
fnl than the aged in all races, but gen
tlemen, Won can follow this up and form
your own conclusions
While the negroes form less than II
per cent, Of the population of the Unit
ed States, the criminal records show
that 30 per cent Of the crimes Of rape
are committed by them We have
nothing but affection for the old time
negro the old black nanny will AL
ways have a tender spot in our breasts,
but these are the conditions that are
staring You In the face, and like Ban
quo's Ghost, they will continue to
rise MP and stare you IN the face No
one yet has been able to offer proper
solution Of the ruce problem bat You
will yet have Il 10 do, ere You reach
the age Of yonr fathers nud | want TO
say that ! cannot tell whether II Will
be deportation voluntary or compul.
sorry. hope TINT history viii not re-.
peat Itself and that we will never go