Times-promoter. (Hernando, DeSoto County, Miss.) 1898-1970, 1903-06-26
Editor Times-Promoter:

of the school tax, and therefore
is entitled to seventeen per cent.
of the school fund. do not know
what per cent. of the school tax
or any other tax, is paid directly
into the tax-collector's hands by
negroes. Such knowledge is of
no value in determining who are
the real Taxpayers. The greater
part of our taxes are levied upon
labor products, which simply
means that they are paid by pro-
ductive labor. If Vardaman can
prove that negroes only perform
seventeen per cent. of the pro
ductive labor of tie state, he will
deserve to be governor.
Popular ignorance on the sub
ject of taxation is one of the nam
supports of VarGamanism, The
other main support of Vardaman-
ism is race predjudice. 1t is
evident that Mr.. Vardaman thinks
that the negro is naturally and
properly a serfand nothing more,
and that to educate him is to
make him dissatisfied and dis
obedient. If his premise is cor
rect, his conclusion that the negro
ought not to be educated is per-
fectIy sound. He has not said
quite so much in plain language,
but if he is correctly reported, his
remarks are open to such con.
astruction. He is reported as be-
ing of the opinion that educating
the negroes is making them
worthless and vicious We cam
not be sure of this until he tells
us what it is that makes swind-
lers, forgers. burglars and kid
nappers out of our own kinsmen.
1t is very probable that when he
really investigates the matter he
will find that social injustice is
responsible for the greater pare
of the vice and crime in both
races.
But suppose the spirit of War;
.damanism were embodied in the
law of the state, what would be
the result? Some say federal in-
reference would be the result,
but il federal authority did not
interfere the results would be
bad. The laboring white man is
in direct competition with the
laboring negro, and if the negro
is forced down to a mere animal
existence what will become of
competing white map! The
negro is generally preferred to
the white man as laborer and
tenant and this preference will
be greater when the negro is
made a virtual slave. On ac-
count of this preference given
, the negro, whole neighborhoods
are being cleared of their white
population and schools and
churches for the mental and
moral up-building of white child
rem are becoming more difficult
to maintain, and Vardamanism
can only make bad matters worse
There are quite a number ofWhite
parents in the state who find 1t
problem to provide books and
clothing suitable, for their child
rem at school and the problem
will be more difficult when white
labor will only be employed when
there is a deficiency of negro
labor. Mr.. Vardaman is trying
to drive a wedge between the
races but if he shonld succeed in
driving it home the difference
between the people in all essen
tials would not be determined by
the color of their skins. After
a few decades of Vardaman law
we would have two sorts of
people, one class Of real nice
people and the rest only ''niggers
and poor whites" But it is prob.
able that the poor whites would
find life burden here and
leaye the state and then the pre-
ponderance of negroes would be
greater than ever. Mr.. Varda-
man would have to adopt Pharao's
plan and throw the black babies
: into the river.
There never was a time when
the law of assimilation did not
work, and it is'impossible to de
grade the negro with imposing
measure of degradation on those