Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1903-06-13

BOOKER WASHINGTON
AS Seen by Former Governor J.
r. Johnston, of Alabama.

Former Governor Joseph +. Johnston,
of Alabama, who was in Baltimore this
week expressed his views to a reporter
of the Sun, in regard to the conditions
in the South and particularly in re.
ference to the negro problem and the
work that is being done by Booker T.
Washington Industrial School for Ne.
groes at Tuskegee.
According to Governor Johnston the
beneficial effects of this institution and
the influence of Washington for good
upon his race are greatly overestimated
and exist largely in the minds of North.
ern philanthropists, who are without
practical experience with the real negro.
"While G orvernor." said Governor
Johnston, II visited the Tuskegee Insti.
tute and while think that to teach the
negro trade is better than teaching
him Latin, Greek and higher mathe-
matics do not personally believe that
the work of the institute is doing good
to either the negro or the State. From
my own observation l know of but one
student of the school who has ever
amounted to anything at all along the
zines in which he was instructed.
The trouble about educating the
negro is that while you may give him a
little knowledge you in no way raise his
moral standard. AS rule the negro is
lacking in morals, and while sometimes
you find one who has the proper ideas,
they are very rare.
"For instance, negro who has served
term i'll the penitentiary not only re-
sumes his former place in society when
he is released, but there is not the
slightest stigma of shame attached to
him in the eyes of other negroes. In
fact. he is sort of hero.
1T is a tremendous problem this
negro question. and to my mind it is an
individual one. which the negro must
work out for himself. l read with in
terest the editorial in the SIN Saturday
morning advocating the colonization of
100000 cotton field negroes in the
State of Massachusetts. and want to
say that most heartily approve of the
idea and wish that it could be done
We can not only spare that many in the
South, but | believe that after brief
experience those wellintentioned per-
sons in Massachusetts who are so fond
of advising the South how to deal with
the negro question would change their
ideas on the subject. The experiment
would be watched with interest
throughout the South, and think the
people of Massachusetts would begin to
look at the whole question in new
light. Let them colonize the negroes
there in sufficient numbers to make
them factor in the politics of the State
aud perhaps they would conclude that
i'll some things they had been mistaken.
LAS for Booker Washington, he is an
exceedingly clever negro. but in my
Judgment his work in Alabama has
done very little toward what is common
ly called the uplifting of his race, nor
has he any great amount of influence,
even among the negroes. They will
flock to hear him speak, but as for fol-
lowing his advice and doing as he tells
them to do, they do not do it. He has
been successful in obtaining money for
his school, and has made it sort of
fad. but l cannot see that it has done
much good. Certainly it's work has
been vastly overestimated by people
outside of the State
Governor Johnston said that the ap.
pointment of negroes in the South to
Federal positions by President Roosevelt
and the overthrow of the Lilly Whites"
had the effect of causing unrest
throughout the State among the negroes,
who are being led to believe that they
are factor in the politics of the coun-
try and must insist upon their rights.
In reference to the sentiment in
Alabama concerning the Democratic
Presidential candidate in 1904, Cover.
nor Johnston said that it had not
crystalliZed about any ore man as yet,
although he did not think the feeling
in the State was strong for Cleveland
The general desire, he said, seemed to
be to nominate good conservative man,
and avoid extreme men of either fac
ton.