The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1903-09-13
Edward M Shepard De-
tends the Attitude of
the South.
Continued from Ninth Page.)


cbise while white men of like qualifications |
are admitted. then clearly the white man
rules the negro without the latter's con-
sent, and the foundation doctrine of the
Declaration of independence and of
American government and the express law
of the land are violated Such a result
is lamentable and demoralzing. Ike many
another inconsistency or anomaly. If. on
the other hand there be no such exclu
sion of negroes from suffrage. then in
some States at least negroes will rule
white men, with the result that so long
as the conditions of negro life are what
they now are at the South and what they
must for generations remain-civlization
itself VIII be undermined and decay The
rule would inevitably be what it was in
corrupt carpetbag days-a rule of adven-
turers and demagogues kept in power by
ignorance unspeakably disastrous to
white and black alike
As between violation of American doe
trine and law and surrender of civiliza-
ton, the Southern States with large negro
populations have seized the horn of the
dilemma which the white of any and every
Northern State would in like situation
seize. The Southern whites stand for civ
ilization as against political theory of
legal right. And so they will stand. Nor
do / believe that the North will effective
ly find fault. For only effective fault
finding would be the enactment and exc
cution of force law such as has been
nowhere more severely condemned than on
the editorial pages of the Evening Post
Nor will President Roosevelt his party
go further in fault-finding than they deem
useful to their hold upon negro delegates
from the South or negro voters at the
North Doubtless, in some of the North
ern States whose POLITICAL divisions are
nearly even. the negro voter is important
to the Republican party. But even there
venture to point out that, with rare ex-
ceptions, negro delegates are as effectively
excluded from Republican conventions
and from the tickets proposed by the
Republicans at the polls, as they are from
the franchise in any Southern State. The
Republican administration boisterously
upholds the refusal of political rights to
dark-skinned men in Asiatic islands who
would. if they enjoyed such rights. rule
themselves to a result of solid though
slow progress to their own higher civilza-
ton, and. while so ruling themselves.
would not rule white men to the prostra
ton OF Caucasian civilization. Is it not an
audacious Inconsistency with which this
very administration breaches a contrary
doctrine for Southern States. and only for
these from which they do not hope for
single electoral vote? Nor do / believe
that the Republican party will responsibility
and sincerely propose a single practical
remedy for the Southern difficulty The
off nal 10
forcible it would have TO be, and the more
forcible it should be the more its proposal
would receive at the North and the South
the condemnation of patriotic men. The
Republican party we'll knows that the
nation would reject any effort to establish
conditions of civil war in several States
now in profound Teace enjoying a career
of industrial prosperity; nor will that
party ask the verdict Of Northern senti
ment upon this question.
In answer to your first question: I de
clare unreservedly against congressional
action to enforce negro suffrage in the
Southern States.
To your third question l answer that
there is not the slightest danger that for
eign-born voters at the North will be-
prejudiced by the failure of negro votine
IL.
able and high-minded men do not perceive
the absence of likeness between the two
cases? Foreign-born voters at the North
soon become, if they have not already
become, an integral part of the whole
white population. The white immigrant
soon shares the instincts and prejudices
of the native white; he worships in the
same churches: he is a member of the
Ii
socially mingles with white natives. sub
ject only to the limitations imposed by
tastes, habits of life, fortune, creed, bust
ness and the other categories which de
termine the social relations of citizens Of
pure white American descent The SECOND
generation of white European Immigrant
is generally indistinguishable in appear
ance or speech from the descendants of The
Mayfiower pilgrims. The third generation
is completely part of the American race
How radically different the relations be
tween whites and negroes. The two race.
have lived together in South Carolina fol
two centuries and half. But they re
main today separate and distinct. 1t i.
the wisdom and aspiration of the nobl,
and intelligent men of the black race, M
less than the intense and profound in
stinct of the white race, that the two
races must not. for the safety of both. fus,
in sex or family relations
And for the second question: /
constitutional guarantees or penalties fai
to induce-and will not be used by court.
and congresses and presidents to compe
the dominant white race to enfranchist
the blacks in States where the latter arr
in a majority, or numerous as with
relatively small white minority to make
majority-then upon what other guarantee.
and penalties can we count to secure po
htical rights to the blacks? To this / an
swer that we shall count upon the wis
dom of white men and black men, We