The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1903-09-05
THE NEGRO AND THE NORTH.

THE NEGRO AND THE NORTH.
1t is high time for the people of the
North to cease criticising the Southern
people for their attitude toward the
negro. Events of the last year have
! shown the people of the North more
ntolerlnt than their Southern coun-
trymen. If the diSgraceful uutraycs
against law which have occurred
throughout the country during the past
few months have taught the people Of
the North that there is IL race question,
and Il serious one. in this country. then
something has been gained. \ large
portion of the people OF the North
who are without personal experience
on the question and misled 10y IN un-
truthful aud partisan press have as
cribcd the lynchingS in the South to IL
spirit of lawlcSSllcSS peculiar to the
South This week the report comes
that the people of Waterloo. Iowa.,
have caused all the negroes of that
town to leave under threats of person
i'll violence. No acts of crime or vio-
lcnre had been committed by any
of the negro Inhabitants of Waterloo.
The only excuse given by the people
who were instrumental i'll driving out
the negroes WAS that they were un-
desirable citizens. 1t was admitted
that the few negroes who lived i'm
Waterloo were law abiding. But it
was charged that their presence in the
city attracted other negroes and that
the two races could not live i'm har-
lnohy. NO Southern community ever
displayed such Il spirit of Intolerance
and race hatred. Is it not time for US
to cease crticiSing the South for it's
treatment of tile negro ana to CO.
operate with them in AN honest en-
drnvOr to solve the race question?
Nothing can he gained by Il partisan
press in r;'isn% a cry about the dis
reimbursement of the Southern negro.
The negro is republican in politics and
will remain so. The negroes i'm the
North will vote the republican ticket
and those in the South do not count
because the South is bound to MAIN
tain white supremacy. 1t is not long
since the press of the North was filled
with bitter arrangements of some
Southern states for passing constitu-
tiOnal amendments baSing the right to
vote upon the possession of Il small
amount of property and upon the
ability to read and write the English
language. These requirements apply
to whites as we'll as blacks and are
constitutional. Every state has a right
to prescribe the requirements for stuff
rage to be cXacted from it's own citi-
Zens. But these requirements must be
uniform and based upon Il consttu-
tiOml limitation. There could not for
instance. he one requirement. for
whites and another for blacks. Moth
ing OF the kind has been attempted in
the South. There is not a single re-
uuircmcnt under the recent amend
mcntS to state constitutions which has
not been at one time or another in
force in the New England states The
state of Rhode Island, if we are not
mistaken. still requires a property
qualification for voting. Should we
condemn the South for the enactment
of constitutional laws passed for the
protection and bettcrmcnt of the stuff
rage: 1t is not at all certain that
citizens, born in this country and un-
able to read and write English. are fit
people to cntrlst with the privilege of
voting. The negro is entitled to liberty
and equality before the law. but moth
ing more. Liberty. however. does not
mean license to do as one plcaScs; it
means that every one born in THIS
country should have the same opDor-
tunity to work out his own salvation.
1t means that no one is born into Il
place or condition in life but is free to
make of himself what he can. 1t does
not mean that he shall he entitled to
vote simply because he so desires.
There are many white citizens who
cannot vote. Women cannot vote, vet
they are citizens and have liberty.
Residents of the District of Columbia
and the territories have no voice in
selecting the president of the United
States. yet they have the liberty re-
fcrred to in the Declaration of Indc-
pendcncc.
Equality does not mean that people
are equal in intellectual or physical
strength. but it means that all shall
be Judged by the same standard in law.
1t means that the negro guilty of Il
crime shall be punished by the same
process and in the same manner as the
white man who is guilty of the same
crime. There cannot and must not
he one set of laws for black offenders
and another for white offenders. Start
ling as it appears to us. there are news
papers in the North which have init
mated that the crime against woman
hood demands one law for the negro
and another for the white man. Ger
tainly such opinions are il-considcrcd
The negro is entitled to equality before
the law, but nothing more. The North.
we believe. is responsible for Il great
deal of the crime committed by the
negro. The North has taught him