The independent., 1903-03-19
THE NEGRO PROBLEM
M r. DeIiart Discusses the Race Question
Give tho Black q Chance

seems determined to elect another re-
publican president-and to do 1t in
1864. For twenty-five years the the south. south.
has been quiet about the negro. But
now IL the president invites Booker
T.. Washington to dinner there Is q
great outcry; or, II he appoints ne
gro for an Insignificant postofiice,
there is another outcry. For quar-
ter of century the south has been
burning negroes whenever 1t suited
her purpose, and the north has said
little about it. The people of the
north are willing to let the south
alone as long as they stay on their
own territory; but when they come
north and tell tho president that he
must not invite negro to dinner
simply because he Is negro, and that
he must not appoint negro to Office
simply because he is negro, then it
becomes a matter of national politics
and the north has word to say,
The president appointed Dr. Crum,
a negro, collector of the port OF
Charleston; and 10! another great out
cry. The appointment hangs fire In
the senate, and 1t Is supposed that ev-
cry senator from the southern states
is opposed to confirmation of the ap-
pointment. The southern senator's are
opposed to the negro, simply because
he Is black, and not on account OF his
unfitness for the office. This ought to
make every northern senator in favor
of him. There are so few northern
| democratic senators that they are not
worth speaking of. Some Of the
southern states are sending republic
can senator's; Delaware, Maryland.
Kentucky, West Virginia, for in
stance. There are more republican
senators from the south than demo-
cratic senators from the north.
There are sixteen southern states,
counting West Virginia as one, which
give the democratic party about 81
senators, or about one-third, leaving
| about two-thirds to the republicans.
This shows that the democrats can
not defeat the nomination OF DR..
Crum, without aid from the republi-
cans. Can it be possible that the re-
publicans would unite with the demo-
Gratis on such an issue?
| The blacks were freed from the
bondage of slavery by the civil war.
| The 18th amendment to the constitu-
tion of the United States guaranteed
| their freedom. The 14th amendment
made them citizens; and it was sup
posed that the 18th amendment would
give them the right to vote on all
questions, the same as the whites.
The 18th amendment declared that.
| Neither slavery nor involuntary SER
| Ia nie,1,v nynf fnv
crime whereof the party shall have
been duly convicted, shall exist in the
United States.> or any place subject to
their jurisdiction"
The 14th amendment declared that,
"All persons born or naturalized in
4 the United States, and subject to the
| jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the
United States and of the state wherein
they reside.
The 18th amendment declared that
"The right of citizens of the United
States to vote shall not be denied or
abridged by the United States or by
any state on account Of race, color or
previous condition of servitude."
1t was supposed that these amend
ments would give the negroes the
| IlSnt w foJC, uul ~ oCClllo LhdI ClCy w
not The republicans made these
amendments, and they are under obli-
cations to see that they are enforced
according to their letter and spirit.
For quarter of century the ne
gro question has been local mat
ter. In 1876 there was question as
to who was elected president. Hayes
or Tilden. Nobody was elected by the
people. For the purpose Of deciding
the matter, congress created a COM
mission. This commission could not
be created without southern help; and
the south helped, with the understand
ing that if Hayes was declared elected
he was to remove the army from the
southern states and allow the south
to manage her state governments in
her own way. Hayes was declared
elected and the army was removed,
and, since that time, the whites be-
came the ruling class; the negroes
having no right which white men are
obliged to respect. The people of the
south vote the democratic ticket in
national elections, not that they care
SO much for the democratic party, as a
national organization, but it is choice