Greene County herald. (Leakesville, Miss.) 1898-current, 1904-03-18

on the question, / ask myself
whether the actions of such men are i'm
partial and without sectional or polit-
ical prejudice. To what is due the
TACT that official insistence by repub-
@lcans for the negro social rights al
ways finds expression in Southern ter
l1tory, the home of the negro, whom it
llt is desired to influence politically?
It public officials see it their duty to
appoint negro to high Office, why not
make the appointment in Boston or
New York, where it would presumably
!be at least a matter Of indifference,
1rather than in Mississippi or South
Garolina, where, as everyone knows,
the effect on the negro s best interest
tls harmful In the extreme, and the eff
fleet upon the white race is equally
lbadY Finally, does the preacher of
social equality between the white and
black races, the stirring up of strife
between them, really benefit the ne
3groY Is there any reason why the ne
gro should be thankful to the politi-
ielans who put him in false position
and make it difficult for him to live
on friendly terms with the stronger
race about him? The white race in
the South, and the intelligent negro as
well, has decided that absolute social
distinction between the races is not
only essential, but absolutely neeessa-
ry. The stirring up of race feeling,
the lnslstence upon social equality and
social intercourse between blacks and
whites cannot possibly help to solve
the negro question or benefit the sec
ton where that question is the great
issue. And yet such stirring up of the
two races has been confined to that
very section.
Has this benefited the negro? Has
1t helped him to solve his problem,
which consists in developing himself
industrially and living on good terms
and with the sympathies of the domi-
mating white race about him? Has il
ever benefited minority racial ele-
ment to stir up within it or against it
bitter race feeling and animosity7
Have the negroes benefited by their
aspirations for social equality, which
has been forced upon them from
higher source7 No. On the contra
ry the Southern people, to defend
their institutions and to maintain ne
cessary conditions, have been forced
to draw the line more firmly than ev-
er. Does the intelligent negro, when
be comes to vote, find that he owes
anything to party or to an individ-
ual that complicates his life problem
by separating him from those upon
whose sympathy and interest his pros
perity absolutely depends? For my
part, | feel that it is the duty of the
North to strictly and simply let the
South alone in the handling of the
great problem, which it understands
infinitely better than we do. This be-
lief have published insistently in my
various newspapers throughout the
country. | should not have ventured
to take up so much of your time with
an exposition of my views upon this
matter had | expressed simply my
own and unimportant personal opin-
ion. But think possibly, as Repre-
sentatives of Mississippi, you may be
interested in the fact that such opin-
ions as | have expressed are placed
before Northerners, and that such
opinions, in my belief, are shared in
the main by the readers. The entire
country is deeply interested in the
problem with which you and the
South are dealing resolutely and intel
llgently. Your failure would be dis
astrous to the entire nation, North
and South. The least a Northerner
can do, be he public official or private
citizen, is to let you alone and not ham
per you, interfere with you or in any
way make your task more difficult." /"