The Savannah morning news., 1904-09-20
NEGROES FRIEND
THE WHITE MAN
OF OLD SOUTHERN STATES
SAYS MIR. w. p. LIVINGSTONE, OF
THE LONDON TIMES STAFF.

Is in south Studying Race Problem.
Has spent Much Time in North
and as DISTINGUISHED Party Feels
Himself Competent Judge-An
Tint is Necessary is for Negro to
Behave -HimseIf-WiIdest Kind of
stories Told in North.
For the purpose of studying the race
problem Mr.. w. P. Livingstone. a rep
resentative of the London Times, is
spending from four to six months in
this country. He arrived in Savannah
yesterday morning and at once began
making inquiries about conditions ex-
listing here. In speaking of local con-
ditions Mr. Livingstone said:
From the standpoint of an outsider,
and one who is therefore entirely i'm
partial, find that the best friend that
the negro has is the Southern white
man. In the North, where 1 have
spent much time. l find that the peo-
pie do not understand the conditions
that prevail in the South and as
result they are constantly condemning
the Southerner.
In reality, I find that the South
erner is to be commended. It seems
to me that. he understands all the
weaknesses of the black man and APP
parently he knows best how to deal
with him. Freedom of work is given
him here, while in the North the labor
unions shut him off from all except
the most Onpnia1 1ahOr tho ,,aor0
could only be brought to know what
is best for him, he would stay in the
South.
FreaISish Tales From North.
Conditions here are rather strange
to me but as far as l can see the only
thing required of the negro is that
he behave himself If he does that ne
is accorded as good treatment as any
one could expect
while in the North 1 was told all
manner of tales about the South. One
story was that white men BACKED
themselves up, committed criminal as
sault, and then, after washing up
again, headed the mob that lynched
the first negro in sight. Since visit
ing the Southern people am convinced
that these tales are mere falsehoods,
either told me as joke or coming from
the maliciously inclined"
In the West Indies.
Mr.. Livingstone has spent considerab BILE
time in the West Indies and he finds
that a condition prevails there that,
though looked upon as purely natural,
would be revolving to the white man
of the States. In discussing them he
said
I'VE really have no race problem in
the West Indies. as the races mix as
they please. Our census divides the
people into three classes, negroes, col
ored people and whites. On some of
the islands there are four classes, ne
groes, mulattoes. colored people and
whites. These classes mingle freely
and intermarriage between any two
classes is not only not rare, but really
common.
'gThe agitation here about a difference
of color is never heard in the islands
If a white man sees fit to pick a wife
from the negroes he does so and there
is no comment about the matter at all.
The population that is really pure
white is in the minority and the ne
groes and colored people practically
control.
Giving of Offices.
II read so much in the papers about
the giving of federal offices to the ne
groes, and this also is strange to a
of the provinces are, of course, white
men, high mobiles, and are appointed
by the crown. But under them are
colored office holders.
I'm fact the assistant colonial secre-
tary of one of the Islands is a colored
man. Understand. he is not what we
would call a negro. though you people
of the states would so designate him.
He is really a mulatto. or at least has
some negro blood in him. An incident
similar to the Roosevelt and Booker
Washington dinner would have no sig
nificance in the West Indies
Mr.. Livingstone investigated the
chaingangs and seemed intensely in
terested in the penitentiary system of
Georgia. The educational problem was
also carefully looked into and visits
paid to the negro quarters of the city
for the purpose of looking into the ordi-
nary sociological conditions.
From Savannah the London Times
man will go to Charleston and thence
to Atlanta and from there to other
points in the South. After about four
months Investigations in this country
he will return to London and begin
printing his observations in the lead
ing paDer of the british efopira