The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1904-08-16

The subject Of this hours discus
4 sion is not of selection: With the
sshonored invitation to accept a place
on the program Of this great conven-
ztion came also the request that I
should speak on The South and the
Negro, ' The distinguishe honor of
this request was accorded, not be
cause e have apacity to speak On this
subjsct8by he authority of fuller and
more accurate knowledge than 9th
ateTs, But rather because l live in the
South and a friend Of the aes-o.
Some acquaintance with this sec
tion and It's citizenship ought ID
have gained from lifelong residence
and zeagez observation and Gawa"er-
ing Devotion. from my birth to this
good hour Il have lived in Mississippi
most intensely Southern of al!
southern States-and where, because
of their immense numbers, the social
s. ed g problem, of the negroes is mos.
acute It is, therefore, not for want
5of cpportnn1ty, if lack in hlforma-
ton or am possessed of misinforma-
ton
s3 shall speak tonight with perfect
s.candor,.if not with approved wisdom.
And appear not as the partisan of
ans idea, but@as an ambassador of the
truthand a lover of my country.
IN offering some thoughts on the
subject assigned shall not review
ancient history, but consider present
scondfti tons. It's time for us to cease
discussing who is most responsible for
American slavery. Present duty has
been neglected in an acrimonious
wrangle over history. For. after all,
Z the only difference between the South
4 is the al fference between father and
grandfather. Ny father was con-
nected with slavery, and. SO was their
grandfather. Our memories are only
"a little more vivid because somewhat
shorter.
would not presume to speak dog
smaticaIly as to the mind of God with
reference to the future status of the
negro. Into that infinite and holy
realm i have neither capacity nor
atemerity to enter. On what specific
lines the race will move through the
coming centuries, l dare not attempt
{ to prophesy. But do know that all
our dealings with these people should
be in the spirit, and according to the
ethics, of the Man of Galilee. What
is best for them now should be the
measure OF present duty, leaving the
future to His hands who knows the
end from the beginning. And we must
insist that the negro have equal OPP
portunity with every American cit
9izen to fulfill in himself the highest
purposes of an all-wise Providence.
Whatever the cause or causes,
there's no Disgusting the fact that
there$is great unrest and growing dis
content among the negroes of the
South. They are beginning to feel
friend1ess and hopeless. The frequent
lynchings that disgrace our civiiza-
shon, the advocacy by some of limiting
TO the minimum the school advan-
ztages provided for them. and the
widening gulf of separation between
the younger generations of both
races, have produced a measure OF
despair.
There are few negroes in my ma
tive State of Mississippi. the owners
8of property, who would not sell our
at a fair valuation. Many of the
5thriftiest and most conservative feel.
whether justly or not, that sentiment
lis SO hostile to their race as to make
all their values Insecure. And as OPP
portunity offers they are quietly leav
ing the sections in which they have
SlOnu lived and 1abored
5S We need not close our eyes to the
inevitable. We are soon to face in
dustrial disaster unless conditions
are radically changed. Our cotton
lands viii lie fallow and our fertile
fields cease to yield their valuable
staples. Already the scarcity of la
/ Dor is the despair of large iandown-
ers-
s To improve or remove these strain
ed relations is the duty OF every
Southern patriot who believes in the
industrial and commercial future of
these parallels.
ts Unfortunately for this question,
and for the best interests OF both
races, it has not been eliminated
from local and National politics. So
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