The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1904-04-06
Editorial Department
By F. w. Meyers=
AN EVER PRESENT PROBLEM.

AN EVER PRESENT PROBLEM.
The ever present negro problem is
once more exciting sporadic public
interest. In Congress it is discussed,
in the daily press it finds. place in
commentsupon the sayings OF Booker
T. Washington and Mr.. Thomas Mel
son Page is bringing the southern
aspect before the people in series of
articles published in McClure's maya
Nne,
AS might be expected by those
familiar with MIR. Pages writings his
view point is distinctly pro-southern
and he gives the north credit for but
little honesty and asserts that what of
honesty of purpose there existed has
been misdlrected by ignorance and
prejudice.
Mr.. Page harks back to the ideal
state of slavery and regards conditions
as being good only in so far as they
perpetuate the relations of master and
slave or of master and servant. Where
present day conditions have reverted
to something like the anti-bellum con-
ditions Mr.. Page holds them to be
good, where the new basis of independ
ent citizenship prevails Mr.. Page holds
it to be bad and preversive of the
peace dignity and honor OF the whites
of the South.
Mr.. Page refers frequently through
out his articles to the fact that the
North wishes to impose race equality
upon the South. This is Mr.. Pages
primal error. He has mistaken the
Northern idea almost entirely.
The Mort. has no desire to enforce
race or individual equality upon
white or black. The North would not
blame Mr.. Booker T. Washington for
instance. if he looked down upon men
of The Governor Vardman type with
genuine and hearty contempt. The
North insists not upon race or individ-
ual equality. but upon the broad princi-
pie that all men, regardless of color.
have equal right to life, liberty and
the pursuit of happiness.
This is the principle acted upon
generally throughout the North. We
do not of necessity take all men to our
bosoms or marry into their families, or
ask them to dine with US, but we do
acknowledge that no set of men nor
race of men have rights or privileges
not inherent to any other set or race Of
men.
If the South shall concede this, If
they shall cease having one set flaws,
one code of morals, for the whites and
another for the blacks there will be
no occasion for sectional animosities.
In our personal contact with the
race problem as presented in the daily
life of southern cities we have seen
few alterations that could not have
been avoided had the white asked of
the black no more than he would have
asked of another white.
MIR. Page regards the enfranchise-
ment of the negro as a great mistake
and in the same breath denounces the
act that gave the franchise to the
negro and that took it away from the
most intelligent, proudest and most
honorable white citizens of the South.
Who we're these honorable gentle
men whose vots was taken from them
They were the unregenerate rebels.
the men who refused allegiance to the
Union, who disfranchised them selves
because they would not VOW loyalty to
the Stars and Stripes. They and only
they were disfranchised. and it was
only their voluntary act that took the
ballot from them. Would Mr.. Page
have had this Nation forgive the i'm
penitent, force the power of the ballot
upon those who refused to take oath OF
allegiance?
tNow and again Southern critics point
with pride to the few northern lynch
ings and say Verify we are not sc
much worse than the Yankee hypo
critics.
Is it a wonder that the awful example
set by the Sonth for more than 8
century.-frst slavery. then terrorism
has infected the less thoughtful and
less law.abiding classes of the North!
Is it not rather to the credit of the