Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1904-03-19
MR.. THOMAS NELSON PAGE AND
THE NEGRO QUESTION.

Mr.. THOMAS NELSON PAGE, always
of Washington, but sometimes of Vir
ginia, in the March number of Nc
CLURE's MAGAZINE discusses 1.-The Ne
gro: the Southeruer's Problem"
AS Mr.. PAGE has been stated by
President Roc sEvELT to be one of his
advisers in the matter of southern APP
pointments to office, it will be particu-
larly interesting TO the colored people
to know just what kind of advice Mr.
PAGE has been rendering TO the dis
tinguished occupant of the White
House.
1t may be well TO state for the benefit
of the uniformed that the gentleman,
who discusses us comes from the f. F.
V's-the first families of Virginia, and
has been reared in way to cherish af-
lection for the untutored, faithful,
kind,hearted Negro of the ante belIum
type; bat the stately, educated, respect
full, open-hearted Negro of the present
day type is an entirely new creature to
| him.
He is accordingly not qualified to
speak either for him or of him He is
disc ussiug the Negro that was. while
we should have some Negro or white
man of ability to discuss the Negro that
is to-day.
Many white men of the upper classes
long for the companionship of their
''animal" Negroes the same as they
long for the company of their faithful
dog, petted horse, which have gone the
way Of all the earth.
They have been taught to regard the
Negro as being in the lower animal
kingdom rather than in the upper at
mosphere of legitimate endeavor where
worth makes the man, and the want
of it, the fellow" They are students
anc believers in the doctrine of cas- tie
1t is now known and practiced in all
European and Asiatic countries and it's
counterpart is being felt in this land
to- day.
OF course, it is contrary to the doc.
trine of this republic, antagonistic to
the principles upon which it is founded,
still it creates a warning element which
threatens the life of the government.
In the North, it shows itself in the form
of labor against capital, the poor white
man against the rich white one.
In the South, it exhibits itself in the
shape of race against race, the white
man against the Negro.
1t will ultimately force the issue as TO
whether this government is wrong in
principle and must be overturned or
whether the issues enunciated by JET
FERsoN and contended for by WASHING
TON shall continue as the immovable
bulwark of this great government of
the New World.
1t evident then that the assault upon
the rights of the humble Negro will
lead to au assault upon the rights of
} the laboring white man, and that the
assault upon the rights of the laboring
white man will lead to the attempted
obliteration of the fundamental princi-
} Piles of the republic. Already, the
Declaration of Independence is being
ridiculed by men high in authority aud
the Constitution of the United States
nullified by the highest and greatest
tribunal of the Republic-the Supreme
Court of the United States.
But to Mr. THOMAS NELSON PAGES
article He said:
Among the chief problems which have
vexed the country for the last century
and threaten TO give yet more trouble in
the future, Is what Is usually termed
1.-THE Negro Question" To the South,
it has been for nearly forty years the
chief question, overshadowing all others,
and withdrawing her from due partici-
patton in the direction and benefit of
the National government. 1t has kept
alive sectional feeling; has inflamed
partizanship; distorted party policies:
barred complete reconciliation; cost
hundreds of millions of money, and
hundreds if not thousands of lives and
stands ever ready, like BanquG's Ghost,
to burst forth even at the feast.
For the last few years it has appear
ed to be in process of being settled, and
settled along the lines which the more
conservative element of the white race
at the South has deemed for the perma.
nent good of both races, a view in which
, the best informed element at the North
apparently acquiesced. The States
which the greater part of the most ig.
norant element of the Negro race in.
habited had substantially eliminated
3 this element from the participation in
! political government, but had provided
qualifications for suffrage which would
= admit to participation therein any ele-
D ment of the race sufficiently educated "a
r meet what might appear a reasonable
requirement.. Meantime, the whites
were taxing themselves heavily and
o were doing all in their power to give
D the entire race the education which