The Marlboro democrat. [volume] (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1882-1908, 1904-09-16
DEFENDS THE SOUTH,
Ex.Gov. Chamberlain Maintains that
Negro Rule Is Misrule.
EXPERIENCE AGAINST THEORY.

He Declares that His Administration
inthis State Proves His Charge
and in Fact Remains
the Same To-day.
To the Editor OF the Boston Herald
wish to offer q few observations by
way Of reply to your several editoria
articles on my open Letter." to Mr.
James Bryce, published In the Char
lesion IS. o. News and Courier Of the
lst. inst.
The News and Courier having
charged you with discussing the ne
gro question with a fatal narrowness
OF spirit and plentiful lack of rea
knowledge" l assume that by thi:
was meant narrowness fatal to wise
or fair and valuable discussion. Thi.
charge you resent with warmth, ant
on the point OF lack Of knowledge you
liken the negro question to the tariff
In that the latter is "a more intimate
and poignant issue in some State!
than Others" Do you mean that the
tariff changes with change OF locality
that the rates of schedules Of the
tariff are adapted to different States
that the rates for New Orleans anG
Louisiana differ from those for New
York city Or State? If not, what dc
you mean? The negro question Is nc
question at all, except for academic
consideration, in States that have nc
practical question. Another thing
the tariff Is q law, a written law, a
method and theory OF revenue which
can be as we'll understood in Yer
mont and Arkansas as in Rhode Is.
land Or New York. The negro queS.
tion can only be practically or vitality
understood by those who on the spot
have seen it, have known it's workings
and effects by actual observation. You
cite your familiarity with newspapers
addresses OF Southern men, and de-
bates In Congress. All this is we'll as
far it goes; but the negro is Il human
being who can be but very imperfe city
known except by actual contact. Al
most the only valuable knowledge OF
him must come from ones own con
tact or the testimony Of other actual
observers. The former l assume
you have not had, as you do not men
tion it. Your discussion will, there
fore, be, as 1t is in fact, theoretic
which Is to say OF little value. You
can no doubt argue about the negro
and what ought to be done with him
and for him far better than can, but
when you come to practically hand.
ling him, so to speak, you have what
The News sud Courier describes as
'plentiful lack OF real knowledge OF
your subject"
Again, as to "narrOwnesS Of spirit
You show It, probably unconsciously
in talking about the negroes being
human" that they should have
citizens rights, privileges and op
portunities equally with other citizens
upon conditions that do not unfairly
discriminate against them because
they were not white men," AS II
anybody anywhere, who Is OF any con.
sequence, at the South denied all OF
any part Of this! Who denies that
the negro is human, or that he is en-
titled to fair and equal treatment
with white men in all rights, privi
leges and opportunities which are the
gifts or subjects Of the law? Do you
know, or can you point to, any In
stances OF practical or theoretic de-
NAL Of all this? No, you cody as
sumo that such denial is the condi.
tion in the South, and on this unwar
ranted and false assumption you pro
ceed to condemn the Southern whites
and bemoan the cruel fate of the
Southern negro. First, give yourself
basis Of fact, and then construct
your argument according to the fact.
Not to do this, as you do not, call
fatal narrownoss Of spirit" Again,
you talk of "disfranchisement in
Cite your cases. Tell us where this is
done or attempted You are wiser
than mo violent superstition, adj
mit-if you can do it. You probably
refer to or have in mind certain pro-
visions placed in the Constitutions OF
some OF the Southern States bearing
on the suffrage. Every one Of these
provisions bears equally on whites
and blacks. Cases to test these pro.
visions as to illegal discrimination
have been before the Supreme Com
of the United States. Has any one
Of these provisions been set aside
Not one, 1 say, therefore, that SO
long as the South acts within its le-
gal rights in rgard to the suffrage, it
Is not cenSurable. The fact that you
do continue to censure the South for
this Is another evidence of fatal mar
rowness Of spirit"
You say you try TO encourage all
liberal Southerners. Who are they /?
And how do you encourage them? So
far as l can see, you do it only by
stimulating, il you have any influence
there, a desire or effort to overturn
laws which the Supreme Court will
not Overturn or set aside. This, too,
1 call fatal narrowness of spirit"
You ask if the Alabama peonage
cases were fakes" am glad you
to these cases, for they will
serve eXcelently well to refute your
whole attitude toward the South.
The Alabama peOnage cases we're not
fakes" and they were tried in a
Court in which the Judge and district
attorney were both Democrats. They
were quickly and effectively tried and
peOnage was killed in Alabama at one
blow. The Judge and district attor-
ney are among the very few, almost
the only, Democrats appointed by
Roosevelt to any high Offices in the
South. This is Il pat illustration, not
only Of what can be done, ought TO be
done, and will be done by the best
mon NJ tba SOuth ubpDpypr thpv have