The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1904-04-09
Mr. Bowers Discusses Question
Of Negro Suffrage
AVENUES OF LABOR OPEN
lie Says the New Constitution Has
Worked Successfully and Every
Opportunity for Labor Has
Been Given Negro.

Washington, April S.-The house today
passed a large number of bills, including
the Philippine shipping bill and the bill
appropriating s475,0O0 In aid of the Lewis
and Clark centennial exposition to be
held in Portland, Oregon, In 1905 The
only amendment made to the Philippine
shipping bill was one extending until July
1, 1906, the time when the law shall be-
come operative.
The bill provides that no merchandise
or passengers except supplies for the
army or navy shall be transported by
sea under penalty of forfeiture between
ports of the United States and the
Philippine archipelago. directly, or via a
foreign port. or for any part of the voy
age in any except vessels of the United
States. 1t does not prohibit, however, the
sailing of any foreign vessel between
the United States and the Philippines nor
between ports or places In the Philip
pines.
The Philippine commission is authorized
to issue licenses to engage in lighterage
or other exclusively harbor business to
vessels or other craft actually engaged i'm
such business at date stated and to vessels
or other craft built in Philippines or in the
United States and owned by citizens of
the United States or inhabitants of the
Philippines The law does not impair or
affect any privilege guaranteed to Span
ish ships and merchandise by the Paris
treaty of peace.
Negro Suffrage.
Mr.. Bowers, Mississippi, answered some
statements recently made by Mr. Gil
lette, Massachusetts, regarding violations
of the constitution of some of the south
ern states with respect to negro suffrage.
He read from various decisions Of Mis-
sissippi courts. holding that the state
lid NJ. Eiscrlbllnate against the races
I'D that 1T had been fair and impartial
IN the enforcement of the suffrage clause
of the constitution. He declared that the
negro was as safe IN the hands Of the
governor of Mississippi as in those of the
overnor of Massachusetts,, and said that
Mississippi the negroes right of lite,
h serty, property and pursuit of happl-
ness were as carefully guarded as by any
other state.
'rhe only state in which lynchlng had
been prevented by swift and timely inter.
position of the law was In Mississippi, and
this, he said was due to the personal ae-
tion of the governor.
Mr. Bowers made comparison Of the
criminal statistics of Massachusetts and
Mississippi and said these showed that
the negro In the latter state was six times
better off than those of Massachusetts
Avenues Of Labor Opened.
In the state of Mississippi, he said,
every avenue of labor was opened to tho
negro and every opportunity given to
improve his condition by industry and
toll He pointed with pride, he said, to
the fact that In his state the ratio OF
mulattos to the colored population and
to the white population was less today
than It has been at any time since the
war. He declared that there was less
intermingling with negroes than ever be-
fore, and that the mulatto has steadily
become with the people Of Mississippi
IAN incident and recollection OF tho
past"
Mr.. Bowers asserted that the negroes
entry into politics was simply to serve
as a party expedient, and that his poll
tcal baptism was an aid or republican
ascendency. He believed. he said, that
race purity could be preserved absohute-
ly by the utter segregation of the races
in every scholastic relation. The slight
est intermingng of the races, he de-
cIared, was fraught with peril. He said
that the negro was not fit for self-govern-
ment. and he was greeted with demo-
cratic applause when he said the negro.
within constitutional limits should be
eliminated as a political factor.
II thank Cod" he added, 'the con-
stituion of Mississippi swept the circle
of expediency TO accomplish that end"
The Alaska bill was then laid aside.
At o'clock the house adjourned until
tnrnorraW