Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1904-07-06

| perity: but unless the middle classes,
the rank and file, the farmer, the me-
chanic, the artisan. the labOrer, ART
well fed, well housed, well clothed, Their
prosperity is simply a farce and a de-
fusion.
| After leaving New Orleans we went
| to Texas and made stop OF severai
days at San Antonio, and l should
judge Texas has good future, as tn,
| soil is black and excellent, enormous
| grazing areas, rich with timber anG
| mines, Il beautiful, healthy climate;
but the Negro question is IL serious on
with them and a great drawback. Th'
black man in Texas and Louisiana, l.
not considered u human being, and t.
that extent, the civil war with it's ter
rible loss of human life and treasures
is a failure, and the constitution of tn
United States which guarantees every
human being the right to life and
liberty and the pursuit of happiness
is practically nullifed in those two
Southern states SO far as the Negro i
concerned. They have no rights under
the law, socially ostraciZed, politically
DISTINGUISHED, in business not patron
lied. and their only chance to secure
IL IlNluS iS employment 1t tliC io"N''
and hardest of manual labor. BE
fore the court of justice, he is an out
cast, and then sentence is pronounced
upon Linn. For any crime he receive
the extreme penalty of the law, while
if Il white man should be guilty OF thu
same crime, he would get off with
livery slight fine. 1t is true the Southern
er really believes he is justified il
dealing with the negro as he does
They claim the negro is treachcrous
over bearing and natural crlmlni'
with very few exceptions, and NJ
doubt to Il certain extent, this may bt
true; but oppression, persecution an'
prosecution will have the same result
in any race, black, white or mixed
The only way you can better the char
acter Of an individual or race is by
being kind, patient and deal with hin
with cven-handed justice, and riShi
here is the Inconsistency and unccr
| tainty of the white mans method.
Texas has Il law OH the statute books
prohibiting under severe penalty an!
agent coming to their state and hiring
negroes to so outside OF the state. II
| other words, by passing this act II
| their LEGISLATURE, they acknowledge
the negro is essential and they cannot
do without him, for if this were no.
so. they would be glad to have hin
migrate On the other hand if thes
want him. as they acknowledge by this
act they do, why do they not treat him
decently and humanciy? The ncGr,
question has kept a great many en-
terprising well-to-do business men whn
| ga; MI n *
the great principle which underlie<
business dcvelopemenD out of then
state and they are tempered for want
of means TO develop their resources
and carry on their business. and Texas
will never have the opportunities I'M
less they have radical change IL
| their state administration.
. From Texas. we went direct 10
Southern California across the deserts
of Arizona and reached Riverside
California, in February, and here VIC
found the most perfect paradise. man
can conceive The air was soft anG
warm, the climate perfect. Orange
groves all around us, streets wide. with
palm trees as decorations, city oil
about 5000 inhabitants. mostly New
IInglanderS and the balance practically
from the middle West. Every man,
woman, or child we met was Intelligent.
polite well dressed and groOmed, nom.
| of them very rich and no poor. A gen
craI atmosphere of prosperity. Their
| city government doesn't consist of d
mayor and city council elected by COM
petition Of political parties, but by
common consent they hold to the right
| i,,l, h.,t oft " iS
: business corporation and should be
carried on as any other business firm,
for the best interest of it's stockholders,
or III other words, it's citizens. For this
purpose five trustees are elccted-cor-
responding to trustees of savings
bank or any other Industrial corpora
tiOn-regartlleSS of politics. simply Tor
fitness. Each trustee is elected for live
years, therefore one goes out every
year. so there is always four expert
cncd men on the board. and while
was out there ] found no citizen, high
or low, to complain of extravaganza or
graft" any more than you hear any
body complain of savings banks trus
tee in the East. The practical work
| inSS of this system are 50 satisfactory
, that no ordinary man is even Thought
| of as Il possible candidate for Il mu-
, tnicipal trustee. 1t is the highest honor,
within the gift of the municipality. 1t
is an ideal city government and the
model should be adopted in every city,
town or plantation in New England.
10, gentlemen, what Il blessing it would
be il we could emulate the doings of
the city OF riverside, no 'healers' or
STRIKES" no ward or curb stone
, politicians. no political boss to obey.
no graft or dishonesty, and all taxes
are assessed purely and simply for the
| benefit of its people. If it should ever
come about in my city, l should cry
out. Thy Kingdom has come"
The principal business of the place Is
, | precisely the same as /; is in this very
} spot where we now are. dependent upon
visitors and tourists. and here | wish to
make the comparison which should teach
us a lesson. The inhabitants of River
side realize that their daily bread de
| ponds upon making the place attractive
. | to visitors. Whether Il guest at the no
tel or less pretentiOuS hoSt"iry, the visit
| or is made to feel that he is the guest of
| honor of the city. Every man. woman
a., and child is polite obliGing and ready to