The Marlboro democrat. [volume] (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1882-1908, 1904-09-23
THE RACE PROBLEM.
AN Open Letter from Ex-senator John
L.5McLauren.

L.EMcLauren.
IN WHICH LIE DISCUSSES IT,
attributes Most, II Not All, Our
Troubles to Giving the Bal
lot to the Negro Too
Mr.. VIM. r. Luke, Nashville, Tenn;
Dear Sir-Yours of August 18th to
hand aid contents noted. Your in
quiry Is legitimate aud one to which
you have a right to expect reply.
| The nomination of DR.. Crum for
collector Of port at Charleston was not
referred to me by the president, nor
do recall that l made any recon men
dation as to filling this Office.
My recollection Is that the presi-
dent withdrew the appointment when
he found there was opposition, and,
as the matter at that time was purely
local in It's character, l am satisfied
that had the contest been limited to
the illness, etc, Of the applicant DR..
CIum would not have received the
appointment, in the face OF the al
most unanimous objection Of the bust.
ness interests OF the city OF Charles
ton. The. color question:, however,
was squarely presented, and the
president found himself in the position
where to decline the appointment was
to admit that the color OF the appli-
can't constituted an insuperable bar.
,,f ~
ease with which every trivial matter
Is converted into a race question.
The office Of DR.. Crum dwindled into
insignificance beside the other iSsuSe
| involved.
Ii seems to me that before long
crisis will be reached where the sub
terfuges and expedients which have
served in the past will be ineffective
and this race question will have to be
met and settled suna rely on it's merits
The sooner the better; each day only
adds to the complications and
dangers. Patience, courage and self
control are the cardinal virtues OF a
Christian civilization, and when these
are cast aside the social structure
itself will fall. Yet we all know that
80 long as one crime is committed
lynchinE will occur, this to be follow
ed, 1t seems, by "Beforeday clubs"
lndiscrim!nate slaughter, the over
turning of courts and military. Lynch
ing does not lessen the crime nor does
the crime limit lynching. The great
underlying questions belong to the
realm OF the spiritual, where moral
principles have their birthplace and
home. Ex-Goy. Chamberlain in a
very able paper says in effect that the
first step is for the negro leaders to
begins a stern crusade against this
crime and stamp it cut and that lynch
law will disappear; he may be right,
but there is work for both races to
Ido and there musb' be somo yo mmon
starting point and concerted action.
Gov. Chamberlain is striking ex-
ample OF how certainly every intelli-
gent and honorable northerner who
takes his residence south changes his
views and becomes more extreme, if
possible, than those to the manner
BORN"
The danger is in just what l refer
to in the Crum case; no matter what
happens the is lie is made one OF race.
y division on race or religion is the
most cruel, deadly and dangerous
that can divide men. The honest and
high are held responsible for the
crimes Of the ignorant and degraded
An average citizen speaking to me
! last week OF the SGateSboro affair,
where an entire white family we. e
murdered without provocation and
then burned by d "Bcforeday club"
said; IF one of my family were
victim, wouldn't care who, | would
simply 80 out and kill nkxers. -
| When this sentiment is fully cry stal-
lied in both races you have all the
material to make the records OF the
SepoY insurIection and Indian warfare
pale into inSignticance. cannot be-
lieve that all OF this fever OF race
hatred, suspicion and diStrust can he
laid at the door OF any single crime,
1t is too deep and wides pTead, nor can
! think that the race question wuuld
be settled if such crime were never
again committed. The crime is an
aggrayatiOn and only one Of the dire
effects OF third Of century's false
doctrines and teaching. These dis.
orders are the symptoms, not the
disease, just as the flushed cheek and
Quickened pulse only point TO the in
ward fever that is consuming the pa
tient. The roJts Of the disease lie
amid the passions and erroS Of the
Reconstruction period when full
citizenship was suddenly thrust upon
race Of slaves totally unprepared for
such great moral and political re
sponsibility. We are only gathering
the second harvest flOm the SEED then
sown. The first harvest was in that
sad day when the south to maintain
its civilization had to ignore and defy
tile constitution Of the United States.
We are still struggling with the near
by effects OF cur Civil war and the
heavy lurden put upon both races is
beyond their strength, for new conse-
quences are continually cropping up
ia national life.
l read with great interest a very
thoughtful article 10y a Mr.. Thomas
Of Ohio published in The North
American Review, in which he ad-
vocates the r" zeal OF certain portion,
Of the Reco truction amendments to
the ct stitr ION. | do not know, but
1t is possible that we may have yet to
go back to this quest ion where Lin
coin left 1T and Mckinley took it up,
y ~.