The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-06-07

Auburn, June 6.-(Special Corre- spcndence. "A general memorial ex- ercise in honor of Professor Otis ID. Smith, who held the Chair of Mathe- matics at Auburn from the establish ment of the institution until few weeks ago; the alumni address by Hon. Ava Fitzpatrick of Montgomery: the alumni luncheon, the competitive drill of the crack companies of the ca det battalion, powerful address from Rev. J. w. Stagg, of Birmingham, in which he took new and advanced position upon the negro question. were features of the full and lively second day of the Commencement Exercises of the Alabama Polytechnic Institute. long service and the wide influence of the veteran professor of mathe- matics were paid by representatives of the faculty, of the alumni, of the large crowd attended the exercises. The attendance of alumni and of other visitors has largely increased over that of the first day.
 who is the pastor of the First Presby- terian Church at Birmingham, more than anything else during the Com mencement exercises, riveted the atten- alumni and the commencement visl- tors. The address was delivered before the Wirt and Websterian Literary SO, cieties. It was frank and advanced , discussion of the negro question.
 He took the position that the negro was so inferior that no education would help him and that there was no future for him in this country. From the negros inferiority he was being menaced by three Giants who were slowly closing in upon him and who in time would drive him from America. On the one side he was being threat ened by the sweeping tide of lmmlgra- tion now bound to the South. From this immigration, thousand settlers haF, YAla = as. In time the negro. who had been an inefficient farmer, would be driven from the fields of the South. Even now in Alabama, the speaker declared, he was furnishing only 25 per cent of the farm labor in a State In which he was so thickly located.
 The second giant which menaced the negro and which in time would over whelm hims with the others is the ha- tired for him borne by that class some = times called poor white trash" This This eventually prevent the negro from talk, ing any active part in the skilled trades.
 Most Powerful Giant.
 The third and the powerful giant was the negro's susceptibility to cer- slaging saag G;S9SsSi negroes with increased pro portion. The growth of the race had completely conn te stopped by disease.
 The future of the negro, Dr. Stagg held, was d return to Africa. In short while he could be hauled back to Africa for SIT head and in the opinion of the speaker within one hun dred years the negro would haVc ceased to be on American soil.
 He spoke of the success that snap ard. the mulatto, had made in his de- portation of negroes to Liberia. Those he had carried back were doing well and each year the number was in-
 The movement would not come vol untariIy to the negro. The negro nev- CT did anything voluntarily. He was always forced to do what he did. He was brought to America against his will, and he will only return to Africa when forced to do so by the relentless giants.
 The American negroes. the speaker argued, would be the means of intro ducing the principles of the American Government Into the darkness of Afri- ca, and this would be the reward fol inc suffering to himself and to the white people his transplanted presence caused
 bered nothing and learned nothing He was as his ancestors were hundreds of years ago. It was the mulatto who would be able to retain in his memory the features and principles of American government and civilization.
 The address made a deep impression and when generally known will be the subject of much comment.
 Commencement will close tomorrow with the graduating exercises and with an address by President Remsen ot Johns Hopkins. Baltimore.
 Distinguished Visitors.
 few of the distinguished visitors tC tho commencement exercises were: pr