The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1906-10-04
THE SOUTH'S PROBLEM

| People of the north, fortunately for
them, have no adequate conception of
the conditions which brought on the
recent race war in Atlanta, Ga, and
which might bring on a similar slaugh-
ter in any part of the South. We have
negroes going about among us, attend
ing the same churches and places Of
entertainment. using the same cars,
their children attending the same
schools with those of the white people,
and we have no race problem simply
and solely because the white predomi-
mates in the north. Under these cir
cumstances the north cannot dogma
tie on the subject. But it can SYM
pathise with both the terror stricken
mothers of the south and with the in
ferior race which is doomed always to
have all it's members cursed for the
fault of a few.
The south in one sense is reaping
from the seed sown long ago. The
story of how the negro came to the
south and how he was held there for
generations need not be rehearsed; it
! is history History does not solve any
problems, it merely states them. To
solve this problem demands all the en-.
ergies of sociology, education, religion.
1t can scarcely be solved by war, GER
| tainly not by deportation, for the south
cannot do without the negro when all
is said.
How is it to be solved? Booker T.
| Washington is patiently working on
his corner of it through industrial ed
ucation, the churches are working up
on it through religious teaching, the
legislation. All of them taken togeth-
er do not make as much impression
upon it as the child with its wooden
shovel on the sands of the sea.
Yet it must be admitted that all are
working in sound ways and apparently
with as much fervor as is consistent
with permanent results. So far as the
outburst in Atlanta is concerned it ap-
pears to have some connection with
the recent electoral campaign in that
state. One of the candidates for gov
ernor Hoke Smith, made his campaign
| vol of 10 frnY
the ballot by means which have been
employed in South Carolina and Mis-
, sissippi. The negroes appear to have
recognized Mr.. Smiths success as the
beginning of an onslaught upon them
} in a state which has heretofore been
, exceptionally fair to the colored man.
While there is no direct evidence of
: it, it is fair to presume that the ne
: groes have discussed this change in
} Georgia sentiment and the lower ele-
ments among the negroes have become
inf1amed in their passions, as their
, indignant at the outlook. Injustice
/ always breeds injustice.
, Another factor in the Atlanta stu
alton to which attention is directed by
, the Constitution is the number of low
groggeries which are the loafing places
) of the worst class of negroes. 1t de-
mands the closing of them. We do
not see why this exposure made by a
newspaper should not lead to a practi-
cal investigation by the administration
of Atlanta of the question whether it
is doing all in its power to keep the
negroes as well as the whites in order.
1t looks as if Atlanta was putting
metropolitan" airs and ideas ahead
of the safety of it's children in allow
: ing such places to run.
Possibly there are some other things
the city of Atlanta can do which take
precedence of shooting innocent ne
groes to terrorize guilty ones