The Washington herald., 1906-12-03
THE RACE QUESTION
Notable Address Delivered by John
Sharp Williams
0hdrp Williams.

address on Wednesday last at WalthaH,
Miss, being the last in his Senatorial
campaign until after the adjournment of
Congress.
After describing the measures by which
the negro voter was practically disfran-
chised by Southern States. and the politi-
cal peace and industrial revival which
followed. said in part:
In these methods, justified by this
result, the North is acquiescent The
people of the North see that the negro
/ is no worse of than he was before the
adoption OF our new constitution. that
he is as abundantIy protectel In life, limb,
and property and the administration of
/ justice as he was before, and that. upon
| his material side, he is doing better,
making more money.
Now and then a Crurnpacker or a
Keifer among the extremists on the
! other side OF this question raises a feeble
/ voice protesting that the Southern States
/ have 'nullified the fifteenth amendment
and that in consideration of that alleged
/ fact that provision OF the fourteenth
| amendment which, under certain cii cum
stances, leads to reduction Of representa-
/ ton ought to be applied to the South.
/ But the great business interests of the
| North, which in the long run control Re
publican politicians as we'll as other poll
| ticians there have frowned upon any
/ further agitation Of the race question as
national issue, and have substantially
reached the conclusion that the white
! people Of the South, who are, after all, as
good friends as the negroes have any
where, must be left free and untram-
meled to handle this question, under the
constitutions and existing laws. as best
! they can. So strong has been this feeling
that Crumpacker seems now to have re-
tired from the fight and ex-Speaker
Keifer, of Ohio, 10 have taken il up.
/ This relic OF the period of reconstruction
and sectional hatred cannot set back the
hands upon the clock Of time thirty years.
In the last Congress, when he made his
long speech upon this question. it fell so
fat with the House and with the country
that no Southern Democrat found it
necessary TO reply to it. and all agreed
that reply would be inadvIsable, because
1t would have lent Importance to that
which Of itself had no significance.
a Pretended Issue.
Now, my friends. l would much prefer
to discuss the real issues which are now
presenting themselves to the American
Union-issues Of the gravest and most
vital sort-knocking at our legislative
doors for solution. rather than to talk
about the repeal OF the fifteenth amend
ment, a purely aca0emic and not pres
emily practical question. My first view,
when this matter was injected into politi-
cal discussion in the State as a pretended
issue was that il was not worth while
to notice. because I did not believe that
there were ten men within the entire
borders of the State Of Mississippi who
possessed information and could read and
write who thought, for one moment. that
Gov Vardaman. or I either, though
possess more influence in Washington
than he could hope TO have If elected 10
the Senate. could repeal the fifteenth
amendment. / knew that he could not 1
know that I cannot
''The South is less than one-third Of
the American Union in its population. and
in its white population very much less
than one-third. It Is represented in the
Senate by much less than one-third of the
Senators and in the House also by less
than one-third OF its membership. To
repeal an amendment 10 the Consutu-
tion OF the United States requires that il
be done by way Of further amendment.
The Constitution Of the United States pro-
vides that in order 10 amend the Con-
stitutiOn. a resolution must pass both
Houses by a twO-thirds vote in each, and
that, after that, II must receive the in
dorsement Of three-fourths Of the States.
Nobody but a man with his head in the
clouds or in a dark closet. nobody who
has Travelled over the balance Of this
Union and talked to the people. has the
slightest notion that two-thirds Of the
Representatives in the National Congress
and three-fourths in the States Of the
Union can be prevailed upon now, or for
at least a generation to come, If ever, to
indorse this movement.
An Appeal to Caesar.
Remember. my friends. that an agi-
tation upon the floors Of Congress for the
repeal Of the fifteenth amendment means
an appeal to Caesar-in our case a North
ern Caesar. Remember that when Caesar
takes jurisdiction in a case he takes juris-
diction of II in all its bearings. Remem-
Der that when he applies a remedy 1t
viii be the remedy that he thinks ought
to be applied, and not necessarily the
one that you think ought to be applied.
Can you trust your Caesar? Would you
not rather retain control of your own
political destiny-your own civilization?
Remember that we have now what we
all fought for during reconstruction-the
privilege of being let alone. God grant
that we may continue to be let alone! So
far as I am concerned, whether l ever
hold another Office OF not, I tell you
that l am willing to let the negro ques-
ton in Yankeeland alone, If the Yankees
will let the negro question in Dixieland
alone
Il picked up Chicago newspaper the
other day containing what purported to
be an interview from my friend. Gov
Vardaman. In that purported interview
the governor is made to say that the
question of white supremacy or of black
domination Is the present pressing ques-
tion before the country, one which must
be solved Immediately.
White supremacy or black domination
in politics. We have got to take our
choice and take it at oncer Why, my
friends. with all due regard to my friend.
Gov Vardaman, for whose judgment IN
some things I have considerable respect.
this is mere hysteria. It approaches
mOnomania.
What FIXTURE May Bring.
I agree with Senator George that there
may some time be repeal of the ff-
teenth amendment but If So If will no.
come in response TO a sectional Southern
demand 1t will come after the Northern
people have attained the same degree of