The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1906-08-21
THE RACE QUESTION
A Prophecy Of Coming Struggle Be
tween Black and White.


going to be supplemented by one
which will end in the establishment OF
an identity of interests between the
two white races south of Zambesi,
says the Pail Mall Gazette. The domi-
nant question in the south of tho
Dark continent is no longer the pre-
dominance of Roer or Briton but of
white or black, and whether it materi-
alizes In the form of vast armed or
political struggle the outlook is al
most equally serious.
To begin with, there is south of the
Zambesi to-day native population of
100000 and white population of
under 100000 Moreover, the blacks
not ony shoy no signs of diminuition,
but are steadily increasing and at a
much faster rate than the whites
Probably for all time the natives in
South Africa must enormously pre-
ponderate, a result which the whire
man himself has and is still doing
much to promote. For in the olden
days tribal wars, to say nothing of
pestilence and famine, served largely
to counterbalance native prolificness
These checks to native increase are
now removed. War no longer peri
odically decimates the populations,
while the white mans arts of civil
lization have deprived both famine
and pestilence of their former power.
Consequently, the native in an Ell.
vironment of peace and plenty has
paid cordial obedience to the divine
admonition to increase and multiply,
while the white, whether by natural
increase or immigration, has added
to his numbers but slowly. Thus we
are faced to-day by the broad fact that
pitted against a limited white popu-
lation is practically unlimited and
virile black population, which, under
the influence of civilization and edu-
cation, is becoming each year a more
formidable element, and, if unre.
strained, must inevitably undermine
the very foundations of white SUI
premacy.
There are two great factors at work
among the natives of South Africa to-
day: the one political, and, at pres
ent, although growing, limited in its
expression; the other quasi-reHgious,
that is to say, frankly nationalist, and
operating Throughout the country. This
last is essentially anti-white, and, as
evinced by its most recent ebullition
in Natal, may yet be responsible for
deluging South Africa in blood. The
outlook is gloomy and depressing
enough, but in direct proportion to
it's menace is the hope for the future
good relations of British and Dutch.
There is one CLEAN of sunlight
For, bitter as is the feud between
the two white races to-day, rivalries,
jealousies, and differences of all kinds
will be swept away by the growing
realization that only by presenting
solid and united front to the on
lized blacks can they hope to escape
humiliation.
Of the two ways in which this
struggle may be carried on, open war,
in spite of the suffering it would en-
tail, would be fraught with less peril
to the white man than the political
pressure of black power upon the ma-
chinery of government. Something of
the serious nature of this question
may be gathered from the present
state of things in the Southern States
of North America. But the difficulty
presented by the relatively insignifi-
cant number of negroes in the United
States will be as nothing compared
with that which will face the white
races of South Africa when confronted
with the enormous black population
south of the Zambesi.
To-day the majority of these natives
are in a semi-savage condition. But
we must accept the fact that day
will come when they will have
emerged from that condition and have
attained the degree of civilization
which prevails among the negro kin
dred in the United States. Indeed, the
process of evolution is already in op-
Grafton. The native peoples are awak.
eniug from their slumber of centuries.
and there is no more remarkable feat
ure of their awakening than the al
most Unsuitable thirst for knowledge
which consumes them. 1t is sig.
nificant fact that during the last
decade GO per cent. of the children
annually attending school in Cape
Colony have been colored, and only
40 per cent. white; while in a recent
Cape Government Education Report
the actual number of children receiy-
ing education in the public schools
of the colony were ,313 colored and
60,S49 white. Cape Colony and the
territories are literally peppered with
native schools, the territories alone
having several hundreds, while the cry
of every native petition to govern
mant "a "(xiVa ua mora aducafin,.