Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1906-04-22
The Baekuoods of the Southern States
 By Mrs. Pierce
By Mrs. Pierce

, twenty years and over 42,00o or these are of the native born white population. Six thousand are comine up yearly as voters into citizenship in Tennessee who can neither read nor write What this lady says of tennessee, is also true Of tue other southern states. In Alabama We have fourteen per cent of illiteratc native l.0rn whites above ten years of age. i'll North Carolina, nineteen per cent. IF Louisiana. seventeen per cent; South Carolina. thirteen per cent Whither are We drifting and where will we lando In South Carolina We haYe one third of the White Demo c!ats disfranchised by the operation of the educational and property quail ficati0n authorized by the amended South Carolina constitution. In North Carolina some whites who are dis fianehiSed under the educational qudl
 
 clause, but when that clause is re. pealed by the supreme court, North Carolina will have greater number Of iiliterate whites disfranchised he cause they have nineteen per cent illiterate now.
 Disfranchised but still paying taxes to educate negroes to vote against them and their children. How does this condition strike the people Of the south? Of course, We know this Is q white mans country and will remain so. but this condition of edu- cated blacks and illiterate whites is {. cloud that will cast a troublesome shadow across the future greatness of the south These tllterate people ct the backwoods of the southern states are in good numbers the child Ten and grandchildren of the Con- feaerate soldier who under the stars ! part of their time in their fight for right and justice, but went down in an honorable defeat. Do We owe them anything? It occurs to me we owe them at least the chance of an education and citizenship with their , more fortunate brethren. How are we to do this? Let every southern state separate the school tax and transfer the amount of taxes paid by the whites for negro education to tEese neglected and waste places Of the southern states. The Master, when asked about paying taxes to Ceasar, answered.: Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Cae sar's, and unto God the things that are Gods" I think the time has ar r.ved for the white people of the south to "render unto Caesar the things that are Caesars by render ing the taxes paid by the whites to the unfortunate white children of the backwoods, an act which would en- abe us to "render unto God the things which are God's'' by sending t'ese people schools and churches. These obscure people are of our race "bone of our bone. flesh of our flesh but not so fortunate in their geOgra- phical situation or their environment. While we are talking of the poor whites of the north who work at starvation wages and sleep in pover- ty novels, We should bear in mind tfat it is best to first "sweep our own dcor steps, for the only difference is these people of the backWoods of the south have more room, sunshine and fresh air than those of the north. We should also remember that Massa- chusetts, New York, New Hampshire, Michigan, Iowa and other states of the north have only one per cent Of i!literate native born whites over ten years of age Of course, everybody knows that the south was devastated and left in poverty and ruin by the war, their institutions. churches and property destroyed. and we have made wonderful progress rebuilding the new south from the ashes of the old south.
 The south with her poverty and ruined homes has expended one hund- red and thirty-five million dollars on the education of the negro, while our own flesh and blood have grown up in ignorance. It is time for us to leave the education of the negro to the people of the north, who will pro, vide them with the best of schools They have already expended abont six hundred and fifty million dollars OF the education of the negro. The south is now we'll dotted with fine negro colleges, endowed with north ern capital which is all right, The