The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1906-10-25
FLEMING ON THE RACE PROBLEM

| Former Representative Fleming of
Georgia, a man Of sincerity and in.
tolligencc, has been moved by the re.
cent race troubles in Atlanta 70 write
in strong criticism Of some Ct the
| influences which are active in TO
menting strife between the whites
and blacks. Especially severe IS his
arralgnment OF some Of the men who
took a conspicuous part in the recent
political campaign In Georgia Posi-.
bly, many Of his conclusions, pased
upon conditions local to Georgia, may
be hotly challenged, but no right
| thinking man can challenge the accu.
racy and justice OF this statement:
ut s. just as necessary for us TO
encourage good negroes as it Is for
us to punish bad ones; there are hun
drcds to be encouraged to every one
TO be punished.
This statement OF fact terscly sets
forth the attitude Of the right.thinkIng
people Of the South toward the black
race; and It points a duty which the
people Of the South are not going 90
neglect, II they can be relieved of
much Of the mischievous and med.
dlesome activity of certain people in
the North, who insist upon solving the
race problem along theoretical lines,
says the Houston Post.
The hundreds of millions OF dol.
lars which the Southern people have
spent and are spending for education
OF the negro is an ample index OF the
intent OF Southern philanthropy, and
the fact ought TO be accepted by those
who know little OF the difficulties en-.
countered as evidence that the South
IL acting in the utmost good faith.
II is true there is talk in the South
of race wars, there is talk of expa-
triation and there is some sentiment
in favor of Withdrawing the educa.
tional advantages which the Southern
governments have for more than
generation held out to the negroes.
But in spite Of such agitation, in spite
Of occasional dangerous manifesto.
tions of race prejudice and in spite
Of the enormous injury inflicted upon
society itself by the activity OF the
bcstiai elements of the black race,
there should be nc abatement of the
effort to uplift the black masses.
II may be argued with much plausi-
bility, no doubt, that, all things con
sidcred, our efforts to uplift through
education have up to this time large
ly failed. Admitting this to be true, it
Is nevertheless fact that cur edu.
cational experiments have after all
been meager. They have been meager
in their application to the whites and
certainly still more so in their appli-
cation to the more difficult black
problem There is reason to believe
TINT our educational experiments
have been misdirected, because up to
,his time we have merely sought
TO develop the negro intellectually,
whereas we have paid little attention
to his moral nature and industrial
efficiency.
We have witnessed enough to en-
courage a more serious effort in the
direction OF industrial efficiency, and
there should be no hale in the educa
ton of the negro until we have
evolved a system whic' will afford
the masses an opportunity to become
efficient workmen. Experience teaches
MS ,hat the efficient negro is not
dangerous factor either in our politi-
cal, social or industrial life. On the
contrary, he is usually a useful, law
alb ding citizen.
Therefore, Mr. Fleming does not
ovorshoot the mark when he says
1T is just as necessary for us to en-
courage good negroes as it is for us
to punish bad ones; there are hun.
dreds to be encouraged 20 every
one TO be punished 30