The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1906-12-15

Prejudice Fostered for Political Purposes.
Negro Calnn5shness Il1ustrated-Race
Other Countries.

| Negro Ca1nnSshness IlfustFated-Race
Problems Giving Trouble In
| Other Countries.
Two weeks ago The Chief printed
some sensible and unprejudiced views
on the race problem from the editorial
columns Of the American Review OF
Reviews, and from the same high
source we quote the following addi-
tional comments:
The race question in our southern
states continues TO be discussed in th at
/ Intense spirit TO which we called at
tention in these pages last month.
Politicians naturally took advantage
of the race feeling to make capital for
| their parties or their candidates in the
| fights that preceded the balloting Of
| November 6. In some southern states,
| as in Tennessee, race prejudice has
been played upon to a most unWar-
| ranted degree. In the state mentioned
| it was merely for the purpose of bring
| ing out the full Democratic vote, and
| thus defeating the Republican candi-
date for the goyernorship. The Hon.
| Henry Clay Evans made a good run
| under such circumstances, but was de-
| feated by a plurality OF $4,000 given
| to his able Democratic opponent, the
Hon. Malcolm r. Patterson. At
Memphis and in the western part of
the state, where the negro population
is very large, the Democratic news
papers were filed with alarming tales
OF negro plots to capture the polls, OF
mysterious negro emissaries infam.
| ing the minds If the colored race, of
negro companies drilling by night,
and so on ad infnitum. The stranger
| at Memphis would have expected q
| bloody and fearsome election day; but
all was as quiet and peaceful as a
Sunday afternoon in rural New Eng
land. It would scarcely be inaccurat
to say that not negro vote was Of
fered at the polls in any portion OF the
country where the feeling against me-
groes had been strongly expressed.
In the course of time the educated
negro who holds property will find his
| way to a share ia the government OF
the community ia which he lives. But
| for the present he will be wise to for
get politics and give his attention to
those preliminaries which will make
him respected and inhuenti al citizen.
There can never be any absolute solu-
| ton for the difficulties that are in
herent in such a condition as exists
| where two races totally different live
| in the same communities. But there
are approximate solutions which cool
headed and sensible men can agree
upon and which the south must accept
| for its own salvation. Forum ately,
the governors and leading men OF the
! southern states are not only talking
| against mobs and lynehing, but they
are doing greatsdeal to give practi-
cal effect TO their expressed opinions.
The sonth will pass out OF its alarmisb
| mood; it will accept modern views
! about universal education, and il will
surmount its difficulties. The story OF
our recent business progress In this
country. the amazing proportions OF
which are set forth in this number of
the Review by Mr.. Edmonds, OF the
Manufacturers Record, applies more
especially to the south than TO any
| other part Of the country. With the
change in the south from a country OF
poverty to a land Of prosperity, there
will be a growth OF civilization ali
along the line, and this will help to
lessen the causes OF friction between
the races.
The tendency 70 race clannishness.
by the way was illustr ated last month
il the remarkable discipline visited
upon three companies. u the twenty
fifth regiment, colored, Of United
States Infantry. These soldiers were
stationed at Brownsville, Texas. There
had been some local difficulties in.
volving an attack upon citizens, which
was traced to soldiers OF this COM
mand. Very few OF the soldiers, pre-
sumably, were guilty, but q thorough
investig alton showed that whole com
panies Of negro troops would stand
together to protect the guilty rather
an do their duty as soldiers and
citizens in case where negroes had
assailed white men. This elannish.
ness has been shown innumerable
times in the history Of the black race.
It is, Of course, not peculiar to that
element Of our population. Indians
would doubtless act ia the same way
under like conditions, and so would |
the Chinese. But we have not very
many Indians or Chinese IN this coun-
try, and we have ten millions Of peo-
pie with African blood in their veins. |
Presidents Roosevelt has punished
these companies OF troops BY order |
ing the dlshonorable discharge of |
every man of them from the array. |
Their good record Ia Cuba has been |
urged in their behalf, and many peo- |
pie ID the north have been signing |
petitions for their reinstatement. But
the president would seem TO have acted |
ID the only way possible, ID view OF |
the necessities Of military discipline. |
The incident merely illustrates the |
difficulties that are involved in the |
settlement Of matters in which the race
question enters as an important factor. /
Ii is necessary. however, 10 believe /