The Irish standard., 1906-12-08
TILLMAN AND THE NEGRO.

writes up Senator Tillman, a person
not knowing anything about the man
or the subject in which he is so in
tensely interested would be led to be-
lieve that he is thoroughly bad man.
Senator Tillnan, in Fact, is an intensely
earnest man. highly regarded by all
his associates in the United States
Senate. Like all men Of his sterling
character, he is straightforward and
blunt in his speech. His bluntness
sometimes amounts almost to cruelty.
When speaking upon the negro ques-
ton he speaks plainly about subject
that the knows much about. On diff
ferent occasions he has attempted to
tell the people of the North the diff
ferences that arise between the two
races in the South. Ho has never
said anything upon a lecture platform
that he has not dared to say upon the
floor of the United States Senate. In
fact, his treatment of the race ques-
ton upon the floor of the Senate has
on many occasions surpassed in d.
rectncss Of statement anything that
he has ever said upon his lecture tours.
Tillman is better friend of the negro
race than those who condemn him.
In his Chicago speech he pointed
out that the negro race is now in a
majority in the states of South Caro-
lima and Mississippi, and that the
negroes almost equal in number the
whites In the states of Georgia and
Alabama, and that the proportion of
negroes in the states Of Virginia.
North Carolina, Florida. Louisiana and
Arkansas is very large. The people
Of the North can scarcely appreciate
the condition that exists in the state
of South Carolina. 1t is condition
that calls for serious consideration and
for high class craftsmanship. 1t is
undeniable that, as the two races are
now constituted in the South, the
whites will never consent peaceably to
be ruled by the negro. They maintain
that the very existence of the white
race depends upon maintaining its po-
litical supremacy. Tillnan points out
how II few years ago a few bright
politicians gained complete control Of
the state Of North Carolina by COM
bining the negro vote and what is
called the white trash" Of the state.
Tillnlan is doing a service in educat-
ing the people Of the North upon the
race question. 1t is a. problem that is
sure TO demand serious attention in
the near future. The condition in
! which South Carolina and Mississippi
find themselves will, very likely, over
take some Of the other South Atlantic
and Gulf states. The negro race is
increasing much faster than the white
Unless change in the attitude Of the
two races can be brought about, some
remedy that will insure white supreln-
{
war will surely result. Either the
whites must rule politically, or the
states where the negro predoninates
must be entirely abandoned to the
negro race. No matter how unpleas-
ant the fact may be, the truth is that
tho white people CT the South will
never submit to be ruled by the negro
race as it is at present constituted.
Tillman says so plainly and he doubt
less voices the sentiment Of the white
people of the South. He speaks a little
more bluntly than most of them would.
know to be true, that the whites main
| tain their supremacy in certain Sec
tons of the South by either prevent
ing the negroes from voting or refus-
ing to count their votes when cast,
and yet We think that the people of
the South know better how to treat
! the negro race than do those of the
North. The fact that the negroes re-
main III the Southern states shows
that they prefer to live in the South
rather than take their chances in the
North. More crime against the blacks
is committed proportionately in such
states as Illinois, Indiana and Ohio
than in any of the Southern states.
1t is only at the last election in the
city of Chicago that negro, who
was apparently elected Judge Of the
Municipal Court on the Republican
ticket, was counted out. The Repub-
lican politicians of the North are in
the habit Of humoring the negro vote,
in order to help ,ut the Republican
party. The negro vote is kept solid
for the Republican candidates of the
North by pointing out to the negroes
the manner in which their race Is
treated by the Democrats in the South.
The instances, however. in which
oeoro,s o~o .x},,o,, op,, vollt;co1 x,roea.