The broad ax., 1907-08-31

debt Nearly every family has bOugh
or is buying home in the little town
Of Leland near by, some Of which are
comfortably furnished. They are all
prosperous and contented.
How did you do it?" asked.
The secret" he said, lis to treat
the Negro well and give him a chance.
/ have found that Negro, like a
v hite man is most responsive to good
treatment. Even a dog responds to
kindness. The trouble Is that most
planters want to make too much
money out of the Negro; they charge
him too much rent; they make too
large profits on the supplies they fur
Iish. | know merchants who expect
a return of so per cen: on supplies
clone. The best Negroes have known
are those who are educated; Negroes
need more education OF the right kind
not Iess-and It will repay us well
il we give II to them. II makes bee
ter. not worse workers.
I asked him about the seryant prob
lem.
I'VE never have any trouble" he
said. Il apply the same rule to ses'
wants as to the farmers. Treat them
veil, don't talk insultingly of their
people before them, don't expect them
To do too much work | believe in
treating a Negro with respect. That
doesn't mean to make equals Of them
You people in the North don't make
EQUALS of your white servants"
Jefferson Davis's Way With Negroes.
Then he told a striking story o.
Jefferson Davis.
'T got a lesson in the treatment OF
Negroes when l was a young man re-
turning South from Harvard. !
stopped in Washington End called on
Jefferson Davis then United States
Senator from Mississippi. We walked
Gown Pennsylvania avenue. Many
Negroes bowed to Mr.. Davis AMI he
returned the bow. He was a verg
DoIite man. l finally sad to him that
I thought he must have q good many
friends among the Negroes. He re-
Piled:
II can't allow any SeSIo to outdo
me in courtesy"
Plain Words From . white Man.
A few days later on my way North
met at Clarksdale, Miss, Walter
Clark one of the weIl-known citizens
of the State and President Of the Mis-
slssippi Cotton Association. In the
interests OF his organization he has
feen speaking in different parts Of the
State On court-days and at fairs. And
the burden of his talks has been, not
only organization by fa:mers, but a
more intelligent and progressive treat
ment Of Negro labor. Recognizing the
instability of the ordinary Negro, the
crime he commits, the great dificul-
ties which the bestintentioned South
ern planters have to meet, Mr.. Clark
yet tells his Southern audiences some
vigorous truths. He SAID in a recent
speech:
Every dollar own those Negroes
made for me. Our ancestors chased
them down and brought them here.
They are just what We made them.
By our own greed and extravaganza
we have spoiled good many OF them.
It has been popular he---now happily
growing less SOTO exploit the Negro
by high store-prices and by encourag-
ing him to get into debt 1t has often
made him hopeless. We have low
element of white people who are large
ly responsible for the Negroes condi-
ton. They sell him whisky and CO.
caine: they corrupt Negro women. A
white man who shoot scraps with Ne
groes or who consorts with Negro
women is worse than the meanest Ne
gro that ever lived"
At Coneyville, where Mr.. Clark
talked somewhat to this effect, an old
man who sat in front suddenly jumped
I'D and said: That's the truth Bully
for you; bully for you!"
In his talk with me, Mr.. Clark said
ether significant things:
"our people have treated the Ne
grOes as helpless children all their
days. The Negro has not been encour-
eyed to develop even the capacities he
has. He must be made to use his
own brains, not ours; put him on his
responsibility and he with become
more efficient A Negro came to me
not long ago complaining that the
farmer for whom he worked would
not give him an itemized account o.
his charges at the store 1 met the
pIanter and asked him about it. He
said to me:
1.-The black Niger! What does