Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1907-02-23
RELATION OF SOUTH
TO PENDING PROBLEMS
Rannis Taylor Discusses Timely
Subject al Johns HF.
k|ns University.
CELEBRATION Of FOUNDATION DAY
Annual Exercises Held at Famous
Baltimore ;nstitutlon-speaker Says
Negroes Should Not Have Fran
chlse Right Before They arc Prop
erIy Qualified.
(By Associated Press. }

BALTIMORE, MD. Feb. 22-The
principal address on the annual ex-
ercises today concentrating the
foundation of THE Johns Hopkins Yin.
iversity was delivered by Hann,s
Iaylor. former minister to Spain.
MIR. Taylor is professor of Internal
aonal and constitutional law at Co
ilW,bia University, Washington.
His subject was 1.-THE relation cf
the South to pending problems. ="
He said:
Let every lover of his country be
thankful that the national spirit has
at last triumphed over the provincial
spirit, and that the South was in the
ordeal emancipated from system
which would have consigned her to
poverty and isolation. 1t is safe 10
say that Mt least one-half of the eli
tire wealth OF the South WAS swept
away by the Civil War. While thus
crippled and broken she was called
upon to deal with such political prob
lens as he'd never before presented to
any part OF the English speaking
world. 1t Is grave mistake to re-
gard the mighty problems arising out
OF such conditions as purely sectional.
They were in the highest sense ma
ttonal, and In my humble judgment
the honor Of their solution. so far as
they have been solved, belongs in a
large degree to three juristic states
men to. whom l wish to pay my hon.
age In that large and unsectional spic
1t which should now. | think, animate
US all. In that spirit reverence the
patriotic work Of Chief Justice Chase
IN the rebuilding Of the Constitution
just as | reverence the work of Chief
Justice Marshall in the founding of it.
The work of rebuilding so patriotcal-
ly begun by Chase, was pressed to
its conclusion by stronger mental
ity. The opinion is rapidly gaining
ground that the most masterful ex-
FOUNDER Of the Constitution since Mar
shall was Samuel +. Miller. whose
definitions of the new national citi-
zenshiD created by the Fourteenth
Amendment have so profoundly. af-
fected the relations OF the State aud
Federal governments to each other
While the juristic statesmen of the
North were thus rebuilding the Con-
Stitution, and healing It's wounds with
medicine drawn from the subtitle al
chemy of judge-made law. Providence
lifted up a great iuristic statesman in
the South who proved to be bold
enough and wise enough to rescue his
section from an impending DOOM
Where among the thoughtful men of
the South can Won now find one who
regrets tho abolition of slavery as
embodied in the Thirteenth Amend
ment? For my partf I regard that
Amendment as n Declaration of Ipde-
pendence, because 1t set my section
free from n dying institution. 1t has
given us the opportunity to he strong
and rich and independent. The first
great mistake was made when sudden
and universal emancipation was fol-
lowed by sudden and universal en-
reimbursement OF those entirely unpre-
pared for citizenship. While the fu-
ture OF the South was still. overcast
by the consequences of that dreadful
mistake the great Senator George Of
Mississippi was wise enough to perceive
that an ex post facto remedy could he
drawn from the ample store house in
which abide the reserve powers of the
states. Therefore. 1t was perfectly
competent for Congress to withdraw
tho right to vote from all citizens
within the District of Columbia when
for certain well-lmown reason 1t was
uCcllltu WlSt anu exDeuleuI 10 40 SO.
The Fifteenth Amendment. In impos.
ing the single existing limitation upon
the power Of state to regulate the
franchise. only denies to a state the
right to take it away ION account of
race, color, or previous condition of
servitude." Such was the power and
such the limitation under which Sena-
tor George worked while fabricating
the new system of Southern constitu
tions upon whose luminous wings she
Is now rising from her ashes and es
tablishing material proDerty which
will soon startle the world.
From 81, 900 900 900 in 1870 the to
tai assessed property of the South has
increased until 1t now is over $1,000,
100000 sum in excess OF the total
possessed by the rest of the Union In
1860 Last year the farm products Of
the South alone were valued at $4,000,
100000, while her lumber, coal an(
iron product exceeded $500. 100000. o.
the twelve millions of bales Of cottor
which she now produces annually the
South is manufacturing nearly two
millions and half of bales on he
own soil. In some resnects the great
est industry in the world is the manu-
facture of cotton, and upon the South
which produces threefourths of tn
entire staple. that industry absolutel.
depends To the South Europe Is nov
nearly four hundred millions, sun
tnr n A1,r &c nal Il +,