New-York tribune., 1908-12-08

that of the rest Of the country, ard she is now
in every way sharing In its prosperity.
Again the Democratic party has not preserved
inviolate its traditional doctrines as 10 states
rights and other issues. and has for the time
adopted new doctrines Of possibly doubtful eco
nomic truth and wisdom. Southern men aohei-
ing to the party and the name find themselves,
through the influence of tradition and the rear
OF a restoration of conditions which are now
impossible, supporting platform and canoioate
trust. Under these conditions there was In the
last campaign, and there is to-day throughout
the South, among many Of its most intelhgent
citizens. an impatience, nervousness; ana
restlessness in voting for one ticket and re1oic-
ing in the success Of another
Now not one of those who are disPosec
10 criticse or emphasize the inconsistency OF
the position in which these gentlemen hh1
themselves. I believe II would be wiser II al
who sympathize with party and its prlncl-
Piles were to vote its ticket, but can reaoIy
understand the weight and inertia or the tradI-
ton and the social considerations that 1f i,sanF
them hesitate I believe that the movenlehI
away from political solidity has started anu
ought TO be encouraged and think one way 10
encourage 1t is TO have the South unoeFstanu i
that the attitude of the North ard the Repup-
lican party toward 1t is not one OF hosuHly oI
criticism or opposition, political or one e ne
that they believe in the maintenance OF the + II
teenth Amendment, but that as already e&-
planned they do not deem that anendnnenI 10 pS
Inconsistent with the Souths obtaining anu
maintaining what It regards its pohtlcal
safety from domination Of an ignorant eIectoI
ate: that the North yearns for closer assoclAtLo
with the South: that its citizens depreCate tldI
reserve on the subject of politics which so long
has been maintained in the otherwise dengnIiui gN.,
social relations between Southerners and North
erners as they are more and more 1reQuehuy
thrown together.
DELICATE SITUATION.
=, welcoming TO a change Of party afflliation
many Southerners who have been Democrats
we are brought face to face with oeNcate
situation which we can only meet with franz
ness and Justice In our anxiety TO bring the
Democratic Southerner into new poIltIcdI Isio
tions we should have and can have no oeslI9 s
ha NOTnnar2tlNelY
white 'Southerners who from principle nave con-
sisteutly stood for our views in the SouLh "hen
II cost them social ostracism and a loss or ali
prestige Nor we sympathize with an eItoLt ;
to exclude from the support OF RepuD!.cailtioal isl
in the South or to read out OF the party LnosS s
coored voters who, by their educauon it anu
thrift have made themselves eligible TO exercise
the electoral franchise.
we believe that the solution OF the race ques-
ton ia the South is largely matter OF indus
trial and thorough education. We beIleVe tilat
the best friend that the Southern negro can
have is the Southern white man. and that the
growing interest which the Southern white man
is taking in the development OF the negro IS one
Of the most encouraging reasons for behevnhs @
that the problem is capable OF solution. Inc
hope of the Southern negro is in teachlng MIN
how to be a good farmer, how to be good
mechanic; in teaching him how to make his
home attractive and how to live more comfort
ably and according to the rules OF health ana
morality. Some Southerners who nave given
EXPRESSION to their thoughts seem to think that
the only solution Of the negro question Is mis-
migration TO Africa; but to me such propo-
sition is utterly fatuous The negro is essential
to the South in order that it may have proper
labor An attempt Of negroes to migrate
from one state 10 another not many years ago
led to open violence at white instigation to pre-
vent ii. More than this, the negroes have now
reached nine millions in number. Their ances-
tors were brought here against their will. They
have no country but this. They know no flag
but ours. They wish to live under il. and are
willing 10 die for it They are Americans. They
are part Of our people, and are entitled to our
every effort TO make them worthy of their re
spcnsibilites as free men and as citizens. The
success Of the experiments which have been
made with them a large scale in giving them
the benefit of thorough primary and industrial
education justtfies and requires the extension
all.
IMMIGRATION AID TO NEGROES.
The proposition to increase the supply of Ia
Dor In the South by immigration from Europe,
II seems TO me, instead OF being inimical 10 the
cause of the negro will aid him. AS the indus
tries OF the South continue to grow in the mar
VeIIous ratio already shown, the demand for
labor must increase The presence in the South
ern community Of white European labor from
the southern part of Europe will have, 1 am
hopeful, the same effect that ii has had upon
negro labor on the Isthmus of Panama 1t has
introduced spirit Of emulation competi-
uoh so thet to-day the tropical negroes Of the
West Indies 90 much better work for US IN the
canal construction since we brought over Span
ish, Italian and Greek laborers than they ever
did before
Ultimately. of course, the burden of negro
education must fall on the Southern people and
b
and munifcence, except by way of furnishing
example and a model, can do comparatively lit
tie in this direction 1t may take some time to
hasten the movement for the most generous
public appropriations for the education of the
negro, but the truth that in the uplifting Of the
negro lies the welfare Of the South is forcing
itself the farsighted of the Southern leaders
Primary and industrial education for the
masses. higher education for the leaders of the
negro race, for their professional men, their
clergymen their physicians, their lawyers and
their teachers, Will make up system under
which. their Improvement, which statistics show
10 have been most noteworthy In the last forty
years, will continue at the same rate.
On the whole. then, the best public opinion of
the North and the best public opinion of the
South seem TO be coming together IN respect to
all the economic and political questions growing
out Of present race conditions.
The attitude of the candidate and the platform
Of the Democratic party in the last election
made this campaign a most favorable one to
consideration the query why they should stlll
adhere 10 political solidity in the South. It may
be that four years hence the candidate and plat
form Of the Democratic party will more ap-
prove themselves to the South and TO the intel
lgent men Of the South. Under these conditions
there may seem 10 be retrograde step and the
South continue solid. but I venture to think that
TIE movement now begun will grow, slowly at
first. but ultimately 10 extend the practi-
"a political arena for the discussion Of party
issues into all the Southern states
The recent election has made il probable that
I shall become more or less responsible for the
policy Of the next Presidential administration,
and improve this opportunity to say that moth
ing would give me greater pride because moth
ing would give me more claim to the gratitude
Of nv fellow citizens II could so direct that
policy in respect to the Southern states as
convince ITS intelligent citizens Of the desire
Of the administration to aid them in working out
satisfactorily the serious problems before them,
and Of bringing them and their Northern fell
low clIize4s Closer anu Gosef IN syIHodIhy ana
point of view During the last decade, IN com
mon with all lovers Of our country have
watched with delight and Thanksgiving the bond
Of union between the two sections grow frmer