The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-02-03
UNFAIR, UsJUsr AND UNrnur.

UNFAIR, UNJUST AND UNTRUE.
 The Portland oregonian Is one of the most prominent and Influential newspapers of the Northwest. While it is a notorious Republican paper 1t is for the most part fair and just in its comments on the affairs and peo- pie of the South. That is why recent editorial is so surprising. Speaking generally of the subject of labor in th> South 1t works in this passage:
 Thegreat majority of the Southern much better than a beast and many of them are unwilling that anything should be done to raise him above the s status os 6ssst hls sentiment m Rs We mention it here without comment. except to say that inasmuch as the negroes form the great body of the works at the same tasks as they do must share the ignominy of their so- cial tnferiority. Southerners have at best best but 2 slight sppreeiatiDSn of the not understand how 8 white man may toll with his hands and at the same time be an intelligent, thoughtful ctt- S at nigger's job is . nigger, what ever his color may be.
 Is not that . remarkable utterance to come from a prominent newspaper? whether it was written because of gross ignorance. or was founded on un- reasoning prejudice we find 1t hard to decide. We find 1t difficult to believe ,that a newspaper 90 well informed on almost every subject 1t discusses could honestly go SO far afield as this state- ment indicates. On the other hand 1t is difficult to understand how a self respecting newspaper could display such gross prejudice as to publish such a string of misstatements as we have quoted. We do not know what opportunities the editor has had to inform himself concerning the condi- tions and the people of the souths nor do we know of any reason why he should so grossly nisrepresent them as he has done.
 To begin with. the great majority of the Southern people," as The Ore gonian puts it. do not look on the negro as mot much better than Q beast" If We were disposed to resort to the "tu quoque" style of argument we might truly say that as a general proposition the Southern people have a better opinion of the negroes, and treat them with more consideration and kindness than the people of the North do. but that statement, though perfectly true, would not be eonvin- cins to a writer who prefers not to see and understand the truth. Facts are better than words. and facts plain. ly contradict the charge made against our people. For forty years or more the Southern people have been tax ing themselves heavily for the purpose of educating the negroes and making better and more useful citizens of them. We do not know the exact per- eentage of schools taxes paid by the two races. but we do know that if the tax paid by the whites for negro education should be cut or there would be a general suspension of such schools all over the South.
 That this is 6 voluntary contribution to negro education is evidenced by the fact that the laws under and by which the taxes are raised were enacted by the whites, and in almost every in-' stance the money is controlled and distributed by white officials. The whites have been regularly and volun- tarily taxing themselves for much more than c generation. giving money which in many Uases they could i'll afford to spare, and doing it to edu ate colored children. Unlike some of our Northern brothern. we do not teach or practice social equality and at the same time refuse to help the ne- groes in their efforts to make 6 living and to become better citizens. That is not our way. We educate them and give them work, and while we do not look on them as beasts. as The Ore gonian inGinuates, we do regard them as social and mental interiors, and do not deny it.
 But really the most thoroughly un- fair and foundationless charge Is the statement that southerners consider manual labor degrading. and that they look on a white laboring man as no better than "a Gigger" never was there charge made by an intelligent man or newspaper which had else to back it or was further from the facts.