New-York tribune., 1908-03-23

before pursued BY higher groups toward backward
and lower groups In any civilization
IN discussing the negro question the president of
the University OF Virginia did depart from mis-
academic attitude. He cited John Morley who said
that the problem could not be solved and admitted
that he might be right, but insisted that # was a
problem that practical men must continue to face.
1t was an American question he said in a very
concrete sense He continued:
Essentially. the negro as an Irritating race issue
Is question of the presence of the african and his
n nu,nerleal proportion to the whole population. In
community of ten thousand white infia bitants an
1--WE o@efty-four negroes the question is academic
ba ana me doctrinaire and the sentimentalist
nav taNe oeahtifui time with it. In a community of
zen thousand white inhabitants and eighteen hun
silence In mere Is less philosophy and more
lhhapitants and ten thousand negroes the policeman
and the problem oSep ao IN se4tye s
the rough ways OF democracy.
DEFENDS SUFFRAGE RESTRICTION
Perhaps the chiefest political constructive act of
the nttasfon Of IA IRE reierenee to the negro has beer
rage ttiis removing the blacks from politics and
frightfu temptations from the politics of the white
people: ana in large way placing the whole idea
punne; Nhen all Of its ragged edges and incidental
a3ns,soe< snTs nave been worn away the suffrage
10 nave been wise and philosophical.
This defence of the suffrage restriction received
some applause And Mr. Alderman gave six premi-
ses regarding the regulations of the negro in the
In CONTROL the next. absolute social separation;
third. the determination to develop the negro in
the manual and industrial arts; next the deter
fnihAuon that no form Of slavery shall creep into
the new Southern life; and, fifth, that it having
been settled that the negro has humanity. he shall
be trained to citizenship in the best sense and
that the South is the place where this training
can be conducted most intelligently. The sixth
was that the South should investigate the negro
problem in all its aspects with intelligent inter-
est in the development Of the individual Mr. Al
dernlan said:
Under changed conditions and in new age this
viewpoint is exactly in the spirit of Abraham Lin
coin, as expressed in his famous letter TO Horace
ored race 1 do because / believe it helps TO save
the Union, and what forbear L forDear because
Has any group of human beings ever caused so
much social and political ferment and change as
the American negro? I wonder if this American
negro thinks of the relative care bestowed by
@ 6 SGff fb uPSa t6e tim m so and Of a he $3.50 csas a
the Piedmont hills and the Appalachian Mointains
millions of treasures have been spent patient lives
nave peen oedlcated, ana In virtue OF all TINS eA-
tance has been created between him and his grand
fathers equal to the distance between the Jungle
;Appalaehian white man @ has been fGEgetfglnesff
understand that the Southerner is done with this
neglect forever. He sees that the redemption OF
his community lies primarily in the restoration and
Development Of the white population.
story of individual negro aehievement will tend to
become merely an interesting racial phenomenon.
question but it IS not prophecy but fact to assert
that the negro race rs steaalig decang IN Inc
numbers; that he will remain socially distinct that
he is vet TO undergo the fiercest trials that come
TO backward races striving to forge to the front
old civilization and that the nature Of this ordeal
will increase the migratory impulse Of the negro.
Nearly a million negroes now live outside Southern
limits In thirty years that number vii be in
OF the negro that in the balance il America. and
not the fate OF the Southern States. has been
pointed out by Philip Bruce
SOT-TTJ'S TNDTrSTpIAT T--y-E,T OIoATE-Nr
The Industrial development Of the South received
praise from Mr.. Alderman. He traced it from the
great plantation TO the small farm. from almost
a total lack of manufactures to great industries
in many cities. and these achievements he denomi-
mated as evidences of the sturdiness Of the race
under the most trying circumstances And he
thankful that in all this great development the
ideals Of the South not forgotten and said
that he thanked God that good section Of Amer
lea was not yet what was called up to date"
The conquest Of Kentucky by the prohibitionists
has puzzled Mr. Alderman, ii has others. and he
said he could not account fer 1t in any other way
"on the theory that it is definite expression
OF moral leadership and moral purpose determined
TO sweep out Of the way of struggling men and
women desperate evils and temptations beSetting
them q they reach toward finer life" OF politics
IN the South he said:
One often hears with regret that the supreme
question OF the domination OF the white race has
bTought about poficaI conqIlons IN "ilcn @ oIlIy I
terTlaIy there are two parties under one name
drenTtar lion zoo 1aTicb on personsiIfies and non
essentials, Tery much national parties do
to-day. The ante bellum Southern voter per
foa as 'e Poe 2sst ahG deeded9 @ as to the
needs OF his own tewnship- He knew all about the
self about the local schoolhoQse; Now, Kansas,
plainest sort Of Kansas to him; and Nebraska IS
chiefly interesting as SAVING nm the roLbte,
fof PresiGeTt eeG nto ''ie'- u '''
This detachment from national politics is alb
d
the Souths sake ans the nations sake this con
minded political animal. who ENJOYS having hand
he lacking in good sense if she doesn't find a way
TO make use Of his kind Of strength The reunit-
sIatio1 and feaT arising ont Of the issues due 70
the presence of the African in our society and the
influence upon nerves Of old horrid memories.
two or more parties representing the intelligence
and patriotism OF these states viii divide debate
time there may be rebirth of real parties in the
stead of old names with the same issues.
POINTS TO END OF SOLID" SOUTH
Neither solid North solid South can then OBJ
trude their opaque masses between JUST PrincipeS
century Of national efacement, the South is cool
headed enough to know that the reealndns gaming ot us
in no frantic hysterical way. but by educa tioEal
Wien some Strong southerner like Daniel. Cul-
herson, Or Williams, or Hoke Smith harnesses
himself To the idea Of tariff reform; OF 10 some
pa tent Just scientific method Of establishing sym
tberic relations between lndGSJFiaiiSfn ana ne-
mocracy. and drives these ideas into the minds OF
the American people. OutwOrn bu9abooS can
keep such a out of the highest service needed
by the country
Mr. Alderman, however, regarded this efacement
from national affairs In the South a. good thing
for the era Just passing giving it did, more time
for close attention local affairs that were so
,ouoplex and demanding such singleness of effort
for correct solution. He believed that the golden
age OF the South about to dawn an age OF
wealth, of buoyant power. Of freedom to run an
race.