The Washington herald., 1908-03-23

New York March Pin the course Of
a lecture on The growing SOUTH de-
livered before the Civic Forum at Carne-
gle Han tonight by DR. Edwin A. Alder
man, president of the University Of Viz
=. the speaker said that the South
es,e quite convinced that il mad acted
wisely in the past in excluding the negro
from the right of suffrage. and that ii
was determined that the white race should
continue 10 control the political develop
bent OF the country. In insisting upon alb
solute social separateness, the South. said
DR.. Alderman. is agreed that il is pur-
suing far-sighted policy Of justice. both
to the negro and the white man.
"A wealth OF ignorance has been expend-
ed on the discussion OF the negro
broblem." said Dr.. Alderman. which
quite sickens the heart The. deeper
ones knowledge goes. the greater ones
desire for silence and patience"
The university president. when intro
duced before welI-hlled house by George
McAneney, president Of the city club. be-
gan his address by stating that the most
impressive social movement of the day
in this country was the effort being made
by the republic to adjust it's new self to
It's old self, 50 that organicaly 1t should
lose neither its individualism nor its CO.
operative genius.
work for InduSfriaIIsm.
This effort was more pronounced. he
said, in the Southern States. where the
whole social and economic life was being
turned to master the weapons Of the pres
ent-day industrialism.
The South must pass from an agri-
cultural order. depressed by poverty and
misrule. TO an industrial democracy.
said the speaker. wherein il must regain
its natural consciousness. The Southern
people have had the political patience
and eQuipoise not 10 disturb the only
good thing bequeathed by the carpetbag-
ger votes. namely. the provisions for
popular education placed in their organic
laws. They have developed an over
whelming public sentiment, with the So
cial and political agencies necessary to
sustain THAI sentiment. IN favor Of the
education Of all the people at public ex-
penSe. thus making OF a social system
semi-feudal IN character a democracy In
social usage, as well as in political phil
osophy."
SOuth Best Fitted 10 Judge.
In referring 10 the race problem that
the South had to consider. President AL
derman intimated that editors conclusions
were largely Influenced by environment.
He left II 10 be inferred that the South
was best fitted to determine the merits
of the negro question itself.
Essentially. the negro. as an irritating
race issue. is a question Of the presence
Of the African and his numerical propor-
tion to the whole population" said DR..
Alderman. In a community OF 1000
white inhabitants and p negroes. the
question is an academic one and the doc
trinaire and the sentimentaiist have a
beautiful time with It. In a community
Of lee00 white inhabitants and 800 ne
groes. there is less philosophy and more
silence. In community of 10000 white
and 10000 negroee, the police
man supersedes the philosopher in rela-
tive importance, and the problem moves
along. as best Il may. over the rough
ways Of democracy.
Perhaps the chief political constr1c-
tive act OF Southern genius in reference
10 the negro has been the limitation of
the whole idea of manhood suffrage.
thus removing the blacks from politics
and centering their thought on indus
trial life; removing frightful temptations
from the places OF the white people, and
In large way placing the whole idea
Of suffrage on the highest plane possible
in the republic.
Suffrage Moves Wise.
When all Of its ragged edges are
trimmed on and its Incidental in1ustices
have worn away. the suffrage regula-
tions of the South in the last decade
viii be seen to have been wise and phil
The white race shall control the pe-
litical development of the Southern
States. as it will and ought to control
the political development Of the rest of
this republic. As we were European in
our origin and structure. so We shall re-
main, refusing 10 become either Asiatic
on one side of the continent. or African
on the other.
The speaker continues to say that $500
good negro children were gaining an edu-
cation in the public schools Of the South
even while each State resisted every ef-
fort to distribute taxation on racial lines.
From a condition OF absolute illiteracy
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