The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1908-04-05
Professor Giddings, The
Journal and Negro Question.

Journal and Negro Question.
Recently The Journal quoted an
alleged statement of Professor Frank
lin II. Giddings, a distinguished men,
Der OF the faculty OF Columbia UNI
versity, New York, to the effect that
the negro race was rapidly disappear
ing from the South because of the
sntermarriage of whites and negroes
To say this was such shocking
perversion Of notorious f"cf~
were impelled as a matter OF duty 70
deny il with all the emphasis consis-
tent with propriety, and what we
said was few days later brought to
the notice of Professor Giddings MINI
SELF Most heartily do we rejoice that
IL was, not only because it enables us
10 repair an unintentional injustice
done 10 an eminent northern scholar
and thinker on large and vital issue
in which the South is keenly interest
cd and the North but little less so,
but because 1T gives US the opportu-
nifty to publish the following fair,
frank and manly reply by Professor
Giddings to our criticism, which we
hope will be given the widest pub
iicity through the Southern press:
Columbia University, in the City
Of New York. School Of Political
Science, March 80. 1908.
d Dear s 81 win YOU permit me 70
- extraordinary misstate-
men. 81 - binions and tsa s1TIlg sY 3e
rounds OF the Southern press, and
which you very naturally. therefore,
have made the basis OF editorial com
ment in your issue of Thursday,
March %?
So far from believing or saying that
the negro is fast disappearing from
the South because of the intermar-
riage of whites and Blacks l believe
and in my writings and lectures
say that such intermarriages not only
have been barred by Southern law
and sentiment, but also that South
ern sentiment on this point is right,
and on every ground justifiable.
At the same time no well-informed
person denies that Illicit relations be-
tween whites and blacks have brought
into existence mulattoes and quad
rooms and, whether such relations are
more or less frequent than they for
merly were. no one pretends that they
have entirely ceased either in the
Southern states or in the North. This
means that, either rapidly or slowly
as the case may be, the pure-blooded
negro tends to disappear from the
American population, and that unless
- 10 - -f. hn inn ~
ed--which Heaven fopbid-the day
will come when there will be practi-
caIly no -blooded negroes in this
country
This proposition, however, is one
of scientific fact, and if / am in error
! am quite willing to be corrected.
On the question of social policy, name
~, the encouragement OF mixed mar
rfages, | am in fUll sympathy with
Southern white sentiment.
Very truly yours,
FRANKLIN III. GIDDTNGS.
AS will be seen by this letter, Pro-
fessor Giddings has been misquoted,
and we are deeply gratified to get his
own disavowal of the statement at
trfbuted him and which has been cur
rent in the Southern press, and here
tofore uncontradicted
Down here where We are so large
~ at the mercy of Northern. public
opinion and so often cruelty misjudged
and misrepresentation hon
estly and sometimes only for purposes
OF newspaper sensation and political
advantage-we are very sensitive to
criticism especially on the negro
question coming from high and rep
utable sources. as in this instance
For this reason we are glad TO recog-
nize and meet half way the altogether
admirable spirit in which Professor
Giddings has answered our criticism
of the statement he was alleged to
have made.
He writes in the frank, earnest,
and honest tone and with the receipt
i've mind of the true thinker on a
large and serious theme, and, with the
full facts in the case before him, in
Guiding those which can only come
from long experience on the ground
and the resulting right perspective.
we would be entirely willing to trust
him to do US justice on this ever
present and ever-menacing negro prob
lem in whose balefuI shadow the
whole South lies and beside which