Sequachee Valley news. (Sequachee [Sequatchie], Tenn.) 1896-1952, 1908-06-04
NEGRO EQUALITY DISCUSSED

wish to review bill Dooley's''
'spiel, headed Freedom" in re-
cent issue of your paper. He begins
by sloshing over with the history lead
ing up to the founding of American
liberty-giving us the Academic de-
clamation sprint, all the way from the
Mayfower setting sail to the Plymouth
settlement, through blood and corrup-
tion at Valley Forge, and, finally,
down the dim corridors of time he
brings us face to face with the negro
question.
Such a wall coming from Boston or
some other seat or hot bed of social
and political equality, where whites
and black vie with each other, regard
less of sex, banqueting and toasting
together (black men sandwiched be-
tween white women at the banqueting
table, applauding each other respect
lively, as they advocate and preach the
doctrine of intermarriage of the races,
urging this as the only and proper sol
ution of the race question, claiming
that thereby the negro would be
bleached and the races amalgamated,
we say that had the author of the ar
ticle referred to lived in such a sec
ton it would have attracted no atten-
tion, his sentiments being in accord
with those who are totally ignorant of
the negro in his primitive state, and
of the race question as it exists here in
the South, but knowing "Bill Dooley"
to be a southern mana Tennessean--
can Justify his article in but one
way, that he is a member of politi-
cal party in section where he is
hopelessly in the minority and realizes
that the only redemption from his con-
tinued political defeat is to line up the
entire negro population of the South
and march them to the ballot box, and
there have them vote according to the
dictates of the Republican bosses. We
admit, "BillP' that the foregoing idea
is only implied in your article, but as
to your assertions relative to Southern
white people being deprived of their
right of franchise, such is a subterfuge
or an example of gross ignorance of
| Southern conditions. The Southern
white people have not complained of
being disfranchised since the reign of
| Gov. Brownlow in Tennessee, and the
days of the carpet bagger" and recon
struction throughout the South. Take
Mississippi, for instance, where the
percentage of illiteracy is as great as,
probably, any other Southern state,
and you never hear a white man com
plain of being denied the ballot
While the Hon. E. F. Noel was in
the Mississippi state senate he drafted
and had passed by that body the most
complete and effective election law
that adorns the statute books of any
southern state, and under the provis-
ions of this law the negroes of the state
are practically eliminated from poll
tics. After this law had been thor.
oughly tested by the courts and tried
by the people, the white people of Mis-.
sissippi stamped it with their approval
by elevating Mr.. Noel to the chief ex.
ecutiveship Of the state by an over.
whelming majority. We cite this in.
stance to show you that the white peo
pie of the south are not disfranchised
but their will is supreme, and thai
they are determined to dominate anC
control the politics of the south, re
gar0less of the numerical strength Of
the negroes.
While you, in your article do no
advocate social equality between thu
races, yet yous insist upon politica
equality, and the two relations are ST
nearly synonymous that there is only
a difference without distinction, anC
to permit the one is to encourage the
other.
With reference to the constitutions
rights of the negro, it has long beer
conceded that no greater blunder wa
ever made and no greater impedimen
was ever thrown in the path of Ameri
can progress than when the negro wa
proclaimed free and independent, an(
given the right of suffrage, and ther,
is today growing sentiment among
the best minds of our country, botl
north and South, to so amend our fed
eral constitution that the door of pol
itical hope will be forever closed to tn
negro and his political aspirations will
cease to retard the progress of Caucas
ion society. This, and this alone
will solve the race question, thu
dealing with the question in toto ant
not in part, thus striking at the roo
of the evil rather than dealing witt
its numerous and nefarious effects
When this is done there will spring up
in every section of our country tw
! formidable political powers each guard
; ing with vigilance the actions of tn
other, each striving to raise the stand
ard of morality, and thus the combin
ed influences of both parties woul
, guarantee the people wise and equi
table administration of public affair,
But, so long as the negro remains
factor in politics, so long as ther
is a possibility for him to qualify fC
: the elective franchise, no self respect
ing white man will affiliate himse
with political party that draws il
strength from rank and file that
. "black and tan.
4 Ten years of experience and observi
tion in the black belt of Mississippi
has taught me lessons of which "Bi
Dooley' and a majority Of East Tel
nesseans are ignorant. 1t is abSolutel
necessary to live i'm the negro belt
: order to get an intelligent idea of b
y tendencies, inclinations. -criminalit
: and mode of living. and any persC
: without this knowledge gained by e.
e perience is not capable 10 discuss Il
race question intelligently.
1t is not my intention in writiI
this article 10 invite discussion, bl
simply 10 inform bill Dooley' thi
Southern election laws DO not disfrai
chiSe white people, and have ineiden
> ally referred to some points Of vital il
terest to all true southerners
: A. L. MOORE.