The Montgomery advertiser. [volume] (Montgomery, Ala.) 1885-1982, 1908-03-15

Says Rresfdent Apprsvsd 10. Menace On
Proposition 10 Reduce neprssshtation
Of States where white Or Colsred
Citizens Have Been Disfran-
chfsed-Frssh xnJsctton
Of Negro Question Ints

Politics. IS
Southern Democrat In Washington Post
Editor Post; The following provision was
Ohio in their recent pistform:
we bslievs that the civil and political
rights Of the American nekro should be up
held in every state. believing. As We do.
that his marvellous progress in intsliieence.
industry. and good citizenship has earned
the respect and encouragement OF the ma
ton. ana that those legislative enactments
that have for their real aim hts disfran-
chisement for reasons OF color alone are
unfair. un-American, and repugnant to the
supreme law Of the land; and we favor the
reduction OF representation In Congress
and the electoral college In all States Of
this nation where white and coiored citizens
are disfranchissd. TO the end that the four
teenth amendment to the Constitution OF the
United States may be enforced according
to Its letter and spirit"
II 10 not too much to say that the coun-
try 1t large was astonished would the
enforcement Of this declaration at soma
time In the future By Congress be really
at Columbus7 In the light Of history. the
writer would answer this question In the
negative. That which renders the adop-
ton OF this proposition peculiarly surpris-
ing IL that. a. the public understands Il.
the whole OF the Columbus platform had
the approval Off It was not written by
President Roosevelt II was Mr.. Roosevelt.
who. In his Lincoln Day speech at New
York two years ago, broadly declared that
the negro problem ought to be RENTED to
the people Of the southern states--they I'M
derstood the question and Il was theirs TO
deal with. Since that Lincoln dinner
speech the Southern people have felt secure.
The President. they believed. was standing
like q rock between them and men like
Messrs. Keifer and Crumpacker. In the
House OF Representatives who were advo-
eating the reduction Of southssn represent
alton.
And yet here We have In this platform .
bread declaration that Congress, ana not
the States interested. must hereafter deal
with the negro question in the South. II Mr..
Roosevelt's views shall prevail at Chicago
and In the coming Presidential election.
Plank far Negro Veter.
There ara those who think that this
plank IL for the negro voter to stand on
Ia the coming election. Undoubtedly this 10
true, but after the election. II . Presidential
candidate and Congress pledged TO this
platform shall be elected. will this SOL
stand for naught3 Lst US see whether the
past political history OF our country. and
especially of the Republican party throws
any light upon this question.
Undoubtedly the thoughtful people Of the
North who have studied the situation are.
for the most part. now at one with the
sentiments expressed by Mr. Roosevelt In
his Lincoln Day speech; but among the
uaassas OF that section there are many
who think otherwise. This we know from
speeches delivered In the last Congress,
ana we know also that the negro 10 a potent
political factor in many Of the Northern
states Hence the Ohio platform.
There IA, TOO. q widespread sentiment
among the less informed OF the Northern
pecpie:
First. that the negro voter has not been
treated fairly In the recently adopted con-
stitutious OF the several Southern States.
Secondly. that these Southern States.
which are solidiy Democrats. have more
Representatives IN Congress than they are
| entitled TO.
Conservative Iaw-abiding people. judging
others BY themselves. history shows US.
have always bean ant to undsrrats move
ments having for their object reforms bas-
| ed on sentiment.
New Abolitson" Movement.
In 1881. the new abolition" movement
1 began. with the issuRnce Of Garrison's Lib
orator. and the formation Of the American
i Emancipation Society Their proposition
/ was that the American peopie at large were
responsible Tor the sin OF slavery in the
South, and that the slaves should be eman-
cipated Immediately and without compen-
/ satton.
Thsreupon Daniel webster voiced the sen
timent Of the conservative psopie when he
/ declared that slavery was legal question
/ for the people Of the several states to deal
with; and so wideapread was this feeling
| that agitators for abolition were looked up
/ on even in the North ~ .disturbers Of the
| public peace" Their proposition sounded an
alarm. Mobs composed Of educated people
sacked abolition printing offices and aboli-
| tions orators were often prosecuted.
But the new idea. year by year. made
progress. In each Of the Presidential cleo
lions Of 1s4s and 1852 the abolition vote
turned the scale.
Then came the Republican party. in 1854.
It was the outgrowth 81 abolition senti-
ment. At first IL was somewhat conserva-
tive; gradually II became more and more
radical. state after state passed personal
liberty laws, multiplying the acts OF Congress
providing for thu rendition Of fugitive
slaves. Mobs now attacked not abolition
orators, but Southern slave eatchers" The
South. of course. was not without is share
In the prevailing agitation. elimination
and rsorimination followed. Bitterness In
creased. Secession was threatened by South
erners.
Present Promising Relations.
And here let It be remarked that every
where throughout the North. in the cam
paign of 1850. these threats were derided.
Northern people did not believe that the
Southern States would DO a thing which to
them seemed so monstrous as the dismem-
berment Of the Union. just now most
good people of the North. and many Of the
South do not believe that. even OF the de-
cIaration in the Ohio platform should be
adopted at Chicago, a President and Con-
Rress elected on that platform would do
a thing so monstrous as TO disturb the
promising relations at present subsisting be-
tween the races In the Southern States by
bringing the negro question TO the front
again.
Thoughtful southerners just here will
call to mind the conditions that existed in
the late Confederate States In 1855 and
1855. Then we were busily engaged under
Andrew Johnson's plan. In rehabilitating
our state governments. We repealed ana
nuilifIed the ordinances Of secession We
ratified the thirteenth amendment. freeing
the slaves, adopting laws to regulate the
relations OF the whites and the freedmen
all this while extremists In Congress were
advocating the universal enfranehisement
OF the negroes and Acknowledgement OF
leading Confederatss. This we were told
would come. II our legislation In regard to
the negro should fail to meet the views Of
Northern extremists.
Horrors Of Construction.
We did not believe It. To give the ballot
to the ignorant negro. would be. we
thought, a crime against Republican gov
eminent, proposition so monstrcus we
did not heed. But in the Congressional cleo
lions of 1855 the extremists in the Repub-
ltcan party prevailed, and in 1857 recon
ztruetion followed with all its horrors. The