The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-03-24


is negIecting II. for that which is more
our citizenship.
How the negro will work out his
destiny along these lines vii depend
on how well he knows himself. his
deepest needs, his weakness and
strength and the conditions Of which
he IL a fixed part.
Speaking in general terms. may
say that the South will not accord him
some privileges she regards as funda-
mental, which he has in other sections;
yet she has given him opportunity to
earn an honest living. to prove his
worth, and In almost every township
has provided him q school and helped
10 build him churches. The moneys
sent by the North for his education do
not compare In amount with that the
South has expended in that cause, re-
gardiess OF the small tax Of his prop
erty, And our Legislatures have uni
formly rejected propositions to pro-
rate educational appropriations on the
''tax.value basis"ss between the races.
or to tax the negroes educational insti-
tutsons or properties.
We have tried to deal to him justice
with the consideration Of the strong
for the weak. to protect him from the
Ills of the INSCRIPTIONS, and have Of
ten reviewed MIN AEOht tHS AtuAsS Va "A"
own folly.
sOuth's Moral Wave.
Realizing the great question that
confronts the intelligence of the South,
and the welfare OF its mixed citizen
ship, realizing the weakness of the IL
literate and vicious as a constant mem
ace to our civilization, q great moral
wave has sprung up N the South and
extended its influence far into the
North, promising, In large measure.
to elevate the moral plane Of citizen
ship. to reduce crime. and TO encour-
age a spirit of thrift and material de-
velopil1ent. The chief expression OF
this reform is the regulation ana pro-
htbition Of the sale of alcoholic drinks.
When the divorce Investigations are
fully made public you Will find the
large number in the South are among
the negroes to whom we literally con-
strue the statute. As example,( me-
gro woman when served as respond
81 Ssid to the process oficer: Tell
the fudge he's got anudder wife. and
r dome got anudder husband. What
more do dat niger >@ant?" The court
granted to both an absolute divorce.
THE vaRrant laws are honestly en-
forced, driving from the streets many
idle. drinking, gambling, prostituting
characters of both races.
IT has come W pO hSNp9HAGNN
r,anv thinkers that the granting OF
tha franchise to the unprepared negro
wsa an error Of time of excitement
snd nolitical pre- JUDGE. Many patriots
SaItaye fhat the organic laws OF the
Southern states, eliminating the ig-
norant and the vicious, are ootn wise
and eommendable as step towards q
higher civilization a.. -
ads one OF the complaints made by
~ ra0ro against the South 10 "dim-
lie, IN getting Justice In the courts,
and In some localities Nhe
5.n1sr of actual violence.
After an experience OF seven YEA a. :
=. trial Judge of all felonles ana TN
rraver misdemeanors' nav ~.
6ut few cases where juries nave nor
DS,,an the negro justice. And nave
tsnor-n Of white men convicted on the
tast,r,ony of negroes and punished Tor
49,. crirnas: and OF regroes found not
Si'Jitv when those testifying against
them were white men. We know
his surroundings, his character. ms
desires and his weaknesses ana from
his testimony we can generally tell
NE tlIs7 truth Is. Though he be
srysnSless the courts look sharp to the
t,,stica of the cause. because OF his
beInlessness and poverty. believe !
nsn saw inYthe main the negro has his
dav in the courts of the South.
As for his being in danger OF actual
violence" l think the charge ana such
fasr IL entertained. are groundless
THE white man does not kill the negro
nor the negro the white man as often
as the negro kills the negro at the
South. ,-
the fear Of peonage," this has been
shown TO be an occasional wrong In
remote agricultural aud numbering
districts. and in each instance 1t was
slammed out by Southern judges.
believe that peonage should not be
countenanced for a moment. yet feai
that at the time these prosecutions
were magnlfed by special-featured
news reports too much emphasizing
restraint Of the negro laborer and
FAILING to note that it extended tc
the Scandinavian laborers. L NEAR
bv this to say that / feel the country
al large got too rsuch the impression
that 1t was "a practice" and not ar
occasional wrong on the part OF thC
white man against the negro. when al
a matter Of fact. 1t was not prac'
tice," but IAN occasional wrong against
the scandinavian laborers as well al
AGAINST the negro laborers.
TBetween the negro and the white
man the South there generally prevails