The true Democrat. [volume] (Bayou Sara [La.]) 1892-1928, 1909-05-01
INSTRUMENTATION IN THE
SOUTH.

fOrbear quoting it and adding
comment further. "LOuiSianian
writes from Utility, La. and says
II realize to the full heungrate-
fitness of the task of bringing a
disagreeable subject into public
notice, but believe that to fully
recognize a social i'll is a long step
towards curing it, and this must
benny excuse for asking you to per-
NIT me to take exception to one OF
the statements in your editorial of
April l3, 'MiScegenatiOn in the
South.
"You say: We are by no means
ready to admit thatthe Legislature,
in the position it took with respect
to miscegenation, reflected the SEN
timents of the majority of Louisi-
anians.
"Ifby 'Louisianians' you mean
men (fOr they alone voice public
opinion, as expressed in law then
| am sorry to have to take issue
with you.
81 think no good purpose can be
subServed by consciously or UNI
consciously lulling ourselves into
q false sense of security. Better
look facts squarely in the face:
then, perhaps, a remedy can be
found.
$50 me it seems almost Self-evi-
dent that the majority of Southern
men are as yet without concern on
the subject Of that very certain
mOngrelization of the races that is
taking place, through the miscOn-
duct of white men with negro
women.
"a permanent state Ofconcubin-
age may be deprecated. II ii is
too open, the guilty party may be
made to realize the disapproval of
his neighbors; but those casual Of
lenses, especially on the part of
younger men, are regarded as mat
tiers of little moment.
at seems to me your great jour
nal could perform no higher serv-
ice to your race than to aid in
arousing public opinion that
will not be satisfied with refusing
to legalize the union of whites with
blacks, of which, at best, there
would be but few, and would re-
quire centuries to m0ngrelize the
races; but to arouse an opinion
that would hold men disgraced for
being guilty of that conduct, that
is. mixing the races right before
our eyes at such rate that in
very few years / the tone G Of Il the civ
ii1ization will be lowered, that the
white race labored centuries to
produce.
"LOuisianian" is right in ever
word of his communication. Pal
so when he question
the statement of the Times. Den
Ocrat that the Legislature at tn
last session reflected tn
of the majority of tn
state. Unfortunately this is nc
true. Legislatures always d
reflect the opinions of the major
ity of the people, except in rar
revolutionary cases. In this In
stance, it did reflect the opinion
or at least the acquiescence, G
the majority.
True, there are thousands G
men in Louisiana who hold then
selves above this crime agains
society and the races misceger
atiOn-hut even among the hes
of these there are hundreds, VIII
by word and look fail to disar
prove such conduct in other mer
and by their silence swell tina
majority to which the Legislators
were subservient in framing tn
farcical concubinage law of 1905
For a legislature as a whole is n
better and no worse than tn
majority which created it. N
mercury is truer in gauging hu
man temperature. The mer
who passed that bill, knew tina
public opinion would not sustai
anything more radical. The ma
jority of men do not regard thi
lntermixture of the races as