The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-08-30

AND THE RACE QUESTION
Commercial Appeal
The house OF commons second read
ing Of the bill approving the constftu-
ton for the South African Union. devils
ed by the Dutch and British Statesmen.
by Its unanimity fitly crowns chapter
in constructive legislation which Mr..
Balfour very properly describes as
most wonderful issue for all the con-
troversies. battles, bloodsheds. and OBJ
stacles to peace" which are to be found
chronicled in South African history
When the house OF lords came to de-
bate clause 2e of the bill. which pre-
vides that only British subjects of Flu
ropean descent shall be eligible for
election to the Union parliament. Lord
Courtney moved that provision be
added limiting this restriction to the
Transvaai and orange River Colony.
and leaving power to electors In Cape
Colony and Natal to send anv British
subject. of any race. to represent them
in the Union parliament. He was sup
ported In this appeal for the BLACKS"
by the Bishop OF Birmingham. the
well-known DR.. Gore, prominent among
Anglicans as fighter for social re-
forms.
The Earl of Crewe replied, urging
that the amendment be defeated. and
that the peers retain the clause. gov
erning franchise rights. precisely as II
came from the South African constitu-
tive opinion In South Africa was by no
means unanimous in demand for the
franchise; that there was scarcely q
voice among the South African whites
raised In favor of suffrage for the
blacks In the Union parliament, and
that 1t was by no means certain that
those who were mont interested In tha
natives' welfare were showing their
friendship best by pressing for action
by the British parliament. He also ar
gued that II the experience OF the Unit
cd States was at all worth noting, 1t
was against forcing upon the whites q
provision which strongly "conflicted
with prejudices. which are most strong
ly held" For" said he. ait has boon
said that II during the American Civil
War the conQuering North had not
been SO eager in declaring the equality
Of the races. real equality. which did
not now exist. would have been more
nearly approached" As for himself he
was Of the opinion that some day there
might be change of opinion In South
Africa. but he was quite sure that II
would not he fastened by radical ac-
ton OF British Legislators contrary to
the opportunist counsels Of the South
African constitution makers. Hence.
the government could not assent to the
amendment. And II was lost. Mr..
Balfour. the Unionist leader. 1t will be
noted. In his house OF commons speech.
did not hold out the hope that there
ever would or ever should be change
in the attitude Of the South African
whites or British Legislators. for, he
argued. 1t IS impossible TO give equal
rights to the colored races without
threatening the whole fabric Of civili-
cation"
The experience Of the Omitted States
In this matter OF racial equality has
been Of service to the new, nation
builders In South Africa. who have a
similar political problem before them
that there was much laundering In our
reconstruction. AZ q matter Of princi-
pie. the American public believes in
the equality of races In the possession
and exercise of the franchise. but
Southern opportunisn. which is not all
prejudice and rane seihshness. gains
more favor today than ever In the
North. where the dangers OF the unre-
stricted suffrage are becoming better
understood.-BostDn HeralA.
This editorial is FROM the Boston
Herald. 1t 10 striking illustration of
how time and experience brings wis
dom.
For a Boston paper to have asserted
thirty years ago that the negro was
not capable OF exercising the same po-
iitical rights that, the white man en-
joys. would have been regarded In that
city as rank treason. -
Indeed, during the Civil War and at
ter It, the English people--men In
public life Thought that tbs action OF
the government OF this country in CIV
ing the negro the right to vote and TO
hold office equally with the white man
was a thing of high patriotism and
right judgment.
South Africa Is solving the race
problem in advance. 1t is not 80 unfair
to the negro as to give him political
rights and then expect him to exercise
them with the discretion Of a race
which has had the advantage of Ave
Or six thousand years over him in CIV
ilization.
Indeed, Mr.. Balfour and the other
English statesmen and the South Afri-
can government constructors have pro-
flied by the mistake that was made In
the United States.
Within the last few years men, even
in New England. can approach the
negro question without flying into
LTtHZ4p anu bAuCS tie pSopAC VI
have got into this frame of
mind. the future efforts tending toward
lettering the condition of the negro
will do him more good than the rights
given him In the late amendment to
the constitution OF the United States.
The future education of the negro
will be TO teach him how TO work;
teach him habits OF thrift and industry
and to give him a keener sense OF dis
between right and wrong.
He can he made a valuable asset in
our manufacturing. and agricultural.
and industrial, and commercial work.
and along these lines are the chances
for HIS development.
Negroes are among us, and probably
will stay here. They are only fifty
years from the slave pen, and. at best.
one hundred years from the cannibal
savagery of the Congo
In many things they have made prog
ress. In other things they have not
gone forward. but they must be civil
lied TO the point that. left tn them
selves and to their own inclinations
they will not be a menace to the home
and the white race.