Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1909-03-06

ton or this the greatest constructive
enterprise OF modern times.
Free Trade With Philippines.
The governments Of our dependen-
cies TN Porto Rico and the Philippines
are progressing as favorabIy as could
be desired The prosperity of Porto
Rico continues unabated The bust
ness conditions In the Philippines are
not all that we could wish them to be,
but with the passage of the new tariff
bill permitting free trade between the
United States and the archipelago,
with such limitations In sugar and
tobacco as shall prevent injury to the
domestic interests on those products.
we can count on an Improvement in
business conditions In the Philippines
and the Development of a mutually
and the islands. Meantime our gov
eminent In each dependency is uphold
ing the traditions of civil liberty and
increasing popular control. which might
be expected under American auspices
The work which we are doing there
rebounds to our credit as a nation
Words Of Friendship For the South
look forward with hope to increas
ing the already good feeling between
the south and the other sections Of IL
country. My chief purpose IS pcf fat
effect change in the electoral vas
the southern states. That is Il Seet at.
airy consideration. What ! ices fe
ward to is an increase ia the toiefi,
of political views Of an ksds aai
their advocacy throughout he q
and the existence of a Respectable fi-
litical opposition in every STATE eTaf
more than than this, 10 gu Il req &
feeling on the part OF All TIE peaG5s Us
the south that this government is the
government and that its officers ii.
their states are their officers.
The Negro Question.
The consideration of this question
cannot, however, be complete and full
without reference tn the negro race
its progress and It's present condition
The thirteenth amendment secured
them freedom, the fourteenth amend
ment due process OF law. protection
of property and the pursuit Of happi-
ness, and the fifteenth amendment at
tempted to secure the negro against
any deprivation of the privilege TO
vote because he was negro. The
thirteenth and fourteenth amend
ments have been generally enforced
and have secured the objects for which
they we're intended While the If
teenth amendment has not been gener-
ally observed in the past, 1t ought 10
be observed, and the tendency Of
southern legislation today is toward
the enactment of electoral qualifiea-
tions which shall square with that
amendment
No Repeal Of Fifteenth Amendment.
OF course the mere adoption OF "a
constitutional law is only one step IN
the right direction. It must be fairly
and justly enforced as well. In time
both viii come, Hence it is clear 70
all that the domination of an ignorant.
irresponsible element can be prevent
ed by constitutional laws which shall
exclude from voting both negroes and
whites not having education or other
qualifications thought to be necessarg
for proper electorate. The danger
of the control of an ignorant electorate
has therefore passed. With this change
the interest which many Of the south
ern white citizens take in the welfare
of the negroes has increased. The col
ored men must base their hope on the
results of their own industry, self re-
straint, thrift and business success as
well as upon the aid and comfort and
sympathy which they may receive
from their white neighbors of the
south. There was a time when north
erners who sympathized with the ne
gro in his necessary struggle for bet
ter conditions sought to give to him
the suffrage as a proie ton and to en-
force Its exercise against the prevail
ing sentiment of the south The move
ment proved to be a failure What re-
mains is the fifteenth amendment to
the constitution and the right to have
statutes of states specifying qualiE ~
tions for electors subjected to the te
of compliance with that amendment
This is great protection to the negro
Ii never viii be repealed and it never
ought to be repealed. If it had not
been passed it might be difficult now
TO adopt II, but with 1t In our funda
mental law the policy Of southern leg
islation must and win tend to obey It,
and so long as the statutes of the
states meet the test of this amend
ment and are not otherwise in CON
fict with the constitution and laws Of
the United States 1t is not the DISPOSE
ton or within the province Of the fed,
eral government to interfere with the
regulation by southern states of theig
domestic affairs.
"Keero Is Now Americans"
There n In the south stronger fee'
Ing than ever among the intelligent
well to do and Influential element IN
favor Of the industrial education Of
the negro and the encouragement Of
the race to make themselves useful
members Of the community. The