The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1909-03-05

ton Or this the greatest constructive
enterprise Of modern times
Frss Trade With Philippines.
The governments Of our depcnden-
cies ia Porto Rico and the Philippines
are progressing az favorably 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 70 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
profitable trade between this country
and the islands. Meantime our gov.
ernment 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 the
country. Ny chief purpose is not to
effect a change In the electoral vote Of
the southern states. That Is a second
ary consideration. What / look for
ward to is an increase In the tolerance
Of political views OF all kinds and
their advocacy throughout the south
and the existence Of respectable po-
litical opposition In every state-even
more than than this. to an increased
feeling on the part OF all the people In
the south that this government Is their
government and that its officers In
their states are their officers.
The Negro Question.
The consideration Of this question
cannot, however. be complete and full
without reference to the negro race,
IT'S progress and its 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 were intended While the fif-
teenth amendment has not been gener-
ally observed In the past, II ought to
be observed, and the tendency OF
southern legislation today Is toward
the enactment Of electoral qualihca-
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. 1t must be fairly
and Justly enforced as well. In time
both win come. Hence it is clear to
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 necessary
for a 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 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 protection and to en-
force its exercise against the prevail
ing sentiment of the south. The move
ment proved to be failure. What re-
mains is the fifteenth amendment to
the constitution and the right to have
statutes Of states specifying qualifica-
tons for electors subjected to the test
of compliance with that amendment.
This is great protection to the negro.
1t never will be repealed, and It never
ought to be repealed. If 1t had not
been passed it might be difficult now
to adopt 1t. but with it in our funda.
mental law the policy Of southern leg
lslation must and win tend to obey 1t,
and so long as the statutes of the
states meet the test Of this amend
ment and are not otherwise In con-
dict with the constitution and laws of |
the United States 1t is not the disposi-
don or within the province Of the fed
eral government to interfere with the
regulation by southern states Of their
domestic affairs.
"Nearo Is Now American"
There is in the south a stronger feel
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
of the community. The
progress which the negro has made in
he last fifty years from slavery, when
It's statistics are reviewed, is marvel