The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1909-03-10


heishpors OF the South. There was
time when Northerners who sympa,
thized with the negro in his necesasr,
| struggle for better conditions sought
TO give to him the suffrage as a pro-
lection, and to enforce it's exercise
against the prevailing sentiment OF
the South. The movement proved
to be failure. What remains is the
10Th amendment to the constitution
and the right to have statutes of
States specifying qualifications for
electors subject to the test Of COM
pliance with that amendment. This
is q great protection to the negro. It
never will be repealed. If it had not
been passed, it might be difficult now
TO adopt it; but with It in our funda-
mental law, the policy of Southern
legislation must and will 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-
flict with the constitution and laws Of
the United States, it is not the dispo-
sition or within the province of the
federal government to interfere with
the regulation by Southern States of
their domestic affairs. There is in
the South a stronger feeling than ever
among the intelligent, well-to-do and
influential element in favor Of the
industrial education of the negro and
and the encouragement of the race to
make themselves useful members of
the community. The progress which
the negro has made in the last so
years from slavery, when it's statistics
are viewed, is marvellous, and it fur
nishes every reason to hope that in
the next 25 years still greater i'm
provement in his condition as a pro-
ductive member of society, on the
farm, and in the shop and in other
occupations, may come. The negroes
are now Americans. Their ancestors
came here years ago against their
Will, and this is their only country
and their only flag. They have shown
themselves anxious to live for it and
to die for it. Encountering the race
feeling against them. subjected at
times to cruel injustice growing out
of it, they may well have our pro-
found sympathy and aid in the strug-
gle they are making. We are charg-
ed with the sacred duty of making
their path as smooth and easy as we
can. Any recognition OF their dis
tinguished men, any appointment to
office from among their number. IS
properly taken as an encouragement
and an appreciation of their progress
and this just policy shall be pursued
But it may well admit Of doub,
whether, in the case Of any race. an
appointment of one of their number
to local Office in a community in
which the race feeling IS so wide
spread and acute as to interfere with
the ease and facility with which the
local government business can be
done by the appointee. is Of sufficient
benefit by way of announcement to
the race to outweigh the recurrence
and increase Of race feeling which
such an appointment is likely to en-.
gender. Therefore, the executive, in
recognizing the negro race by appoint
ments must exercise a careful discre-
ton not thereby to do it more harm
than good. On the other hand. we
must be careful not to encourage the
mere pretense Of race feeling manu-.
factured in the interest of individual
political ambition.
Personally / have not the slightes
race prejudice or feeling and recog
milton of its existence only awaken.
my heart deeper sympathy for those
who have to bear it or suffer from it
and question the wisdom Of a polio,
which is likely to increase 1t. Mean
time, II nothing is done to prevent
better feeling between the negroe,
and the whites in the South Will con
tinue to grow, and more and more o.
the white people will come to realiz,
that the future Of the South is to b,
much benefited by the Industrial an,
intellectual progress of the negro. Tn,
exercise of political franchises b,
those of his race who are intelligen
and well-tO-do will be acquiesced in
and the right to vote will be withheld
only from the ignorant and irrespon
sible Of both races.
i Having thuc rauoimoa 4ho o,.oa4io,>,