The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-02-08
Georgia Planter Gives Up Alter
 Years of Study
NEGRO RACE IS DOOMED
This Planter Declares That the Negro Will Finally Die Out Like the h. dian, Because He Cannot
 Go Upward.

particularly as it exists in the country districts, were presented in an interview given today by Capt. P. H. FlulSer oi Greene county. who as an extensive plant CT has wrestled with it for the better part of half a century.
 Captain Fluker. on his Greene county plantation of 1500 acres, has studied every phase of the question from a practical point of view, that of the planter who k willing to go to almost any extent to re- tain and improve the quality of his labor In Greene county the negroes outnumbei the whites and the industrial problem is acute.
 The result of this practical study, obser- vation and experience on the part of Cap tain Fluker is that the ante-bellum days with their undoubted mastery of the ne- gro hold out the strongest hope of saving the race and rescuing southern agrcul- ture.
 ''rhe country negro has just three senses' Captain Fluker said, "coon sense, crow sense and peckerwood sense. The first Is seen in his trick of trying to make you believe he Is all right and keeping
  borer and in the matter of debts. Like the crow he is suspicious of everything and everybody. and thinks the white mn, and even his own best friends are trying to swindle or get the better of hin at every turn. And just as the peckervoed hunts around for the soft spots in 2 tree, so he is always peckng at his employer sounding him to find his soft spots for future reference"
 Captain Fluker says on his plantation he has tried out the question in it's every possible phase-educational, economic, so- cial, religious and industrlal-and he can see nothing to it but that the negro is pointed down the same hill of which the Indians are already near the bottom and for the same cause. He sees no tomorrow for the negro as a citizen, as a laborer, as a husband, a wife or father.
 Captain Fluker says that each day, in his opinion, the negro is bridging his own race nearer extinction or chaos, and that he Is a definite and incTeasing menace to the white planter and to the progress and very existenceAof agriculture in the south. He terms the negros religion "buncombe and anarchg," and his morals a white sepulchre." He expresses the be- lief that education is worse than useless and is wholly wasted upon the race
 Whisky is playing large part in the deviltry among the negroes" Captain Fluker said, "ard in my opinion intem perance among them is worse now than in the days before prohibition. The negro cropper is a fool about his hot suppers.' They gather regularly at these affairs, eat and drink the worst possible substitute for whisky and then they are ready for fight in which pistols and razors play prominent part"
 The average negro field hand, he says, will starve to get his whisky. At one in- significant postoffice in Greene county the express receipts for liquor for one month were 5000, of which 90 per cent was paid by negroes. He looks upon it as the duty of the white folks I'm workin fur to pay him out of jail and keep him from starvation. He has no idea that he is under any obligation whatever not to re- peat the offense.
 Captain Fluker views the rigid and un- compromising enforcement of the peon- age laws as a body blow at the negro g own welfare as well as at southern indus. try, since it takes away from the white man the sole means of enforcing labor contracts and the possibility of saving the negro from the consequences of his own worthlessness.
 ''The average negro" he says, lis worse after professed conversion to religion than before, and education serves him no bet ter" Above everything else he said the negro loves his secret society, one evil of which is the boycott which they insti- tute against employers and particularly on account of some fanced grievance, will boycott a certain white family and re- fuse to work for it.
 Captain Fluker says he is convinced that the narrowing tales of abuses during the slavery era was mainly fictitious. What common sense man." he asks, would abuse physically a piece of property that cost him $1S0O?" He thinks the ante bellum patriarchal system with its kindly but firm shepherding and instruction of the negro offers the only hope of arrest
 
 ensuing penalties upon the white man.
 When asked his suggestion as to so- lutlon of the problem he replied:
 God knowsl Education won't do it. religion won't do it and colonization won't do it. We can't go back to slavery and l can see no hope"
 Upon strict construction of the law it Is said, Georgia would have only one United States senator between March 1 next, the date of the expiration of the term of Senator A. s. Clay and the time of the meeting of the general assembly in June when, in accordance with the ex- pression of last years primary, he will be elected for another term of six years.
 There is no provision whatever in the state law for the filling of the ad interim term, the state constitution providing only that the governor shall appoint to fill vacancy caused by death or resgna- tion.
 It has been customary, however, for the governor to make an ad interim appoint ment, and so far it has never been ques- tioned. Governor Terrell appointed Sem ator A. C. Bacon for the ad interim term four years ago, and this week Governor smith similarly appointed Senator Clay.
 The situation was brought about by the change in the time of meeting of the general assembly from October to the following June. Under the old method Senator Clay's election would have taken place last October, prior to the expira- tion of his term, but as the new legisla- ture does not now meet until June his election is necessarily deferred until four ! months after such expiration. Georgia should make legal provision for filling this interim for there is no telling a hat r,to axr1tr4f 4fuh