The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1909-03-04

with SuCn umlIdtlOuS III ouSoA
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
eminent in each dependency Is uphold
ing the traditions of civil liberty ana
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.
I look forward with hope to increas-
ing the already good feeling between
the south and the other sections OF the
country. My chief purpose is not to
effect a change in the electoral vote OF
the southern states. That Is second
ary consideration. What / look Tor
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 it's 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,
its 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 happ1-
ness, and the fifteenth amendment at
tempted to secure the negro against
any deprivation of the privilege to
vote because he was a 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, it ought to
be observed, and the tendency OF
southern legislation today is toward
the enactment of electoral qual1tica-
lions which shall square with that
amendment.
No Repeal of Fifteenth Amendment.
OF course the mere adoption of
constitutional law is only one step in
the right direction. 1t must be fairly
and justly enforced as well. In time
both will come. Hence 1t 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
we'll 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 me-
gro in his necessary struggle for bet
ter conditions sought to give to him
the suffrage as a protection 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 Qualif1ca-
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 it had not
to adopt it, but with it IN our funda-
mental law the policy Of southern leg
islation must and will 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-
flict with the constitution and laws Of
the United States it is not the DISPOSE
ton or within the province of the fed
eral government to interfere with the
regulation by southern states of their
domestic affairs.
"Nesro Is Now American"
There is in the south a stronger feel
ing than ever among the intelligent,
we'll 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
progress which the negro has made in
the last fifty years from slavery, when
its statistics are reviewed, is marvel
GUS. and it furnishes every reason to
hope that in the next twenty-five years
still rrca -o~ Improvement in his con
diticn 4i'N member of So