Golden Valley chronicle. (Beach, Billings County, N.D.) 1905-1916, 1909-03-12

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.
l 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 tt
effect change in the electoral vote OF
the southern states. That Is a second
airy consideration. What I look for
ward to Is an increase in the tolerance
Of political views Of all kinds. anG
their advocacy throughout the soutE
and the existence Of a respectable pc
litfcal opposition in every state-evet
more than than this, to an increased
feeling on the part Of all the people III
the south that this government is thei,
government and that its officers it
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 happi
ness, and the fifteenth amendment at
tempted to secure the negro against
any deprivation Of the privilege te
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 IF.
teenth amendment has not been gener.
ally observed in the past, 1t ought tc
be observed, and the tendency OF
southern legislation today is toward
the enactment Of electoral qualifica
lions which shall square with that
amendment.
No Repeal Of Fifteenth Amendment.
OF course the mere adoption Of a
constitutional law is only one step III
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 a.
well as upon tie 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 t.
the constitution and the right to have
statutes of states specifying qualifica
tions 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. II it had not
been passed it might be difficult now
to adopt 1t, but with 1t in our funda.
mental law the policy Of southern leg.
islation 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.
fict with the constitution and laws OF
the United States 1t is not the disposi.
ton or within the province Of the fed.
eral government to interfere with the
regulation by southern states Of Their
domestic affairs.
"Nesro 10 Now American"
There Is in the south 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
It's statistics are reviewed, is marvel
GUS, and 1t furnishes every reason to
hope that in the next twenty-five years
still greater improvement in his con-
dition as a productive member of So
ciety. on the farm and in the shop and
in other occupations, may come. The