Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1910-05-18
MISUNDERSTANDING FORMER
GOV. SMITH.

This paper has not been friendly to
the political ambitions of ex-Goy.
Hoke Smith, nor has it sympathized
with and endorsed many of the poll
cies enunciated by him. But regard
less of this fact it objects to seeing
him held before Northern audience,
by negro teacher from Georgia, as
the advocate of educational views that
we do not believe he has ever enun-
ciated, and as encouraging a policy
Of discrimination against the negro
and suggesting plans whereby the ne
groes might be kept in ignorance. We
do believe that M. Smith has
changed front on the question of ne
gro education, that some years ago
he favored a more literary education
for them than lie does now, that he
now believes their education should
take more of an industrial trend, 60
fit them for the battle of life, for the
actual arena in which the vast mass
Of them must earn their living. But
to do that he has never, we believe,
felt called upon to declare in public
speech that You must stop negro
education. To do SO you SHOULD put
into the negro schools negro teachers
who are not able to do the work II
you do SO you will check negro edu-
cation"
These remarks are put into the for
mer governors mouth by Prof" Du-
Bots. of the Atlanta University, ne
gro institution. Dubois declares thai
ex-Gov. Smith uttered them in speech
in Georgia. He told the National Ne.
gro Committee, meeting in New York
that this indicated tile Southern spirit
and attitude toward negro education
Naturally, many of the large audience
embracing white educators and phi
lanthropists as well, probably accept
ed Dubois statement as an accurate
picture of the feeling in the South Il
of the views of Georgia's recent gov
ernor 1t is probable that if Dubois
were called upon to tell when ant
where ex-Gov. Smith urged that igno
rant negroes should be put to teach il
| the negro schools in order to breal
down negro education he would b.
unable to do so and would fall bacl
upon some vague statement that h
had been told so by some one else
Dubois knew his audience and wa
seeking to make capital Speeche
like his are sometimes useful in stir
ring up Northern philanthropy an
opening up the pocketbooks to mel
like Dubois. No other reason wouL
probably exist for such a statemen
as this.
We did not endorse Smiths disfran
chisement campaign. We did not be
lleye it either necessary or. expedient
But tie speeches made during tn
campa.g n by the then governor lai
stress upon one fact in regard to til
education of the negroes, that the ma
jority of them must be workers, tn
vast majority of them need industrial
and agricultural training in order t
become more useful citizens an
greater instruments in the upbuild
ing of the section in which their des
tiny is cast. The ability t Dread, writ
and do simple arithmetic is all that
Required, and on this foundation Shout
be laid practical instruction tina
would make them better farmers
more skillful carpenters and black
smiths and mechanics generally. Com
mon sense teaches any one that thi
is true. 1t is really an act of kind
ness to the negro race as a whole t
advocate education along such lines
If there are ten million negroes in tn
South today, nine million, nine hun
dred thousand of them must be work
ers in manual way sooner or later
| Negro leaders like Dubois seem t
think that these nine million, min
hundred thousand would be benefits
by a higher" education. Common
sense and a true regard for the hes
interests of the vast army referret
to says the reverse.
Until proved to the contrary, we be
lieve that the Atlanta negro teache
misrepresented ex-Goy. Smiths state
ments and attitude The incident il
merely of value in showing that some
prominent negro educators of tn,
South when speaking North know how
to tickle the ears of a certain ele
ment in order to worm a way int
their bank accounts.