The Washington bee., 1910-07-30

cause it was thought they were quail
iled for its best and highest use, but
| submit that the best way to train
a man to use the ballot is to let him
use it. The ballot was the only way
to guarantee to the negro his free
dom The 18th and 18th amendments
were absolutely necessary to guaran-
tee the enforcement of the 18th. Too
many attempts were made directly
after emancipation to again subject
the negroes to slavery in everything
except the name
Moreover, the record Of the ne
grOes IN Southern Legislatures was
not so bad. True, they did some silly
things, but they gave to the South
some things that still remain The
first system of free public schools was
given by this sO-called Carpet-bag
rule, with large negro majorities in
the Legislatures. They gave the
South its first democratic government
by opening the ballot to the negroes
and the poor whites. Hitherto the
government in most of the Southern
States was one of the aristocracy.
ITO be sure, much stealing was
done in the Legislatures under negro
control. Some is done now. At that
time stealing was going on all over
the country, from St. Louis to Wash
ngton. One clique in Congress stole
fifty millions in one deal, which be-
smirched even a Vice President and
a Cabinet Secretary. The South Car
Olina government was especially ex-
travagant and did some silly things
The attempt was made TO buy up a
large tract of land and parcel it out
to large number of people. The bill
did pass. In the end the result was
that the State had some mighty poor
land, and some Southern people had
a lot of money.
Negro government was over
thrown in a manner with which you
are perfectly familiar In over
throwing this rule, the step was taken,
not only to get rid of the bad negroes
in Office, but all negroes. That is the
one fault of disfranchisement. 1t him
ders the development of the whites
and keeps the State under the control
of a few who are free to loot the pub
lie if they desire. It tells the black
man he has got to have extra advan-
tages, and to the white man that they
are not necessary.
ct seems to me that the negro
ought to get very busy trying to solve
all these problems. There are entire
ly too many people of darker hue in
the world for the problem of differ
ent races living together in peace and
harmony to go unsolved. We people
here in America have splendid
chance to anticipate that worldwide
solution that is bound to come.
1T IS unfair TO ourselves not to pro-
test when we feel ourselves being
treated unjustly. It is unfair to our
white neighbors. Nothing is doing
the South more harm than TO have a
class of entirely unprotected citizens
a people who can be stepped on at
will, people who can be treated any
way, who can be literally walked over
without the right of redress; for, after
all, the greatest harm is going to be
done to the man who does the walk
ing over"
Other prominent men have 1ectured
during the week Dr. w. Y Chap
man, of Newark, N. J., concluded his
series of addresses. Hon. n. B.
Broughton, Of Raleigh, n. C., promi-
nent Sunday school worker, delivered
two addresses on Sunday school meth
ods, followed by George w. Little
of Washington, D. C., the famous
crayon artist. Rev. w. I. Ford, oi
Jamestown, n. Y, began series OF