The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-07-04


help the poor critters on land to-
night"
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A NORTHERN VIEW or THE NEGRO
A correspondent from Washington
writes us in very candid and cour-
teous spirit to protest against our
position on the question of race leg
islation. He says he is a Northern
man, has Travelled in the South mas
studied the Jim Crow laws, might
think differently II he lived In Rieh-
mond. but must express his opihlo"
that our laws requiring the separation
of the races in the cars are altogethei
wrong. He believes the rallroaas
should establish thirdcl car SER
Continental countries; but he does not
think the negroes should be debarred
from riding with the whites when
they are orderly. clean and decent.
our correspondent goes bit further
and declares that the negroes should
not be debarred from the sleeping cars.
"Without Jim CROW laws" he says.
they (the sleeping cars) would be
used only by the very best. clearly.
decent coIored people and not to any
great extent by them" He says he
would prefer to sleep in a berth after
such a negro than in berth previously
occupied nv n drunken white man or
a consumptive.
With all Difference for our CORE
spondents statement that he has trav-
eled widely in the South, we think he
has clearly missed the reason back
of all race legislation. The South has
against the nine respectable negroes,
but against the tenth who is danger
Gus. 1t is unauestionably true THAI
with few exceptions, sleeping care
groes, and 1T is also true that II we
had third-class cars, most OF the
rough negroes would use them; but 1T
is also true that under such system,
mand place in the sleeping car or
seat in the frst.class coach would
be the negro who Is most dangerous.
Our correspondent does not know IT,
perhaps. but every Southern man
knows that If the bars were let down.
so to say. the first negro who would
cross would be the worst negro. and
he would cross for the harm he might
do.
Our correspondent thinks, moreover,
that we are wrong in saying that our
race laws must be maintained forever
and he declares that the time Will
come when we shall have to change
our views. a paper like The Times
Dispatch, he says. may live for 500
years and will find. in that time. that
its own business and the welfare OF
society demands very different atti-
tude. Here, again. our correspondent
shows an ignorance of the negro and
an Ignorance of the great biologic
principles upon which race legislation
rests.
Thirty years ago there were far more
mulattoes in the South than there are
to-day. The race was more mingled:
there We're hundreds OF negroes who
could not be told from whites. If the
mixing of the blood improves the no.
gro. 1T would be natural to expect that
the negroes OF thirty years ago would
be better, more law-abiding and moro
peaceable than they are to-day Yes
every Southern man knows that the
mulatto of 1870 was more vicious than
the back and that the mulatto of to-
day is the most dangerous or negroes.
he has the vices OF both races and the
virtues of neither. To modify our race
the white and black blood which our
correspondent seems honestly to adj
vocate would be not only to lower the
standard of the white race, but would
be to produce race OF half breeds,
dangerous to the whole of American
society. irresponsible, debased and
reckless. History allows no room for
dispute.
We have dealt courteously with our
correspondents letter on this subject
because he wrote courteously, and in
no desire to offend. His only fault Is
| ignorance and too loose reasoning
from general principles. We invite
fhim and we invite every other man
who wants to know the truth, to visit
the South and to Eemain here. not fol
a week, but for al year, and to see II
1 this Southern principle OF race legis.
lation is not the correct one: give the
negro every advantage and every op
portunity to make his way in the
world; but let him know that his owr
happiness, his own safety and hi!
own progress depend upon the abso
Lutte separation of the races.
=---------==------
The New York Sun knows all abou
the English language, and will apollo
gze for the misuse Of the sayin,
Clipped in employed by one of 1t
ia, he tina nj o. ba n