The French Broad hustler. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1896-1912, 1911-08-31
VARDAMAN PLEASES
HENDERS0NVILIE AUDIENCE
The Crisis Discussed be
Distinguished Mississippian At
Auditorium Thurs. Night oIu-
ton Of Race Problem Para
mount Issue in America Pub
lie Life The Only Remedy.

! in mid air. and crushed him. And
so it is with you. As long as the
Government is in the hands of the
intelligent element you are safe, but
when the control passes from your
hands into the agents of the enemies
of good government, it ceases to be
a government of the people, but be-
comes a Government of the interests
by the interests, for the interests.
There are many great problems to
be solved. 1 can not discuss all of
them, but / am going to touch on a
few of them.
committing is spending enormous
sums of money for armies and ma
vies. Out of the war with Spain
grew the imperialistic policy of the
Government and possession of the
Philippines. But you ask why do 1
want to discuss that ancient question.
1t is " settled until it is settled
right. The holding of the Islands
has cost a sum OF money, greater than
will the completion Of the Panama
Canal. The land and negroes thus
acquired can profit us little and such
a policy is ~indefensfble. We are
holding these Islands not for the bet
terment of the inhabitants thereof,
but we are holding them that we
may exploit them for cur own per-
sonal gain. and as long as we hold
them, it is going to be argued as an
excuse for building a navy.
tIf we, the greatest nation on
earth, should put forth, in our ma
tional life, more of the spirit of the
golden rule, less of the rule of gold.
and work together, it would not be
necessary to maintain a navy or army
in times of peace. We are spending
something like three, hundred mil
lions a year to- sustain the navy.
What r we teaching the professions.
soldier to shoot at? The birds that
destroy the farmers crops? No. The
wild cats and wolves that destroy
the lambs? No. To kill men, to
make widows and orphans. Why
are we spending twenty million for
gun boats? To kill men. If the
time comes to fight is it necessary for
have professional soldiers When
eve the call is sufficient, we don't
have tc have trained men to do the
fighting. The best army of men that
ever put foot on Gods foot stool was
madeo of unframed men. That band
of men armed with squirrel rifles and
shot guns, half fed, hungry, naked.
that was able to hold the world at bay
for four years, of whom it was said
they were never whipped, but wore
themselves out fighting for a cause
they loYed-the preservation of Dixie
Land.
There are other problems / would
like to- talk about, but others talk
about them. I am going to talk
about a problem more important than
tariff, more important than any other
economic uestion that confronts you.
l am going to talk about the race
problem. If anybody came to hear
me say unkind things of the negro
they are going to be mistaken. I un-
derstand the negro, from the old time
befo' de War negro down to the
modified after the war, to. the kind
we have now, the field man made
worthless, and the house girl spoiled
by the foolish system of education. /
am not the enemy Of the negro. /
remember gratefully the love and de-
votion of old slaves to my mother
during the war. My father Joined the
confederate army in '61. and stood
shoulder to shoulder with those who
fell, and when he left, he left his wife
and little children to the care and
protection of the old slaves. and no
better protection could be found than
the faithful slave. He would have
died in defence Of that home. And
the old black nanny. I love her
memory, my love of her is second
only to love of my mother.
81 am going to nut upon the stand
some witnesses. The first man il the
greatest man that ever lived, since the
man Of Galilee.-Thomas Jefferson
He said more than a hundred years
ago There is nothing truer writer
in the book of State that the negro
will be free, and he cSn not live OF
equal terms of social equality
with the white man. He say
without sacrifice of life, and withou
waste of money" That was ift'
kyears before the war, From tn
mountain peak he dipped into the fu
ture as far as human eye could Sc
and saw visions of the war; saw tn
war between the States that cost NOR
than a million of the brightest f1owe
of manhood. the widow. the orphan
saw two sections rent in twain, broth
er fighting against brother, frenzie
with hate, graphing with each other
saw the reconstruction, saw thousand
of homes rendered desolate.
"The love of money is the roo Q
evil" The northern men crossed tn
ocean, brought the negro back an
sold him, and made money; the South
ern men made cotton and worked tn
negro and made money.
/ am going tc put another man o
the stand. the patient Abraham Lin
coin. He said: st am not trying t
make an officer and voter OF the ne