The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1912-08-25
FOR WHITE SUPREMACY

The following address by former
Lieut. Gov. J. T. Robertson of Arkansas
before the Arkansas Advancement as
ISOLATION convention win be read with
interest in Birmingham where he has
number OF friends and relatives:
Mr.. Chairman and Conference.-The
subject on which 1 am to address you
may appear stale and Inappropriate to
some of you on this occasion, but may
offer by way of apology, If one is
deemed necessary, the example set by
the young Cato. who had the same
closing for all his speeches, whether
it be an grafton on the state of the
Roman empire or other speech. In fact,
when he made his famous speech
against the Turner-Jacobson bill and
when he spoke with reference to the
proposed recall of the judiciary. his
closing was always the same-'Delanda
est Carthage l feel that any occasion
is not an inappropriate one on which to
advance the principle contained in
amendment No. Il, which carries with
it what is commonly known as the
grandfather clause, the great principle
of white supremacy. Do not misunder-
stand me as being opposed to any man
enjoying his rights, but l offer no
apology for declaring that this is and
must forever remain white mans
country; the white man must make the
laws and execute them.
From no standpoint of reason can
the acknowledgment of the Ethiopian
be justified in this country. 1t may
be argued that all men should be equal
under the law, but ask yourself the
question, DO you favor the fourteenth
and fifteenth amendments to the fed
eral constitution and If you do not
favor them, you must admit that you
are in favor of knocking as many chips
off the fifteenth amendment as pos
sible under our state laws. 1t might
be argued that from standpoint of
Justice the negro should be permitted
to enjoy the same rights Of suffrage as
the white man, but his civilization Is
too young and his present Intelligence
and qualifications do not entitle him
to these rights-the very idea is re-
pugnant to every Anglo-Saxon. 1t Is
even doubted by many IL the negro,
left to himself, could ever attain that
position where he could Independently
control his own affairs, much less man
age state affairs and hold office. And
there are not a few who believe If he
were left thus he would sooner or later
degenerate to the standard of that
gentleman in the dugout.' ] want to ask
each of you, interested as you are in
the affairs. of the great state of Ar
kansas, do you believe that the negro
should have the same right TO vote
and hold office as you have? 1t seems
to me that this prospect is so repuS-
nan to white man that no argument
is necessary to convince any of you
of the injustice to the white race of
allowing the negro equal privileges
with the men who have made TINS
country what 1t is.
I'm l9l0 while the campaign was on
with reference to this same amendment
in the new state of Oklahoma, l con-
ccived the idea of introducing a similar
measure In the senate of Arkansas. At
The ensuing session of the Arkansas gen
oral assembly, in 1911, Representative
Hardage of Clark county introduced this
measure in the house and i introduced
practically the same bill in the senate.
Ills measure passed the house and mine
the senate at about the same time, and
a few days before the regular sixty-day
session would terminate. 1t seemed sure
at that time that the body would adj
1oprn. Seeking the good of the state
ana the adoption of this measure by the
people rather than glory for myself,
met with Representative Hardage and
agreed with him that we could abandon
hope of passing my measure in the house
and | would bend my energies toward
the passage OF his in the senate. With
this agreement it became the Hardage-
Robertson amendment. I called it up
In the senate and the measure was
PASSED with only three dissenting votes,
and that is the only claim to the author
ship OF the measure that / have. Now
that it is before the people and l a
private citizen holding no office and
seeking none, I neither crave the ap-
proval of the public nor dread its dis
approval. whatever merits there may
be in this measure, and whatever good
it may bring to the people of the state
of Arkansas, If my efforts have assisted
in bringing this about, and have adj
vaneed this state along with other sister
states where this amendment has been
adopted, there will be glory enough
for me.
This question is not a party measure
Il is greater than any mere partisan
sentiment and broad enough to take in
the entire white race. irrespective of po-
litical lines or creeds. And in introduce
ing it In the senate It was not myl pur-
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