The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1912-08-13

travel is not seeing emery but folks
%hd iife on s%hipboard affords one ex-
'tlleht opportunity for forming inter
esiing friendships.
one of the countries have ALWAYS
been interested in is South Africa.
With regard to the South's greatest
rrob'em-the ace question-condi-
tlohs there more nearly parallel
southern conditions than anywhere
Use on eartD. Nowhere else save
there are great populations Of white
and blacks living side by side as with
Us. Sometime l hope l can run down
ther. IN the lower edge Of the dark
continent and investigate conditions
al first hand.
since the rea fiZatiOn of such a plan
seems Il long time off, however, | have
been especially interested, during our
steamer trip, in talking with a distin-
EUiShed citizen Of United South Afri-
90, Hon. Maurice S. Evans. G.. NJ. G..
recently a member of the Parliament
Of Natal, who is just returning from
q tour through our own Southern
States, made for the purpose of com
laring conditions in his own country
End ours. ! do not believe | can bet
,"r use my space this week than by
Writing, therefore, not of Europe but
- " u ~"
tons but of the race problem-sim-
ply setting down some Of the more no
table observations made by Mr.. Evans
in the course Of the interviews | have
Rad with him.
First Of all | had probably better
record some points of contrast be-
tween United South Africa and the
South. To begin with, there is a con-
trast in that the negroes, in a great
pirOrity in the South. are in a great
najority in South Africa. In Mr..
Evans own Province, Natal, he tells
ne the black ~outnumber the whites
ten TO one. There are, in fact, more
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. from India
than white people. but the British
government in India has now forbid
den the emigration of Hindus to South
Africa-the cause being the i'll feeling
resulting from the British South At.
rican colonies' refusal to give the Hin
GuS political rights and other priVi-
leges. Another contrast appears in
that South African negroes are not
treated as citizens. as ours are, but
still maintain their tribal
tiuns. each tribe being ruled by it's
chief, AS in the days of saNaSery, sub
jet, Of course, TO the general Ia VS.
enforced hy the British government.
While without the educational oppor-
tunities our colored people enjoy, Mr..
Evans says that in natural capacity
The South African blacks are fully
equal to ours.
United South Africa is composed or
four separate provinces or states unit
ed AS one country q few years ago,
and there is no common race poNcy
for the entire nation. In forming the
lnion il was seen that to attempt 10
get together on one platform with re
gard to the negro would have defeated
the formation of a confederacy-just
AS would probably have been the case
had our American States in ltSS at
tempted to agree on a natlonaI poiit.
with regard to slavery. In the trans
vaal. where Dutch influence predoml-
l4ates. and wher opposition to ltritlSh
influence led to the BOer war MOI
many years ago, the or
funda mental constitution decreed lnd'
there shall forever be no equality pe-
tween white and black in church or
state. In the Orange Free state the
same conditions obtain. IN \a,al .
black man. by passing certain educa-
tiun"l and civilization tests may come
out from tribal rule and win 'he
minor privileges Of citizenship ana
uu permission of the governor, may
ht granted the suffrage. but tnat this
opportunity is more nominal tnan real
il indicated BY the fact that out OF
one million natives, only two nave re
ceived the suffrage in this way. III
Cape Colony, the last OF the 1our
South African provinces. the consul
tuition makes no formal distinctloh
between white and black; put "hiie
for fifty years blacks. by learning 70
read and write. could have acquired
the suffrage, they have taken SO NIUE
interest in citizenship that the Young
population now numbers only s,ooo IN
total population of over one mllloh.
Here then is the first great olner--
cnce between United South Africa ana
the United States of America. In the
United states we have national re
strictions on race policy; in South Al
RIGA, none. In the United States al
legislation must apply TO whites ana
black alike: in South Africa, regula-
tons vary for each race. sometimes
the differences are slight: IN otnei
cases they are very marked. In the
'rransvaaL. for example. MIR. Evans
told me. as have had others tell me