The Anderson daily intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson, S.C.) 1914-1915, 1914-06-03

College at the recent conference for
education in the south held at I.onis-
Vile. KY
In order 10 discuss intelligcntly the
tenant problem In the south. one finds
II Impossible to do SO without discuss
Ing at the same time. The race prob
lem
Nearly half OF the farm lands In
S0nth Carolina are IN the hands of
negro farmers, as tenants or share
troopers. A condition similar to this
exists in most of the southern states,
though the percentage is not generally
AZ great. Considering this situation,
II Is plain that no people can afford
to have one half or even one-fourth of
all their farm lands in the hands of Il
class OF people unskillcd in the care
OF land or the production of profit
from II. When We consider that ev-
cry acre Of farmcd land that does not
produce Il paying crop means so much
loss to the wealth of Il state or a sec
ton. we realize that the state of af-
fairs now existing is intolerable
But We have the negro here and
we slail always have him here There
are 100000 Of him in the south to-
day, nearly onn-third of our total pop
ulatiOn. We can no, get him Off of
our lands; now. and we shall never he
able to get him off, not for many.
many years at any rate. Let us get
that settled in our minds at once and
allow ii to give us no further concern
Ii is only the sh0rt-siglited man in
the south who talks Of getting rid of
the negroes.
What Is tO he Done.
What. therefore, is the logical
course for our people to take? We
have Oh our hands and our lands an
enormous number OF ignorant negro
farmers. who are there. so far as we
can tell now, to stay. TO sensible.
logical people. the only answer is that
we must make the negro a better far
mer. Just here l desire to say that
] shall not discuss this question from
the humanitarian standpoint. but from
the white mans standpoint. And so
ray. we must make the negro bet
ter farmer. not IL you please, because
humanitarian principles demand 1t of
us, but i'll order to protect and bene-
fit ourselves and our children.
In making the negro Il better farmer
i'' going to mean educating him, let us
educate him.. If it means renting our
lands to him for term of years, let us
rent him our lands for q term Of years.
IL It means giving him cheaper mon
cy and not endeayoring to squeeze out
of him unsuriOusly every dollar that
we can. let us give him cheaper mon
ey. If i: means treating the negro
fairly and honestly let us be :air and
honest with him And since believe
that making the negro betteS farmer
Will require these four changes of at
fltndc on the part of our people. shall
limit myself to discussing these four
things I'm the order in which l have
Eane,l them, which l believe to be the
logical order of the negro farmers
betiermcnt at the hands of our white
people.
Relieves in Education.
have always Believed in negro edu-
cation. have heard it said, and be-
, lieve 1t To be true. that you can knock
a man down and keep him down by sit
ting on him. But just as long as
you sit on him you will be unaolc to
get up yourself. This seems to ME
to be our situation with respect to The
negro. Those who oppose educa ing
the negro on the ground that it n "a, Vt
lead 10 something like social eQua ,ty
4 OF an attempt at 1t. can hold the ncgro
down SO long as they wish to. But
they have to stay down with him. The
wisdom Of the sages and the expert
ence Of the ages assure lis beyond cav
Hot T. l@x~
community no matter in what portion
of the community ignorance may exist.
The south can never achieve its des-
tiny until 1t has reduced its present
enormous percentage OF illiteracy. 1t
can never do this until it educates its
negroes.
When the white people Of the south
squnrely face the fact that they will
have to educate the negro and leave off
quibbling about it. much of our prob
lem will have been solved. do not
believe In giving him the same educa-
: tion. that white child receives. This
would not be practicable, anyway, he.
& cause of his, at this time. inferio1 or
der of intellect. But educate him in
the ru6iments of culture. train him to
{: do uEeful work inculcate in him the
fundamental of right living, make him
by practical and sensible means. de-
cent citizen.
The next point wish to make is.
: tilut in or,ier &c make The negro Il bet
ter farmer we shall have to make
radical changes in our present tenan.
s system. At present our lands are be-
y ing robbed Of their fertility and future
useful1ess by shiftless. short-term
tenants to whom we have offered no
Inducements to improve our lands.
Why should he improve the land he