THE RACE PROBLEM. 273 



which, since he has found out better, he neither needs nor wants. The 

 negro at that time followed willingly the lead of these fellows, because 

 he had no one else to follow, politically. The white people of the South 

 ignored him politically, and hated him, because he followed those whom 

 they knew to be enemies of good government. Under such circum-^ 

 stances, the negro was easily led to believe that his old master was his 

 worst enemy, and would again enslave him if he could, though when he 

 would get into trouble or business complications of any kind, the first 

 man to whom he would apply for advice and counsel would be his old 

 master, who would almost invariably give him the best advice, and very 

 often protect and defend him in his business affairs. 



Thus the two races lived for several years after the war. As years 

 passed on, the negro found that the promises of the politician were 

 made only to be broken. When this dawned upon him, he at once 

 began to rely upon himself, and from that day he began to make prog- 

 ress. He realized the fact that, if he was ever independent and happy, 

 he would have to educate himself and acquire property. 



All the Southern States have public school systems. The whites and 

 blacks are required to attend separate schools, though the black child 

 receives the same amount of public school fund that the white child does. 

 In my own State Georgia the colored children receive more money, 

 in the way of public school funds, than the whole colored population in 

 that State pays taxes of every kind ; therefore they do not contribute 

 anything toward supporting the State government. This statement will 

 doubtless appear strange to those who are unacquainted with the facts, 

 and have only heard the demagogue's side of the question. However, 

 an honest investigation among the white and colored farmers (and they 

 constitute a large majority of the population) will reveal many such 

 facts. 



The negroes are making a heroic effort to educate the rising genera- 

 tion, and will send their children to school, when the public schools are 

 opened, whether they have anything to eat and wear or not. They will 

 make any kind of sacrifice to send their children to school. 



A great mistake has been made, and doubtless thousands of honest 

 people have formed erroneous opinions in regard to the relations of the 

 great masses of the two races in the South, basing their opinions upon 

 the reports of riots and other disturbances in the towns and cities, in 

 which, nine times out of ten, no one took any part except a few worth- 

 less negroes, who generally work by the day at some public work, and a 

 few drunken white men, who lounge around the saloons and street 

 corners, and whittle goods boxes. I have never heard of a race riot or 



