r of
fire by night and pillar of cloud by day shall be property, economy,
education, and Christian character. To us just now these are the
wheat, all else the chaff. The individual or race that owns the
property, pays the taxes, possesses the intelligence and substantial
character, is the one which is going to exercise the greatest control
in government, whether he lives in the North or whether he lives in
the South.

I have often been asked the cause of and the cure for the riots that
have taken place recently in North Carolina and South Carolina.[1] I
am not at all sure that what I shall say will answer these questions
in a satisfactory way, nor shall I attempt to narrow my expressions to
a mere recital of what has taken place in these two States. I prefer
to discuss the problem in a broader manner.

[1] November, 1898.

In the first place, in politics I am a Republican, but have always
refrained from activity in party politics, and expect to pursue this
policy in the future. So in this connection I shall refrain, as I
always have done, from entering upon any discussion of mere party
politics. What I shall say of politics will bear upon the race problem
and the civilisation of the South in the larger sense. In no case
would I permit my political relations to stand in the way of my
speaking and acting in the manner that I believe would be for the
permanent interest of my race and the whole South.

In 1873 the Negro in the South had reached the point of greatest
activity and influence in public life, so far as the mere holding of
elective office was concerned. From that date those who have kept up
with the history of the South have noticed that the Negro has steadily
lost in the number of elective offices held. In saying this, I do not
mean that the Negro has gone backward in the real and more fundamental
things of life. On the contrary, he has gone forward faster than has
been true of any other race in history, under anything like similar
circumstances.

If we can answer the question as to why the Negro has lost ground in
the matter of holding elective office in the South, perhaps we shall
find that our reply will prove to be our answer also as to the cause
of the recent riots in North Carolina and South Carolina. Before
beginning a discussion of the question I have asked, I wish to say
that this change in the political influence of the Negro has continued
from year to year, notwithstanding the fact that for a l