WHITES AND BLACKS OR THE QUESTION SETTLED 30

CHAPTER V. SHALL THE WHITE MAN AND THE NEGRO SEPARATE?

No. A thousand times no. The white man is sure to stay here, and as for the colored man, he is not only unwilling to go away, but he is unable to emigrate. It is impossible to separate the races, and time consumed in discussing the advisability of separation is time lost.

There will never be a time when all the white people will be in one country and all the black people will be in another. There may be a time when there will be such an arrangement perfected, as will allow a portion of one race to separate from the country peopled by both, but such a thing as freeing the United States of Negroes or white people entirely can never be accomplished. Certain persons will, of course, from time to time, elect to leave the United States, but there will be no sending of persons, white or black, out of the country by force of legislation.

In my talk with a newspaper man, the following was said in answer to the question: “What do you think of colonizing the Negroes?"

Where are you going to send them? There is no place worth having, from a money and health standpoint, but what is already partly occupied by white people. Of course there is no such thing as legislating the colored people out of the country until there has been a repeal of the fifteenth amendment to the Constitution. Until that is done, it is foolish to even talk about colonizing my race, for the government, under the present law, can appropriate no money for such a purpose, and because at present we are full fledged citizens, and can do as we please about going or staying.