Page:The Afro-American Press.djvu/513

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THE ANGLO-SAXON PRESS.
505

to see you join the great mass of laboring people, working foe the commercial greatness of the country. In your efforts to widen the field of your race, in diversifying the industries in which to participate, you will assist the material progress of the state." The reader will pardon us for not further indulging in these cheering expressions from our Northern friends. We wish to turn your face Southward and consider the men's view of us with whom the mass of us live. What our former masters have to say complimentary to us will be read with interest. We are satisfied that the Sumner, Garrison and Phillips spirit still pervades the North.

In the South, there is a considerable portion of the white population who are friendly to the Afro-Americans, and they are people of wealth and of the best blood. They are too intellectual and aristocratic to be so silly as to worry themselves about a people who are two hundred and fifty years behind them in the race of life. They believe in helping the Afro-Americans to a higher civilization and letting them climb the ladder if they will. Among these is the Hon. Joseph E. Brown, U. S. Senator from Georgia. In an address before the Senate, in advocacy of the Blair bill, the senator uttered these words: "A grave problem arises here for solution. They must be educated; but we are not able to educate them. ·········· During the period of slavery it was not our policy to educate them; it was incompatible, as we thought, with the relation existing between the two races. Now that they are citizens, we all agree that it is policy to educate them. As they are citizens, let us make them the best citizens we can. I am glad to see that they show a strong disposition to do every thing in their power for the education of their children. ·········· I confess I have better hopes of the race for the future