Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1867-05-24
The Mobile Riot.

We publish to-day the comments OF the
leading papers of New York, the Times
and tie Hiorld, Republican and Demo
cratic Daper. upon the Mobile riot The
positions taken by each are similar to the
views we submitted yesterday. The right
of free speech none will deny and but few
would wish to prohibit. Judge KELLEY
has the same right to indulge in the free
dom of speech in Mobile that General But
LER has in New York, and the successful
efforts of rowdies, friends or foes OF the
distinguished orators, to prevent their being
heard is equally to be deprecated.
We regret that any portion of the white
citizens of Mobile should have been led
into this riot, however irritating may have
been the cause, OF however insignificant
NAV have been the character and numbers
of those engaged. Their fault, If fault 1t
was. will be visited upon the innocent, and
the citizens generally will be censured fo1
the acts of the few. Nir. GREELEY, in his
recent Richmond speech, admitted that the
Radical party owed their great victories Of
1866 to the Memphis and New Orleans riots.
and no effort will be left untried to repeat
this year similar state Of things. 1t Is
much better for cur people to allow these
political missionaries to come and go I'M
needed. than by their presence furnish al
occasion or give an excuse for disorders
and riots. The moro moderate of them say
many things calculated to wound the feel-
ings of Southern whites, and to excite and
mislead Southern blacks. 1t IS true they
do much to arouse the passions and poison
the minds of the colored people, but they
unite the whites.
The New York He1'ahd, in contendlng Tor
the right of free speech and denounc1nS
the efforts Of the Radicals to divide the
races against each other in the South, re
peats the position we have frequently taken
in reference to these questions, but we teal
that paper does not comprehend the I'M
minence or the greatness of the danger tc
the South and the whole country 1t says
s'The right Of free speech is constltu
'tionalright and must not be intefered will
"by mobs OF military, or by the natlona
Legislature itself, except in time Of war
Congressman Kelley was just as much a
elderly to speak without interruption OF
ssa all the political questions of the day, a
&c Mobile, as that literary Bohemian, Pollard
sswas to lecture upon the exploded South
"ern chivalry at Richmond. If the unre
constructed rebels do not desire to hea
"Kelleys political balderdash, they cal
{" stay away from his meetings; and If tn
sc freedmen and white radicals are unw1lln:
stto listen to Pollard, they are not com
"compelled to attend his lecture. Wheth
&c er it is wise and patriotic for the North
&c ern radicals to Overrun the South ant
g endeavor to excite the minds of the freed
"men before they are yet accustomed t.
"their new position, in the hope OF adVan
"cing their own political fortunes, is quit
"another matter Their hints at mile
confscation ; their unnecessary recount
cling of all the evils of slavery; their al
"raignment of the white population OF tn
"South for all the crimes in the calendar
"can have but one object and one result
"the political division of black and white
'sof race against race. The riots and fight
g that have marked the course of these pc
Ethical pilgrims through the Souther
Estates are indications of the seriou
trouble that may pe expected in Ithe fu
"ture, if the evil be not speedily arrested
Recent disgraceful developments sho'
"that some of them had better be at HON
s'in Massachusetts,, correcting the moral
"of the legislators of that State and the a
"dermen of Boston, than making stun
s'speeches to Southern blacks.