Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1872-06-28

nave tllltS Decit enabled TO assume unmef-
rited Importance aTAese.@aaaeaaz have
only assumed superiority over those who
differ with them, but NOW seek to iintimi
date and GEORGE them. They speak of the
cOlored people as ignorant, depraved, vi
cious, idle and dangerous, and OF the white
people who support the Government as
meaner than the colOred men. In the res
olutions adopted at their public meetings,
and il their speeches, they declare that
those that differ with them, whether white
or black, shaiF be prescribed in social as
well as business relations. In one of their
public meetings, lately held III CasWell
county (Which was of like character with
most of the meetings held in other co,ln-
ties, and is designated only for convenience
in which seXefaEsofthe most distinguished
men in the State spoke, one. of the resolu-
tons declares in substance, that they would
not employ labofers who differed with them
in politics, and one OF the distinguished
speakers said g We have the land and we
have the houses, and We have the meat,
and We mean TO control the next election"
We desire to call attention to the dangers
which these men are provoking upon the
country. We do not. question the legal
right Of any man to employ whom he
pleascs, or not TO employ at all. We do
not deny that if poor man come to our
door in the cold and storm Of night, we
have the right to deny him admittance.
But if he perish before morning, whether
we would not, in the sight Of God, be
mrlrderers is another question. There are
i'll North Carolina about 100000 of
human beings, but not one person in twenty
in the State OWNS land. Have these few
the moral right TO say to the many, we
own the world which God made, and you
shall not live in it ? 'In the sweat of thy
IL,
that we may say that if d man will not
work neither shall le eat; but have we
the right to say that he shall neither work
nor eat :: ..f.-
Ten years ago what would have been
considered more disreputable than to at
tempt to briba OF intimidate voter? But
now it is everywhere a matter Of boasting
that ''We have the land, and the houses
and the meat, and we will make the poor
vote as We please. Again, We say, We wish
you to consider lot only the gross immor-
ality but the terrible dangers which such a
course is calculated to provoke. What is
to be tie end Of all this? If the voters
submit TO be Inundated and the many
agree to vote with the few, through conf
pulsiol, the effect viii be to destroy the
freedom CT elections and to change the re-
public to an Oligarchy. But suppose these
voters do not choose to submit to be i'll
timidatcd' Suppose they conclude that
their rights and liberties are in danger, and
that the object Of those who seek to i'll
timidate or Coerce, IS to opplcss and enslave
them, and to make them heWeIs OF wood
! and drawers OF water, and that their safety
consists in their independence ana demands
resistance? When you tell them that they
shall not till the soil TO make their bread
suppose they say we are obliged to make
Il IL:
| When yCt. tell them that they shall not
| have shelter from the cold, suppose they
determine that neither shall you have a
! shelter from the cold. When YOU tel
them they shall not have meat, suppose
| they tell You that they are willing to work
but that they are not willing to starve.-
| What may all this come to? Does the
| hist DRY OF the world furnish lis no lessons
! of the masses driven to desperation by op
| preston" Is our society in condition tC
| bc awayCG, one class against another
| Did you ever hear / multitude cry fol
| bread? Such scenes have been confined
to the oppressed of the old world, but a:
often rs such cry has been heard, property
and life have gone down before it.
s Have you, who threaten thus to intimi
date and coerce, thought well, or have yot
thought at all Of the dangers YOU are pro
| VOking upon yourselves and upon the
! country? Iou say that the cOlOred mcl
are ignorant, depraycd, vicious, idle all,
| dangerous. Suppose that be true, Wha
then? You will admit that they are il
/ considerable numbers, and i'll many local.
! ties they are the najOriLics. If they are Il:
You say they are, why is it that their vii
lainies have not everywhere exhibited
| themselves? Why sit that your property
! aud lives have been safe Why is it tina
! van Slnn. CaIinRI,r nf pi.rI,t y THhiC u-o,I
not be the case if you were surrounded
only with deSpeIadocs. II these people
| are bad men, and yet DO no harm, may i
not be because of some good influences cX
crossed over them? Have you exercise,
| any good influences over them? You
complaint is that you have no influence u
| all. They do not vote for you nor Will
you. You DO not otter to be their candi
! date, nor ask tor their votes. on say
they shall not vote at AZ. Yet somebody
! or something docs exercise 4 Good innu
ence. Can it be the white men who ac
with them, and who are so bitterly de
nounced by you rs mcancr than the col
Orcd men themselves" And while you
have been abusing those who treat the
| colorcd men generously, and are willing
to act with them politically, did it never
occur 20 you that these same men have
been and may still be in some measure
| your protection and your defence ? 1t may
be that those whites whom you abuse sc
| much for acting with the COlOrcd men pO-
| litically, have exercised, and desire only tC
| exercise Il wholesome influence, and
| neither you, nor your wives. nor VOlu
children may know how much you are in
debted to them for the good Ordc~ and
safety OF society.
All the cOlOred men and mean whites
| are against you, you say, and they are
| more numerous than you and yet you
| provoke them with all your power of hard
| words. And now you threaten that YOU
| have the lands and they shall not make
| their bread, unless they vote with you, and
that yOI. have the houses and they shall
not live III them, unless they vote with you;
and That you have The meat and that they
shall lot eat it, unless they vote with you
and that they have 10 live by their labor,
| and that yOu will not employ them unless
they vote with YOU; and that they shall
quit your service, though they have not
bread for tomorrow to keep their children
from starving, unless they vote with you.
This is not aimed at cOlOred men alone,
but at all white men who live by their
labor.
Did it Lever occur to YOU, We gentlemen
OF education, property and character, to
you, ye men and especially We women, who
never received anything from these colorcd
people, but services, kindness and plotec-
tion-uid it never occur to you, that these
same people, who arc so very bad, will not
be willing to sleep in the cold, when your
houses are denied them, merely because
they will not vote as you do ? That they
may not be willing to starve, while they
are willing to work for bread ? Did it
never occur to you that revenge, which is
SO sweet to you, may be as sweet to them ??
Hear us, if nothing else You will hear, did
1t never occur to you, that # you kill their