New national era. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1870-1874, 1872-08-22
Letter from NOs Ill Carolina.

NEwBERN, August ), 1872.
TO the Editor Of the Nep National Era:
DEAR SIR: have never had the pleasure
Of your acquaintance, nor have ever heard
you speak but have heard so much OF you
all my life that feel quite free to write you
on q subject in which we are mutually inte-
rested, viz: the present political situation.
And here let me tell you how Republicans
throughout our section are grieved and sur
prised at Mr.. Summers letter. How can it
be possible for him to be deceived as he is by
the delusion under which he appears to be
laboring, that the rebels are any less rebels
or the Democrats any less Democrats. They
hate Republicans of either color with hatred
as bitter as can be conceived, and now since
our cause looks dark and the Democrats think
they have won, their threats against us are
loud and deep. Yet these do not equal their
curses Of the colored people. They are so
excited and jubilant that all caution seems
to have deserted them. Deacon Slade, a
prominent Baptist and considered pious
man, told Mr.. Lehman yesterday, that 1.-THE
Republican party must be put down ; it loved
the niger too much, and there would be no
comfort living here until he was taught his
place that he would not allow Horace Gree
ley to enter his house, but would vote for him
as an act of duty to get his party in power.'
Elijah Ellis, another prominent man, said to
me, that ''if Greeley did not carry out the
policy of Southern Democrats they would
knock him in the head"
These are only some OF the expressions of
good men. What do you suppose the I'm.
righteous say and do? Why, now that they
are victorious, they talk of crushing us under
their heel, making Carolina too hot for us,
SC. We are carpet-basgers, the much des-
been but few Republicans South outside Of
the colored race. My husband and family
came here in '57, have been property holders
all the time at Edenton, and came into the
Federal lines after Newbern was taken.
Many carpet-baggers have done wrong, but
so have many Democrats, as illustrated in
the frauds in this State. but we think our
ranks have been cleaned out and only good,
reliable men remain to aid in the good work.
We have been hated more by Southerners,
because they imagined until lately that we
led the colcrcd people, and, in fact, we our
selves have oycrrated our influence. We
find that, should every white Republican
leave Grant and vote for Greeley, they would
not carry one colored voter. They feel sor-
~ that Mr.. Sumner has gone back of his
party; sorry Mr.. Greeley and he can be so
deceived by the rebels. They (the colored
people) living here know the real animus of
their former masters toward them. How,
now they find they will not vote for Greeley,
their hatred is deeper than ever; they call
them brutes and all sorts of epithets the
ladies, especially, threaten them, and they
would be foolish indeed to listen to Mr.. Sum-
ner's advice, when they know he cannot
realize the situation or their condition as they
knosc it to be. God is leading them 1t is GER
tain. They are as steadfast as the noun
tains, and never, while they can prevent it,
will a rebel with his present feeling have the
power to make laws to protect them.
Said the Rev. Long, in our parlor last
night, "They are not above the brute, and
tell you, sir, they will relapse into barba-
rism, and before ten years you will hear them
preaching about man named Jesus Christ,
who came from Massachusetts" Said he
1--WE will elect Mr.. Greeley by an over
whelming majority, and predict this, and you
may live to see it. We had no other resource
than to take Mr.. Greeley as popular man
at the North until we get control Of the
Government. Mr.. Greeley will want to hold
on to the niger; he will split with his party
and still hold on to the niger. We will le-
gislate in the different States to crcumvent
him as much as we can. At the expiration
Of his term we will elect a Democrats
Southemer-and mark my words, in less
than eight years the negro will be colonized
in Africa, where would to God he was now,
for there will never be peace in this country
while he is here. He prevents emigration,
keeps us poor, and our country will never
equal the North in prosperity as long as he is
among US. Therefore say it, and SO do all
of our Southern thinking men and the first
thing to be done is to do away with him, he
is ungrateful, selfish, inhuman, and cannot
be made anything Of"
asked Mr.. Long if he and his compeers
were any nearer the Republican party's prn-
ciples than before the nomination of Mr..
Greeley. He answered, "Not a whit; Mr..
Sumner could not write differently from
among his constituents, but he knows we
never could be Republicans or any less
Southern in our views and feelings. Mr..
Sumner knows the mission of the Repub.
lican party is ended, and he sees there is no
further use for it, therefore he it is who
abandOns it and not we who embrace
its tenets." Mr.. Long thus expressed himself
in the heat Of debate with Mr.. Lehman
They commenced about State rights, which
Mr.. Long says they will persist in until the
end Of time, and Mr.. Lehman being better
debater than Mr.. Long, for the reason tina
he keeps cool and in this case had right or
his side, drew from him his real views, anc
that OF most of the prominent men in tn,
State. They are carrying on a huge game
They laugh among themselves about the
reconciliation dodge, as if they could evel