The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1874-09-11
a WAR OF THE RACES
81. Louis Christian Advocate.

81. Louis Christian Advocate.
!, The situation in the South, whicI
tor The last six months has been as
Stunning. q most serious aspect {,
thoughtful men, has become alarm
4 ing. LaWlessRess seems about t,
lfDecome the rule. Threats that havl
had such an air of buster, we werl
disposed to treat them lightly, hay.
be'sli put into executions, and the re-
ul' ILLS the public mind with dread
inl forebodings. Make whatever
: allowance we may for the highly
colored aud preindiced statement
from both parties to this unWise
t.d unnaiuraI strife, no one can
doubt that systematic effort is be-
ing made to defraud the freedman
, OF tlteir rights as citizens. The tone
of The Southern papers is not to be
mistaken, nor indeed can their Ian
guage be understood with any other
Interpretation. -. e
There are States in the South in
which misrule has gained such head
way, thar to hot-headed men des-
peratc remedies seem a necessity.
Unprincipled politicians have taken
advantage of the bad feeling of the
whites toward the blacks, and, se-
Icurlng political power, pursued q
policy that meets with almost uni
versal condemnation. Bat the most
of these Outrages have been commit
led in States where coIored people
are not III the majority. In Tennes!
see, few days ago, woman was
murdered for no other offense than
teaching 8 negro school. In the
same State, last week, more than
half score of negroes were lynch.
ed Is. a bof white men. In Tex.
! as, like outrages are perpetrated.
| but chiefly on whites, whose onlv
| crime is that they are from the
North and have shown sympathy
for the blacks. But in these states
the "white mans government" of
which we hear so much foolish talk,
has political control. One cannot
shut his eyes to the fact that with
scarcely an exception the negroes
are the sufferers in these conflicts.
They have neither fair play nor
mercy accorded them. Their crime
is that they are q despised race
whom the results of civil war have
clothed with civil rights which their
AOA A1ICA Auo5lCES HdHC
they shall not enjoy.
The cry Is that war of the races
is an inevitable result of the new
condition in the South. The mean.
ing plainly is that we will extermi-
nate the enfranchised freedmen
rather than let them share equal DO.
litical rights. This is the tenor of
nearly all that we hear from the
South even those who seem to bear
no hatred to the freedmen are con-
stantly assuring us that the two
races cannot live together in harmo-
ny, since the black has become q cit.
izen. The most charitable sugges.
ton that has been put forth from
writers of this class is that they
should be colonized as the Indians
are, or be forced to emigrate to
Mexico or South America. This
indisposition to treat an inferior
race, as they are called, with Justice
is the main difficulty in the way of
a peaceful solution of the question
of the races. Before the war South
ern politicians were unanimous in
declaring that the abolition of slav-
cry would be followed by the most
direful results. 1t was asserted that
the negro was a savage, with no
other instincts. And many in the
North believed it on their testimo-
ny. But emancipation did not bring
outrage and rapine az it had been
prophesied. The agricultural pro-
duction of the South since the war
is an answer to the assertion that
the negro will not work. The de-
posts in the Freedman's Savings
banks make favorable comparison
with the thrift of whites of the Ia
boring class. They have diligently
sought to acquire education and Sc
cure homesteads. The like cannot
be shown of any other race thrust
out of slavery into freedom as they
were. --Es
Men who exercise their reason
will not believe that such q people
cannot live with any other race that
is willing TO deal Justly with them.
If the South has seemed to lack the
sympathy of the North in their
struggle with misrule. 1t is because
of this determination to defraud the
negro of his civil rights. How else
can they understand all this CRY
about "white mans government"
the organization of white Leagues"
and these outrsges on the colored
race and their friends. The North
is scarcely less interested in the |
prosperity of the South than the
citizens of that portion of the coun.
try. They have contributed liber-
ally to all in the education of the
freedmen with no other thought |
than their elevation as citizens. Why
should their efforts be looked upon
with suspicion? They have shown
Willingness to contribute their
capital aud labor to develope the
resources of the Southern States
why shonld they be driven back
with threats of violence and Assas-
sination? The antagonism is not
of race. 1t is the old leaven of slav-
cry, and with this the best men of
the Nortl: have no sympathy. They
will not permit o "War or races"
without better evidences that it has
not its only grounds in the injus-
tioe of those who call themselves
the superior race.