Weekly Trinity journal., 1874-09-05
A WAR OF RACES

The telegraph brings ominous threat
enings ia reference to the condition of
affairs in the Southern States, and it is
not impossible that some Of these threat
enings will come to fulflment ere the
Fall elections in the different States are
through with. That an effort will be made
to unite the white population under one
political standard seems highly probable,
and the danger is, that failing to secure
the avowed object of this movement in a
legal way, a resort to force will be had
and reign Of terroe inaugurated which
will arouse the worst passions Of both ra
ces, and fill that unhappy section Of our
country with scenes of horror before
which the condition from which it has
just emerged will pale to insignifcance.
No one will question but the condition
of affairs in many Of the Southern States
calls loudly for change. That this is
the case is due, perhaps, as much to the
whites as to the negroes. Numerically,
in all the States but one or two the white
population is in the majority and could,
had il been actuated by the right spirit,
controlled the political situation in nearly
every Southern State. The trouble was
that the dominant class among the whites
refused to accept the consequences Of
their acts and recognise the state Of af-
fairs which really existed. Northern
men who had came South at the conclu-
sion Of the war, were still regarded in the
light Of enemies who, having conquered
the soil, now came to usurp the places OF
the rightful owners. Men of Southern
birth whose sympathies had been with
the Union cause, were looked upon with
still less favor. The one was classed as
carpet -baggers," the other as scala
wags." i was looked upon as beneath
the dignity Of true Southern gentleman
to associate with either, and like feeling
regned among the members Of his fam
ily. This was not the welcome the new
Dcomers had right to expect. Many of
them had immigrated to become in good
faith citizens of the respective States to
identify themselves with, and bring all
their efforts to aid in the renewed devel-
opment of the country. That these class
es Of men acted in unison with the ne
groes in political matters, is due to the
fact that it became a necessary measure
Of self-protection. They were compelled
to join political fortunes with the negroes
or submit to rule which should be OPP
pressive alike to them and their colored
allies. The whites, seeing themselves
outnumbered, generally gave up the con-
troll Of local affairs into the hands of the
other party, or, if opposition was made,
and the Conservatives took part in
the elections, it was frequently accom-
panied by acts of violence toward the col
ored voters which no mere abuses of gov
ernmental power could justify and that
dissipated the sympathy which might
otherwise have been accorded their efforts
to secure change in the ministration of
their local affairs. 1t is, then, no matter
for wonder, that when the loyal whites
and negroes were compelled to act togeth-
er, or submit to the rule of those whose
chief aim would be to drive out the one
and oppress the other, and that whore
the bulk Of the successful party was made
up Of Ignorant negroes, easily swayed by
selfish men upon whose friendship they
thought they could rely, that a system of
corruption obtained IN the local admins
trations which brings free government
into contempt. And, ifa change can be
brought about through the peaceful me-
dunn of the ballot box, by an untram-
meled expression of the voters, such a re-
suit would be hailed with delight by good
mon Of all parties. But if-as is darkly
hinted at by some Of the Southern jour
mails and openly proclaimed by others
the elections are to be carried for the
whites, By any means, then those who
resort to violence to carry their aims may
find themselves farther from the accomp-
lishment than ever.
If the threatened "war Of races" is in
augurated, it will be folly to attempt to
make the civilized world believe that it
was precipitated by the colored race
Ignorant we know it to be, but patient
withal, as the docility with which it has
borne the horrors of two centuries of sla-
very is ample proof. In the scenes of
bloodshed Of which the South has been
the theater on several occasions since the
conclusion Of peace, it has been concus-
lively proven that the whites were almost
Invariably the aggressors. A better way
would be for the Southern people to rec
ognize the situation as it Iealiy is-to give
the colored race its rights of citizenship
without murmur, and endeavour to ed
ucate it up to its duties. Such a course
would bring about return of good gov
eminent sooner than resort to violence
and intimidation, as appears to be the
programme at the present time.