Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1874-11-20

hides his meanness under the signature
/ Of Justice. / want TO say to you that
have never voted q Democrat ticket.
nor did l vote with the Independent
aide in the last elections, although ] did
vote for two of the men on that ticket
L have been afraid to vote the Democrat
ticket because believed that a. soon as
they got into power they would do ev-
erything in their power to drive US from
| this country, il they did not try to do
away with the constitution that guaran-
tees TO us our freedom. But, contrary
TO nv expectation I see by the Appeal
| that the Democratic party proposes toI
guarantee to US all that u expressed in
| the constitution Of the country. 1 &C
| knowledge that we have not been treat
ed right in the Republican party, but Il
was by the Republican party that
We were guaranteed our freedom, and
| 1t was by the Republican party
that we have always been made to be-
| lieve that we were entitled to all the
rights OF American citizens under the
laws. And 1 am glad TO see that the
1 Appeal has taken such bold stand IN.
our defense against the assaults Of such
people as those who sign their names
Justice, and here take the occasion to
say that il the Democratic party viii
guarantee to US our rights under the law
/ it will have the effect to draw a large
majority and the most intelligent Of the
colored people to your support. be-
lieve, sir, II you will give uH this assur-
ance, it will do more towards elevatng
our race than anything that has ever
been done for US since we were emanci-
pated. But if the privilege Of attending
public schools is taken from us, we will
have harder tin1e in getting an eduea-
| ton, because you know it Is as much as
majority OF our people can do to spare
| the time to go school, let alone the
money to pay for our schooling. A ma
| iority OF the children that attend the
schools now nave to do service to pay
for their board and clothes. 1 can appre-
ciate the benefits of the public schools, be-
cause received my education at these
schools, and 1 know what benefit they
have been to me, and II | had had to
pay for my tuition it would have been a
long time before l could have acquired
as much as have. 1 have heard a great
many of my race express Themselves on
the subject OF the free schools, and all Of
them agree with me that the Appeal
is doing more for our good than any
body else ever done. This e my first at
tempt at writing for a paper, and
hope you will publish it for the benefit
of my people. CoLORED MAN.
"Justiee1 Comes Again
EDITORS APPEAL-SuppOse you go
somewhat siowin your discussion of this
vexed school business. | do not mean
that YOU should withhold a single item
that will answer as argument In defense
of your position on the question, but l
am rather inclined to the opinion that
you departed from a regular line of dis
cussiOn yesterday morning when you
honored my opinions with 90 much OF
your attention. However, for the sake Of
getting my views ven tilated through they
columns OF the APPEAL-a paper | once ,
entertained the utmost respect for, /
though 1 haYe not always Endorsed its /
teachings-I guess I viii have to endure
it, and console myself as did the show
man when his educated donkey nearly !
kicked all the stuffing out of his keeper T,
during the performance Of his wonder
Nful feats-ips part of the show, you (
Know. Your limit to correspondents, as
promulgated yesterday, did not give me
an opportunity to give my views in de-
tail on the question Of educating the ne
gro, and probably il / had been ais Z
lowed to do so you cGnld not
have placed me so radically end
outrageOusly an enemy to the col /
ored people. My true position il this:
The negro was emancipated at an en0r-
nous expense to the government, TO say
nothing OF the thousands of valuable
lives sacrificed in the struggle for that
result. After this much had been done
for them by the Unite people, and inn
mediately ON the cessation OF hCs,iiili-s
between the two sections every avenue
Of trade and industry was open to them
the fields in which they had formerly
been forced to labor for their masters
were open to them a liberal wages-in
most instance on shares upon which
ordinary white men would have amassed
fortunes in a few years; schools were
opened for their express benefit, the
teachers OF which were under the direc-
ton of the Ereedmen's bureau; and
many other advantages were held up 10
them by the availnlent of which by this
time they might have truly educated
themselves and acquired a pecuuiary
position that would have forced them to
an equality politically and, with the ex-
ception Of inteTmarriage, socially with
the white man. Well, what use have
NH1ey made of ali these advantages? !
Have they availed themselves Of the
least of these advantages? You know
they have done 10 such thing,
On the contrary, they have
always made and make to this
day, rule never to work unless
compelled by actual hunger and naked
ness; the schools were closed because a |
corporaPs guard of the children in pro-
portion to population could not be in
duced to attend them; the fields were
almost universally deserted, and in the !
few instances where contracts were made /
to cultivate the cotton and sugar pauta- |
tons, as soon as the first products of the /
farm are ready for market the negro |
peTches himself upon top Of the load and |
accompanies it to the merchant, gets /
the proceeds of the sale, and never re-
turns to work until the last cent has |
been fritteFed away IN gaudy geW-gaWs /
and jmcracks, and when ne does re- !
turn it is only TO repeat the operation, /
until the frOsts Of winter drive him en- /
tirely away from the fields where his /
labor is commanding enormous prices. |
You know this is the use the negro has |
made of advantages that no other race
of people on the face CT the earth have |
ever enjoyed. And have not told half, |
nay, not One-hundredth part Of how be /
has abused his opportunities. Ii fact, |
Messr5. Editors, though it may be in /
bad taste for me to say it. think, after |
duly considering the we'll established |
fact that the negro is wholly incompe- |
tent for self-gOveTnmeUt-Is say I think /
the scheme of emancipation has proven /
failure; It is the grandest, most magul- |
hceDt failure Of the christian era. Talk /
of educating the negroi why, siTs, not a /
pickaninny in one hundred now attend /
ing the common schools would attend if /
he or his parents did not know they are /
getting something for which they have /
to make no return; If they did not know 1
that the 'lwhite trashn have to foot the |
hills through the medium of the school /
tax have no prejudice against the Ne
gro because he is black; l was educated
to the belief that all men we've bern
equal, and l have contended for the
principle until the past few years, and
say now that yield reluctantly to The
contrary, but few years spent in their
midst, careful study of their instincts,
and meeting every day vita practical
demonstrations OF the incspacify of
the negro Tor self-gOvsrnment, has
forced me to abandon a principle
for which I would have given
my life. Now, gentlemen, will admit
frankly that there are exceptions but ]
will say that the exception does not
come up to Que oHt of a thousand, and
l will say further that you will not find
one out Of thousand of the exceptions
that are pure negro. The negro is not
controlled by any moral restraints; is
possessed Of no redeeming traits; every
of respeetabilify about the
negro you will find upon close investiga-
ton is only an aping OF the white man.
You know this to be the fact, and yet .
you would extort from the white man q