The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1874-11-24
WHAT PoMPEY N
THE NEGRO IN THE SOUTH.

THE NEGRO IN THE SOUTH.
THE POLITICAL ATMOSPHERE SINCE THE
-ELRCTIONS-RHE COMMENTARIES BY THE
CoLoRED voTERS-THE CIVIL RIGHTS BILL.
The correspondent of the Cincinnati Com
merciai, II. v. r., writing from Chatta-
nooga on the 18th instant, gives some
glimpses of the political feeling in the South
since the elections: "Tfeel like" said the
farmer, as he adjusted a handful of tobacco
in his mouth so he could talk, "I feel like a
big iron chest had been lifted off my breast.
L breathe freer. The clouds have parted in
the middle ofthe sky for the first time since
the war, and I see daylight ahead. I hain't
got long to live myself, but L want to leave
my children in a good government. know
nowthat the civil rights bill amt be passed,
and we be degraded to the level of the
negro. That is what L was afraid
of, for i knew it would be
the ruin of our country All the white men
in our part of the country are united on that
point, and nearly all of them voted with as.
To show you how it worked, I'll tell you of
an old neighbor of mine, who has always
voted with the republicans. But this time
he walked 40 to the polls with me and voted
the straight democratic ticket. He said he'd
been swallowing nigger-nigger in all
shapes-fOr 0years, but this last dose Con-
gress had fixed up was a little too much.
He'd vote to smash any party that said his
children must go to school with niggers and
be buried with niggerS-when they died. He
thought there was plenty of room for sepa-
rate schools and g~raveysrds, and he didn't
want so much mixing enforced by law.
n ms Sai ag she i aRs party or s that
Now, that very question was what beat
Mr.. Maynard so bad for governor. Lots of
our people like Maynard He's a smart
man; but he didn't come out strong enough
against negro equality. That's why the
white people soured ON hi@ So" "I'n tell
you what the election means" said another
gentleman, sit means that a nigger must
keep a nigger's place. We doo't mean any
harm to them here, but they mustn't try to
put On too much style. We are in favor of
them having schools, and we are willing to
pay the axes to keep them up, bat they
shaA't go to school with our children. and if
any of 'em tries it they will be apt,to get
their heads smashed. The Southern people
are the best friends the negroes have, but to
keep our good will they must not
| sling on too much style, and puff them
selves up with the thought that they are
as good as we are. Not long ago I beard a
speech made by a mighty smart man, only
he was somewhat drunk. He was speaking
away to a crowd of white men about the
civil rights bin, when in came negro jim,
his old servant. Thar comes Jim, he said
/ fright in his speech; Jim, you NAV take a
drink with me as my inferior, but III be
lid if o shall as my ekdi' For a
drunken man, he hit the nail IN the head.
If he'd been sober as a Judge he couldn't
have done better. 1t was my sentiments to
a dot. I'm willing any time to step up to
the bar and take a drink with q Niger, pro-
vided he takes off his hat and acts like q
} Niger should, but he mustn't pretend to be
/ my equal nor put on any style. I'll Sght
; for him as long as he keeps his place and
!. acts respectful to white people, but if he gets
the swell head, and thinks he's as good as
white man, then be must keep out of my
way"
TIE QUESTION.
: 1 despair of the negro ever being takei
. out of politics. The civil rights bill, tina
o hardly made a ripple in the North, was tn,
Q absorbing question in the South, and turne'
IS whole states into the hands of the democracy
u The late elections will have a quietin,
effect in the southern states, because it j
n supposed to be the death knell of the civi
rights bill-a measure that stirred up NOR
bad blood between the races than all tn
other causes combined. II that measur
does not become a law before the new Con
d gress comes in, there will be peace in tn
South, so far as the races are concerned b
If it does pass, and an attempt is made (
enforce 1t in the spirit In which it is enacted
n you may look out for trouble here, and
good deal of it. The two races can neve
live together upon terms of perfect equality
The principles of the civil rights bill ca
never be enforced in the South until on
q, race or the other is under the ground
h In Nashville / talked with several colore
, men, and the feelings among the more in
telligent of them was one of profound al
" constituent at the result of the elections i
~ the North. 1 say the more intelligent {
~ them, for those who are not intelliger
=, don't believe that the "Noi" has gone demo
cratic. You had as well try to convince
Id Christian that the God he worships has bee
v. dethroned and the evil one SET up in II
: stead, as to make the average negro belieI
that the "Nof" has gone into the hands
at the party called democratic. It was th'
TO section which gave the negro his freedom
'e, and all the rights no enjoys. He know
I'd this, IN is slow to believe that Il
~ "gov'ment" has fallen into other hand
IN The intelligent negroes, however, those WI
)f1 can read the papers Understandings, kno
OF very well what's up. They are not clamo
Gus for civil rights now, and will be sati
fed If they can without molestation ke'
n what they already have. But it is curious
:. observe the childlike faith which even Il
IN more intelligent of them have that, Grai
ck will protect them from any r~eactionary le
~islation. They suppose that Grant will no
the democrats well in hand, and not ]
them do anything serious. The possibili
zoo that Grant himself will have to get out
NJ the way TWO years nence, naruly G
vi ours to them. With them Grant
the high and mighty one, the We
personification of the government, a.
perfectly able to turn democrats out of
fice if they should come in too fast. Qui
Dol an intelligent colored man in Nashville to
led me that he was dumbfouuded by the rest
he OF the elections North. He reads the pape
=. and there are few negroes in Nashville w
III have a clearer idea of the structure of o
nd government, and the method ofgovernme
by the people than he. Yet he was so tax
aback by the result in the North that he ss
he can hardly believe it yet. "I expect
led Tennessee would go the way she did,"
ba said, "butI never thought that the dem
Gratis would get any of them big northe
a states. 1t looks as though we