Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1876-09-16
PATRIOTIC LETTER.
Words OF WisdOm-Facts for COlOred
Men TO POnder-What Rev. j. w.
Dunjee (COIOred) Has TO Say.

Rsv. J. w. Duniee, q prominent col
| Ored citizen of r chmond, Virginia, has
addressed q long letter to his race, from
! which we make the following extract:
There never was time when the fact
'nore clearly perceived and felt that
was 1sGes-the coIorcd numbering
the two =. and the whites eight mil
four miIliO- I'VE together within the
Iion-have to T. ~Nn southern States /;
limits OF the sixL, Norsl, intellect
and that tneir highesU = depend on
usI and physical we'll bsl... -dEnizs in
the fact that both shall baI. each
their respective spheres, SO tina. i'll
may attain the greatest progress,
these re spects, to which their race is ca
pable. We believe, after ten years
experience, that this can best be at
tained by the colOred people ceas-
ing to antRgOnize the white
race in their political campaigns,
and m anitesting that confidence po.
liticaiIy in them which they daily
manifest toward them IN their business
relations. We see constantly that col
ored men trust most implicitly the
whites in vital matters appeftaining to
their contracts for labor, by which they
and their families are supp. RED. Why,
therefore, shOuld We nJt equally trust
them about our political matters, which
are far inferior ln their bearing On our
well.beiDg? five answer candidly " by
this want OF confidence in political
matters, we must say, il our judgment,
il is due to the fact that our political
suides and associates, mostly trom the
north, have persistently instilsd in the
! minds OF the coloTed people the idea II
the Democratic party obtain power that
! the amendments TO the Federal
| constitution and tins guarantees OF
| the States in behalf of freedom
would be repealed, and that We would
| be puJ back in slavery. This has placed
the colored people politically more
/ in antsgOnism to the southern whites,
and rendered their minds mOre suscspt-
| ible to all forms Of imposition at the
haUds of the carpetbsg element than all
4 other cause S combined. The experience,
1 however, Of Conservative or Democratic
ascsndancy, in the last six or seven
wears, in most of the southern Stales, is
| causing the scales of prejud &C and error
to fall very rapidly from Ouf eyes, and,
so far from placing our rights in jeopsr-
| dy, we are rapidly learning that cur per-
| sOnaI security seems to be only assured
to US where m 1t party hos control IN
the south. We begin, further, to see
that such dire result as putting four
mi lion OF people back intOsOondage is
n, IT even desired by tne larger class Of
sop thern whites, il they could acc 'm'
pJish it. In fact, the public sentiment
of all civilized nations would be utterly
| hostil g to it, if it should be desired by
/ the southern whites, backed up by tn;
! northern people. In regard to the four
I.teenth amendment, which gives to th'
| southern States Ome thirteen or fourteen
more members Of cOngft ss, and, by con
sequence, the same number IN th'
electoral college, more than they woulC
have without it; the southern whites
controlling this additional politics
power would be less willing therefore Il
see it repealed than the northern peopl
themselves, for by means Of this the.
msy now and for all time to come deter
mihe the Presidential struggle, or con
tinue their present sscendsncy IN tn
! house of representatives. And as mean
for such an end, we know by the pas
I that they will never willingly surrende
I il. Taese views and this experience
/ rapidly preparing the minds of the col
ored people, or At least the more intell1
( gent Of them, to aid the southern white
TO obtain control Of the southern States