The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1879-05-22
ABUSE OF THE NEGRO.

The North is h.orbdly sensitive on
the subject of the Sonth's treatment Of
the negro, and mnny of the papers
throughout the Northern and Western
States tccm with reports Of all the unfor.
tunatc occurrences in which the negro is
party, embellishing by addition or
otherwise such portions of the tales AS do
not come up to the necessary standard Of
horror. We expect this course from the
Republican r.e-s, but 1t is a matter of no
little a-tonishnent to nnd n pnpcr so well
Informed and usually so sensible as the
New York UernM taking an active part
in the repetition and nagnilicaton Of
these occurrences. In recent issue it
says:
| Nobody will find it difficult To under
| stand tl.e negro exodus who will take the
pains to watch from day TO day for n
month only the chronicles Of 0utragcs
inflicted upon negroes or perSOns who
| s.mpthize with them which find their
| way into the newspapers in various party
of the country. Since the rcdb0t repub-
lican leaders & ndoncd "iho bloody
shirt" rs an unsatisfactory standard no.
| body has been 1T special pains to gnther
up and report ut large these painful sto-
| rics, and such Of them as see the light
come out rather by accident than other
| wise and somewhat against the grain, save
in the rare cases in which they are told
| with cxultation as if it were heroic for
n mob 20 discipline some frightened
wretch with bludgeons and firearms. Be-
cause they are not cnllcd for the pur-
pose reports of this nature present safer
| picture of the life the colorcd men lead
| in the South than could be otherwise
! drawn. Perhaps we hear of one of these
stories for hundred that happen, and il
| one in mere recital produces painful
| impression at IL distance how much the
hundred act upon the minds of the poor
creatures who are the victims The story
OF an incident in Arkansas, told in the
| /Irr"M yesterday, is n characteristic one,
and proves that there are no authorities
in that State with energy or courage
enough to face the rullianly opinion that
believes it proper to deal with the negro
| rs il he were wild beast As that
opinion exists in the South-;S there are
no authorities thyt can prevent its sub.
sttution for the lnw-thc negro acts on.
y upon ordinary human impulses in his
effort to get away.
Such articles as this from the Hcraii
are doing the South very great injury
both materially and politically. There
are unfortunate instances of violence to-
wards negroes by white men in the South,
but they are not sustained by law nor are
they supported by public opinion. 1t is
| also true that there are more cases of vio-
lcncc between whites than of whites to-
wards negroes, and also more instances
OF violence towards whites by negroes
than of violence to negroes by white per-
| SONS. In many instances where white
persons are violent towards negroes i: is
in sclf-dcfensc, but there are also some
outrageous cases which are disgraccful to
our country and are universally regret
ted by our people, and when tile guilty
parties are cnught mcritcd punishment
is inflicted. These cases, however much
to be regretted, are no worse than hun.
drcds which occur through the North
and West, not with negroes, because they
are not there, but with the very class OF
population which most nearly approaches
to our colored population. II the North
and West would look little nearer at
home it might he of service to them.
We of the South realize the misfortune
of more lawlessness than we ought to
have, and are using vigilant efforts to
suppress it. If the North succeeds MS
we'll ia the South has done, and will con-
tinue to do, it will have cause for graft
tude. The color question ought to have
nothing to do with crime. The true test
of the relative lawlessness of the sections
is the whole amount Of crime in each.
Morally and before the law il is as great a
crime to kill negro IA To kill n whit.
man, but it is not greater crime and
therefore until the North can stop the
killing of men in her States, the press
would do well to mOraize little on mat
tcrs mt home Us we'll rs to spend the time
in prating about distant subject of
which they know little or nothing. In
the meantime we Of the South ought to
strive to remove entirely this cause of
censure by rigidly enforcing the law ire
spec.ive of race or color Men of all
races should be made to realize that
crime will be punished, and that neither
the great nor the humble can disobey the
laws of the government without rcaping
proper penalty therefor.
Apropos to the vetoing mood which
seems to control Mr.. Hayes at this tir,e,
it may be interesting 20 present the views
of General Zachary Taylor as expressed
on this subject by him during his candi.
dacy for the presidency. When these
sentiments were uttered, the whole coun-
try was jealous of any encroachment up
on the free institutions of the republic,
and rs Gen. Taylor was elected by a
large majority, it may be safely asserted
tina. .he sentiments he uttered on the