American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1879-08-16

not 50 al tuc tliIic, 10 o"ihS "hO'y
to the work of demagOgues and
who wilfully stir up
strife, thinking that whoever may
suffer. they have nothing to lose,
and all to gain, by revelations.
Fourth. Then what is the best
course for the colored people to pnr-
sue in order to avoid rupture, and
to cement the friendly feelings that
always characterize our relations,
except in times of political excite
ments We will tell them: Let |
politics alone. You have not yet
become educated, as class, up to
a point where you can understand
the intricate workings and far
reaching effects of governmental
machinery. Ifyou must vote, heed
the advice of the wisest and most
respected of the whites. Reject the
impassioned appeals of blatant dem
agogues OF your own color, aud the
insidious ISLANDERS OF alien Iagos, to
whom, like Ames, "the blood OF
twenty-five or thirty niggers" is
sometimes a bonanza. AT least
respectable number of you should
vote with the great body of the
whltes-the merchants, mechanics,
farmers, and others, in whose SER
vice you earn your daily bread.
Above all things, cease to vote for
any man simply because he is black,
or yellow, or an alien white. Cease
to vote against any man simply be-
cause lie is Southern white. On
til you do this, yOu keep the
..olor line drawn, and you alone are
responsible for it.. Race issues and
race quarrels follow the color line
lin politics as surely as darkness sue
ceeds twilight. Be content to listen
to the counsels of wiser men, whose
every interest is bound up in the
prosperity of this country. Emu>
late the Intelligence and virtues Of
the superior race fit yourselves, by
the slow and patient process OF edu-
cation for the political exigencies of
the future-and the white men Of
Mississippi will be glad to take you
by the hands and cay, Friends.
come up higher! 1t is only by pa
tience. by study, By education and
emulation, that you can ever rise
above the condition of "hewers of
wood and drawers of water"
Now, Levy, when you return from
your little jaunt to Kansas City,
read these words of truth and kind.
ness to your people. Tell them. too,
that in Kansas-wbither you pro-
pose to lead them if you don't get
all the loaves aud fishes you want
the negro, SO far from being elected
TO office, has not the constitutional
right to pote! Tell them, if. they
seek to defeat the will Of tue white
people in this campaign, they will
again array themselves in OppOsi-
lion to their only real friends. Tell
them that the same men who make
good laws tor the whites will make
tjusr and equitable statutes for all
allke-whereas, We have tried the
law>makers of their selection, and
found ruin staring as in the face. iu
consequence. Tell them, Mat, thai
you don't know a quit~claim deed
from a writ of ha6eds corpus, and
that to send You aud Ben Garrett t
the Legislature will be merely t.
send two crows to gathering o
eagles. Tell them you dou't care {
tinker's cuss what ti.'ket you ruI
on, nor what principles you advo
cafe, il you can go to Jackson to IL
Toe "Leavy standing around" an,
look wise, and draw a salary, whil'
the honest, Woodworking darkeyl
are Iaboring from the rising to thu
setting of the Gun, that you ma!
wear "purple and fine linen, an,
, fare sumprnousIy every day" Tel
, them, ia conclusion, that you ant
Ben are merely cats paws, to pull
chesnuts out of the fire for som
very shrewd, long-headed, ex-Dem
t. Lcratic monkeys! excuse the fig
: lure OF speech, gentlemen.)