The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1882-1884, 1883-07-12
A SUGAR COATED PILL.
KINsION COLLEGE, N. G.. !
March 81, 1888. }

n OOOAA1V WIN LII AAA1:
KINsIoN COLLEGE, N. c..
March 81, 1883.
To THE EDITOR OF THE WITNESS
In your assure of New York
Weekly FITNESS of March 29th l find
paragraph on the second page
headed, rs Homicide to be Punished
at last in the South p Being an ex.
tract, it must voice your views.
saw several copies of Jour paper
during the last Winter; and it COM
mended itself so strongly to me that
[ became a subscriber. And think,
with few exceptions, it is one of
the best newspapers published in the
United States. But you allow your
self to be too severe upon the South.
The Nation, for some time past, has
seen fit to place itself in the judges
seat, and condemn in uumeasured
terms the, so-called, infrequency of
the punishment of crime In the South.
The Nation has nothing better with
which to regale its readers you
have. Your mission is higher one.
You are the best judo IF what you
consider proper for your columns. l
cannot give you advice; but will
simply say that, though 1 read your
paper with increasing interest (bar.
ring the slurs upon my native land),
yet must forego that pleasure, and
ask you to cease sending me the pa
per.
Of course, you care nothing for
what an obscure individual like my.
self may think on this matter. Per-
haps you NAV not even read this let
ter. Very truly.
| t-.,-.~-.~. ~R1CH'D H. LEWIS.
There is at least one mistake in
the above letter, namely, the assump-
ton that we care nothing for the
writer's opinion. We do care much
for the opinions Of our readers, and
would not unnecessarily offend any
of them. But our duty to truth, as
we see it, and to the public, often
overrides our desire to please read
ers. When the idea was prevalent,
in many places, that a piece Of paper
bearing the-stamp, "this is dollar -
was a dollar, we had to incur the dis
pleasure of many respected friends
who held that idea. When repudia
ton Of State debts was advocated by
many excellent persons on the score
that the State had been cheated, We
had to face their displeasure by
showing that law, honor, and thei1
own interest alike required repudi-
atlng States to settle up. When
negroes are treated as unclean or in
ferior beings, simply on account Of
their color, we have to run counter
to very general and deeply engraft
ed prejudice and when vast array
of interested men are insisting tha
, taxing the people IN general to pu
money in the pockets of particular
classes, is the-way to make a countr,
rich, we cannot refrain from shown,
the fallacy and injustice of tn,
) reasoning, and that prosperity come
from other sources, whilst to max
: the cost of living artificially, dear i
the very reverse of good policy an,
: honest dealing.
Just SO when we heard of murde
after murder being openly perpetrs
= ted in the South to crafty hatred o
, revenge, without any honest effort t
y punish the murderers, we could nc
but remember that the watchma
must sound warning if he woul
j. not be participation in crime.
: condemning this criminal, .disregar
?, OF human life, we contend that "
n were doing the greatest favor in OF
d power to the South and, furthermor
IS we believe that the sensitiyenes
= elected by such faithful testimon
IL is the sign of change at hand
70 the Southern code of honor, or. rat
n er, of dishonor.
y We regret that President Lewis
o. letter was lost sight of, and has tn,
Ill lain SO long unanswered. We ais
r. thank him very heartily for his XIII
T. appreciation Of the Witness.