The Dawson journal., 1883-05-10
The Negro Problem.
Telegraph and Messenger.

hon of white men, to-day, are
sleeping i'll soldiers graves, as the
result of fearful civil war, origi-
mating in the question of negro
slavery. Since the close of the
struggle, beneath which these men
were buried, the legitimate func-
tons of government have been
prostituted to the base purposes
OF negro utilization, as a factor in
party policy, and the country has
been harassed perpetually by the
different phases of fanaticism, de-
veloped under the different condi-
tons of necessity to which the par
ty struggling to control the coun-
try, through the influence of this
question, has been, from time to
time, reduced
In addition to this, sentiment
has been manufactured by pious
and benevolent people, who realize
the wretched moral and social
condition of this unfortunate race,
the tendency of which is to add to
the evils of baneful political in
huence, that of equally unsatisfac-
tory and hurtful social complica-
tiOns.
This question has been discuss
ed time and again. The condi-
ton of this people is too we'll es-
tabllshed to need restatement OF
further argument here. Men, of
all shades of opinion in reference
to the future, are practically
, agreed as to the facts of the pres
ent. The one thing to be deter
mined by the people Of this coun-
try, III reference to the negro, is
the position he is to occupy in the
future.
1t requires but little time for
any man, white or black, to decide
the question as to which race will
dominate every section of the
country, when the question, strip
ped of all disguises, is submitted
to intelligent judgement, upon the
relative merits of one race as
against the other. We have yet
to see or hear Of white man who
has any anticipation that any
state III American Union will ever
| be dominated by the black man.
Neither are we aware that any
man, high or low, white or black,
maintains the superiority Of the
black man over the white, or the
resulting proposition that he
ought, as a matter Of right or
justice, to exercise control over
any portion of the country.
The history of the past seven
teen years demonstrates that the
influence of the negro, whenever
or wherever it has been potent for
the time, in determining the polit-
ical policy Of town, city, country,
state or federal government, has
been evil, and only evil. He has
shown want of comprehension, OF
appreciation, OF the duties or pur-
poses of citizenship. He has
shown that he was ignorant entir-
| ly Of the nature and character OF
our government, and that he was
insensible of the influence either
he or any other class equally ig-
norant and unappreciatiye of its
character and power were exercis
ing upon its policy, when, like Sc
many sheep, they were led to the
ballot box to exercise suffrage, no
as freemen protecting their right;
and liberties, but as slaves obey
ing the behests Of party.
These developments of charac
ter, or the want of it, Or policy, Oh
depravity, Or incompetency fo-
the duties of citizenship, or what
ever else it may be termed, have
established beyond dispute tina
neither the white race nor th,
black race, as a matter of interes
personal, political, social, mora
or material, can afford to pass un
der negro domination, Whethel
this shall be direct or indirect, a.
demonstrated even in the histor,
of Georgia, matters not. If h,
controls directly and for himself
or through his influence place,
control in the hands of class O
white men sufficiently depraved t.
combine with him, upon his terms
to secure it, the result has always
been the same, so far as it is pos
sible to Judge from the demonsta
tions we have had Of the mixeC
influence of the two examples
We have so far had neither The
one OF the other in toto.
We have seen the Republican
party in power in Georgia through
the influence of the negro votes
We have also seen men who were
nomially Democrats in possession
of the machinery of the party, and
also of the state government, by
virtue Of a situation they inten-
tionally produced, that gave to the
negroes the balance Of power in
the state.
What we have observed, under
these conditions, has not escaped
the attention of other men-even
Republican politicians and states
men. In view of these facts, it is
almost if not quite certain that
with the experience of that period