The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1883-12-11
TIE EDITOR ABROAD
a CHAT WITH EX-SENATOR BRUCE.
rAs colorsd Mas ia The seatA-CAala,ll,1 Move,
n'n.Ia ais.l.slppI-rus Prouia.nt West Viz.
EIaIass As sisnsss TWlls-rhs KauaWha
Dh,rIe.. .aopO-Ktasa ss,,a Good rAipE. .

From he EditOrGfRt IAtsai2enetr. Il
WASHINGTON, D. O., December S.-When
Blanche X. Bruce was Senator from Mis-.
sippi no man in the Senate was more &c.
teemed by his associates. Polite, obliging,
deferential as q gentleman always will be,
no Senator was more dignfied than he. A
man Ct large physique, inclined to corpu-
lency, he was as graceful in movement as
in speech. II / had been, asked to point
out the most courtly man in that body, the
colored Senator from Mississippi would
have been the man. As Register Il the
Treasury he Is the same modest, atfable
gentleman. He treats high and low with
the same polite consideration. do not
think he could do q rude thing. He is
often spoken Of as good representative Of
his race. To my mind he Is good repre-.
sentative OF our American manhood.
Register Bruce's wife 10 attractive in per.
son, highly educated and great fayorite in
society. Her receptions are attended by
the best people In Washington. There Is
no suggestion OF African blood, and yet
Mrs. Bruce is Of her husband'a race. The
,Bruces live in good style, without osten-
ton. They are solid, admirable people.
TIE coLoRED MAN is THR SOUTH.
In some general conversation with the
ex-senator touched on the condition Of
the colored race IN the South, the Civil
Rights decision, the murder Of the white
man Matthews in Copiah county, Misais-
sippi, and the slaughter in Danville. It
ives in no sense newspaper interview" !"
but Mr.. Bruce understood that would
probably make public use OF some parts OF
the informal conversation. On the general
question OF the political status Of the
colored race in tho South he called my
attention to the striking fact that education
has always proved an armor to the colored
man; that the ignorant are selected for IN.
timidation, the educated selected TO be let
alone. Following this thought he en-
phs sized the urgent need Of more com.
prehensive system Of education. When !
suggested that the National Government
must come to the rescue, he replied that he
saw no other hope. Asked what was to be
done in the meantime, whether he looked
to the National Government to secure to
Republicans in the South their rights under
The law, Mr.. Bruce answered that he feared
there was little to be hoped for In that
direction, that the sentiment Of the
North had not supported the Government
in former efforts Of that character. Con-
versation turning on the late Civil Rights
decision, Mr.. Bruce eaid that the Civil
Rights Act had never beenof any use to
him personally, and that very few colored
men had ever appealed to It for protection.
Yer he regretted the decision because it
had discouraged colored men in the South,
who expect nothing from the Democratic
State governments. Mr.. Bruce said in re:
ply to my question, that in his State OF
Mississippi colored men were slowly &C.
quiriDg real property, but in their igno-
rance they had bought 80 many PRACTICAL
ly worthless titles that they have become
reluctant to put their little savings in land,
and 90 they lose an incentive to ssve.. For
example, colored man buys Q tract
OF land and subsequently, learns that
II is mortgaged to its iun value, BY the
purchase he takes nothing but o title that
has no value TO him-he has been swin-
died, and he is disheartened.