The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-08-13

SOUTHERN papers don't always "cawnsist."
The Atlanta Constitution, taking for it's text
a stray letter written from the South by some
irresponsible man who had visited that region
aud in which he bitterly c~riticises the negro,
of to-day, replies to it in the Same spirit, and
makes its extra VACANT and foolish statements
the sentiment of the North in general. Hav-
ing wrought itself up toa fine frenzy by its
ingenious course Of ex parte reasoning, the
Constitution gives vent to such "rot" as this,
concocted wholly from it's own fertile inn
agination:
'The recent onslaughts Of the Republicans
against the negroes may be easily explained.
They made pets of the freedmen as long as
they could vote them and use them as their
political tools. When this was no longer pos
sible, they turned upon them with malignant
fury, and endeavored to destroy them. 1t is
now part of the Republican scheme to disfran-
chise the negro, and relegate him to a helpless
perate shifts of a dying party. But the game
will not win. The national Democracy and
the Southern whites are determined to see the
negro protected in every right given to him
by the Constitution and the laws. 1t is too
late in the day to stir up a crusade-of one race
against the other. They are both here to stay,
and must deal justly with each other"
There is no occasion for exercising the pa
tience necessary to reply to the first part of
this paragraph. Its evident dishonesty de-
feats itself without assistance. If the ma
tional Democracy and the Southern whites
are determined to see the negro protected, F"
we congratulate Democracy, but will wait
a while to see how it is to be done before fe-
licitating the negro. The purpose of the
editorial from which this excerpt was taken
was to disprove what the nameless Northern
man Of straw says derogatory to the negro.
The structures made by this alleged writer
were very severe, very unreasonable, but did
not call for any TRADE such as the Constitu-
ton vents, for few. if any, Northern men
would give credence to the fellows state
ments.
The Memphis Avalanche, speaking on the
same question Of educating the negro, which
the alleged Northern man of the Constitution
declared was a mistake, as it made him indo-
lent and worthless, is much more reasonable,
and says:
'The freed men, as a rule, are Industrious,
and the standard of morality among them is
far higher than might perhaps be expected,
but their children are becoming disposed to
idleness, and their morality is a source of
growing solicitude to the thoughtful of both
races. OF course there are exceptions, but it
is true of the masses of the colored youth that
concerted and earnest efforts must be made to
teach them habits of industry and improve
their morality, or else invite the danger which
threatens them and society in general
| Another danger, too, is that with the ex-
t~inction of the war feeling and the changes in
public sentiment which will grow more
marked in the coming decade, the colored
voters may become agents in the hands of
politicians for attaining their personal ends
and infict mischief that it will be difficult to
repair"
The Avalanche, it will be seen, takes ex-
actly the same view that threw the Constitu-
ton into a cold sweat. 1t is hard to believe
that the Constitution would sit up nights to
save the negro from the vengeance of blood
thirsty Republicans bent on re-enslaving him,
but it is very easy to believe that the Consti-
tuition was simple enough to hope that some
poor wayfaring voter might be deceived by
its ~specious defense of the negro against his
best friends. The evident intention is to
coddle the colored voter into sympathy with
his former master, who knows how he can use
the negro's vote. The North would like to
see the colored mar educated. AS for reaping
any immediate return in the way of influence
on Southern elections, it is not to be thought
of, so long as fraud is recognized throughout
the South as a religious duty.