National Republican., 1885-09-01
THE OTHER SIDE.

What North Carolina Republican Has
to Say of Some Persons and Things.
EDITOR NATIONAL REPUBLICAN: My at
tentlon has been called to q communication
from negro by the name of Street, in your
issue Of July 10, and, fearing that the mex
perienced and crcdulous class of readers
may draw erroneous conclusions therefrom,
beg leave to give your rcadero the views of
northern-born Republican, who, having
resided in and done business with the citi-
zens Of Salisbury for the past six years,
feels that IL is time for him to offer few
facts and views from his standpoint. This
man Street would have you believe that
negro has no opportunity for advancement
I'm this city or country. Yet in the same
article he contradcts himself when he
points out to you the prosperous condition
OF the colored people In business here, and
above all the fiourishing advancement of
the Zion Wesley College. And SO he would
have succeeded had he not undertaken to
slander the best people Of the place. As
regards the gentleman spoken of "as the
| rufllan Shaver,n we would state Mr..
Shaver is very respectable, honest hard
working man. Such being the universal
| opinion of the citizens. As to Mr.. Neave, the
mayor, we naturally were highly indignant
an institution we had helped support should
| speak of him as "thc man Neave,n when
Mr. Neave is a highly houored and honest
citizen, being known as such all over the
state. The origin Of these remarks is that
| Profs. Price and Goler (colored), while at
tending an auction sale In the street, came
| In contact with Mr.. Shaver, who told one of
them not to push, whoreupon comes the re-
| ply that they did nothing Of the sort. Mr..
| Shaver, knowing that he had been pushed,
and noticing that Prof. Goler was the of
Tending party, accordingly accused him.
Goler denied having done so, when word
after word ensued, until finally, II is said,
Mr.. Shaver struck at him-not because he
was black, but because he disputed his
word They were taken before the mayor
| and fined Sc. 75 each. What mad this negro,
Street, to do with It The professors did
not ask him to defend them, and slander
through a negro journal the citizens of
Salisbury. Street takes upon himself to
| write an article in the negro journal
of. New York, in which he denounces
the citizens and mayor. Not but what he
had the right as citizen to criticlse public
| government provided he used language that
was truthful But to make the matter
worse, he has the impudence to come up
town and distribute the paper on the street
to see the effect. He was going to show
| the people that he was an influential man,
&c. The effect was that Mr.. Shaver took
out an Indictment for SANDER but when the
| sheriff served IL the negro was gone. When
Street realized that he had insulted the
citizens, and saw the indignation his letter
had caused, he Immediately took to the
country and imagined he was being hunted
and that his life was In danger. When in
reality, had he been caught he would have
received the dictates of the law. Now l
claim that it is the right Of any man to re-
sent the insults Of such misunderstanding
negro's as Street. Let him remember that
citizens have a right to criticise public
officers and government. That they may
do. But when 1t comes to such pass that
a man Of his capacity can come into COM
munity and slander the good people thereof,
1t is high time they put stop toit.
II the colored people will only be reason
able aud not fight against those who support
them they Will prosper even more than
they now do. As 1t is, the white people
pay for their schools. subscribe to their
pleasures and to their churches, as,well rs
furnish to them employment; for which
most OF them vote against and oppose every
plan they are instructed to by their leaders.
Let them remember that, as mass, they
cannot expect to be on equality with their
old masters, yet they are improving year by
year, and as they are educated it is to be
hoped they will work hand in hand for the
general good. In conclusion we will state
that the negro's (Street's) life was never
threatened; this was an absurd idea of a
frightened man. But We think II he could
not have proven his statements regarding
Mr.. Shaver he would have been thrashed at
an early date aud taught well-deserved
lesson.
Streets remarks regarding the safety Of q
northern man in the south are ridiculous, as
myself can assert from the fact. that have
been free-spoken Republican and Blaine
advocate in the late campaign, .nothwith-
standing l have in such men as Mr.. Neave
and Shaver, with other Democrats, my
warmest friends. It is to the credit of the
colored people Of the college where Street
was employed that they do not indorse his
course In this matter. On the contrary, they
condemn 1t in q card published in one OF
our city papers. Yours truly,
Il, EAMEs, JR.
| SALISBURY. N C.. July %. 1885.