Morning journal and courier., 1885-01-21
IN THE SOUTH.
Buddy Raleigh - The State House - Floating In Tobacco Juice Educa- t1onal Matters - Intelligent LegisIa- tors - Democracy in North Carolina State Institutions Dfs.raeefuI county Jai1s - Convict Labor,

| II County Jails Convict Labor
 RALEIGH, N. C., Jan. 16. To the EDITOR of the JOURNAL AND COURIER:
 Venlce without gondolas! Such was m
 d1smayed commentary upon this North Carc
 linian capital city this afternoon when al
 rived here from Richmond via the Richmon
 and Danville railroad. Now there is mud
 and again there is mud. Of the latter so1
 IS this tenacious red-clay ooze which charac
 terizes the streets of Raleigh. If it wer
 not too late I would recommend to the goo
 people of this place to send some specimen
 of their editions of mud to the New Orlean
 exposition. The first striking fact about tn
 city to arrest my attention was the hopeless
 ly impossible condition of the roads, con
 dition which prevails in all except the yer I dryest of weather. I believe it is recordet
 somewhere in the municipal books that l short piece of pavement was once laid in tn
 streets of Raleigh, but where this was depo | nent saith not. I doubt if the Governor ant l the Mayor and the civil engineer, with 1 whole staff of assistants and the State uni l versity theodolites and other instruments 1 could detect now the locality of this mythica | OA | be to find the muddiest place in town, ant then erect a little monument near by tc commemorate the missing pavement, which though lost to sight, will always be remem l bered by the taxpayers as dear.
 l The second thing that 1 noticed was the | plentitude of ducks or geese q never could | tell the difference) wading along the gut | ters, and clucking fussily to each other. It was bright, beautiful day, too warn even for spring overcoat. So I set en Enthusiastically about the task of exploring Raleigh on foot. This was easily resolved upon, but not so easily carried into effect The fleeing Israelites were not more non plussed when they reached the Red Sea bank than 1 was at each miry street crossing. In deed, they passed over ''dry-shod," while 1 counted myself fortunate that I got through at all when I surveyed my pedal extremities, and excavated in the banks of gummy mud that encased them, in order to see whether my shoes were still really on. It was like wading through warm molasses candy. But I foundered and widowed on until l reached the Capitol square. Of course the great majority of the houses were seedy and mean ill aspect, as one expects to see Carroll nlan cities Those that were not seriously dilapidated were as far the other way for comfort. There seemed to be no middle class. 1 entered the State House, only to find the problem pretty much the same as it had been on the way from the depot up. You know these southern planters sometimes chew to- bacco. Nobody knows how to chew tobacco in the North. Here the people have scaled the heights and fathomed the depths of that elegant art. Every seat in railroad car has a spittoon reserved exclusively to itself have seen an usher in church take out hunk of plug tobacco during the sermon, and bite off mouthful in all openness. We'll, the corridors of the Capitol were plentifully sup piled with spittoons also, but their capacity was evidently inadequate, or else the atten- tion of members had not been called to their presence l ripped board off from box filled with patent office reports, and perch ing myself upon one of these spittoons, ,sculled around through the rotrnda and thence to the staircase I arrived in the Senate chamber and the Assembly room only to find both houses adjourned for the day. I came again in the evening, however, and had fine chance to see the legislature, and to en- joy a somewhat remarkable occasion.
 If you have ever heard anything about North Carolina at all, you have heard about her illiteracy. Much progress has been made educationally in the State, but there are still 50,000 whites and 10000 blacks who are nearly as ignorant as the Orientals There was special significance, then, in a call for an educational address to the legislature of the State by so we'll known an educator as Rev. Dr. Curry of Richmond, trustee of the Peabody fund. The Assembly room was crowded, and the lecture was one of the most irresistible appeals in behalf of popular education to which I ever listened Here was a representative southern man, an ex- slave holder, a seceder, an advocate of States rights and Calhounism, addressing the legislature of a southern State and de- handing in all courteousness, yet with burn ing eloquence, an enlargement of the educa- tional system of North Carolina. Now he bandied compliments with the lawmakers before him, he related some political "reminiscences calculated to tickle his old Con- federate comrades; but more often he urged with whirlwind of earnestness the claims of popular enlightenment. He thanked God that slavery was gone, and no one protested, although no one applauded. He said: Don't be afraid to educate the negro as well as the white man. If he'll go ahead of us in that way, let him; and shame upon us that we are his inferior. But know this; if you don't pull him up, he'll pull you down." By his tremendous earnestness he won the enthusi- astic applause of his audience, and I said to a man who stood at my side:
 ''Surely, good ought to come of this. No legislature can stand up in this hall hereafter and cry down future educational bill" Perhaps you don't know the material which makes up North Carolina legislature the response. After the meeting breaks up, I'll take you to my boarding place, where nine of those senators and house men stop. You may see something there that may sur prise you"
 At the close of the lecture I accompanied my friend down South Blount street to mis- erable boarding house where board and lodg ing supplied at s1 a day or S5 week. The floors were bare, save for strips of rag ged carpet here and there, end everything was of the cheapest, fimsiest sort. Are you sure that legisla-" 1 began. ''Ah, you thought Raleigh was like Albany or Cclum- bus Springfield or Boston. Learn the diff ference. These are the legislators here ill the office now Eight of them happen to be here at once. Most of these come from the backwoods in good earnest, and don't hear locomotive whistle or read daily news paper more than twice year. Perhaps they take the weekly newspaper of their own county. You see half of them are crippled, and get their office by virtue of their Con federate services: They know little of the things that make for civilization or even for material prosperity. They are simply actuated by an unreasoning conviction that their political mission is to antagonize the Republican party everywhere and always"
 ''Are there not men of wealthG' "They would not be here if they were. They would be at the Marlborough House. I don't sup pose any one of these men could scrape to- gether more than one thousand dollars. You see they only draw four dollars day and they have to economiZe. But now we will listen to what these legislators say. Here is the Evening Chronicle,' behind which you will do we'll to hide the northern emotions which will be constrained to play upon your face"
 Then began discussion of the evenings lecture which beggars description. I thought understood already what Dr. Curry meant when he remarked, Eff you don't pull the negro up he will pull you down." for l had seen the way in which the poor whites have copied the darkey dialect, intonations and even gestures. But here were the highest officials in the State betraying the same spe cies of degradation.
 70 yes," began one meditatively 'I allus did say that eddication is a mighty fine thing, but thar's sech thing as carryin' on it too fur.'
 "Yes,' affirmed another, ''Dr. Curry is a smart man in some respects no doubt, but he mustn't think that he knows better what our constituents wants than does"
 'I reckon" added third, "that he don't even know how much fodder to give a COW at one time. He ain't practical"
 ''He said some right proper things to- night, but he said some other things that had better not be said"
 ''What thingsg' asked a speaker, and began to suspect that the lecture had not been wholly useless.
 "W-ell-some things. l ain't a gwlne to make q speech tonight myself, but l could
 I,nf hn