Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1886-10-08
FRIDAY. ............oCToBER s, 1885.
Zeal Without knowledge.

We remarked yesterday that MT. POW
prRLY evidently knows more than most OF
his brethren OF the order OF the Knights
Of Labor. The truth OF this remark seems
TO be exemplifed In the conduct OF some
OF the delegates 10 the Convention now IN
session in this city. They are woIuly
lacking in good judgment. We ailude OF
course TO those Knights who. having
no pride OF race themselves, TOOL
ish,y flatter themselves that they are
doing what will command the applause OF
the world when they take pains to run
counter 10 the customs and usages OF one
th,rd Of the people Of the United States;
nay, we might say, the customs and usages
OF all the people OF the United States; Tor
wherever in the northern States there are
negroes enough 10 make them noticeable
element they occupy the same position III
the community thai they do here.
There are about twenty Chinese in Rich
moDd. Nobody here troubles himself
about their presence In this community,
They are regarded and treated by our peo-
ple as the negroes are regarded and treated
i'm the North. That Is 10 say, their number
Is so small that we need not allow them to
come into OUT thong hts ut all. But In San
Francisco there are many thousands OF
Chinese. and there consequently the Gnu
casians are always on the alert to detect
spy movement on the part Of the Mongo,s
which might in any way iniurionsly afiec:
the community.
The negroes. IL not tempered with by
white men, are not disposed to be at all
Troublesome. But the negroes "dearly
love- while man. They regard him as
their superior, as Is abundantly evidenced
in all that they say and do. The conduct
Of the negro TERRELL shows that he re-
CARDS his broihor-negT0cs rs inferior to
white men. In forcing his presence upon
white men he did not succeed in forcing his
companionship upon them, but he did there
byieslify H. an uDnistakable manner that he
did not consider negro company equal to
white company. lie would rather sit con-
temned in the company Of whites than hon.
ored in the company Of negroes. lie would
rather force himself into the mere presence
OF bis recognized superiors than 10 accept
an invitation TO be tre,ted as an equal in
the company Of persons OF his own race.
And there are among the visiting Knights
of Labor white men who aid the negroes
in wounding the feelings Of all their brother
Knights in Richmond and the entire South.
SAID we not truly that POwDERLY knows
more than these men! We trust that the
facts may justly us in thus chasing him,
though even he Is not above suspicion in
this matter.
Who can possibly be benefited by the
conduct we are condemning? Nobody.
Neither the negroes nor the whites. For as
we have so often said, the laws OF nature
are the laws Of God, aud cannot be set aside
by human beings. We have none but the
kindeS. feelings towards the negroes, and
would not for moment think Of unneces-
sarily wounding their sensibllitles. But
the truth is the truth, aud cannot be made
falsehood by any act or art OF man. The
white man may degrade himself TO the
level OF the negro. The negro cannot
raise himself, nor be raised by Others, to the
plane OF the white man. Let the knights
OF Labor who recognize the social equality
Of the negro try to induce him to forsak'
tho southern whites and betake himself tC
the company Of his own or any other PEG
pie in the North, and they will find tha
Virginia as she Is suits the negro as he il
better than any northern State as it's.