Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1886-10-13
SPECTATOR AND GENERAL ADVERTISERS
SOCIAL EQUALITY AND THE KNIGHTS
OF LABOR.

SOCIAL EQUALITY AND THE KNIGHTS
OF LABOR.
Social equality, as Extensively practiced
by some of the Northern Knights of Labor
new in Richmond, has naturally created
considerable disgust, and has been a severe
blow to that organization; for, if approved
by that order, it cannot expect to have the
support of Southern people of any class, and
particularly of the laborng class, who have
more to dread from it than any other.
Even the more intelligent of the colored
people disapprove it, for they know that it
will work injury to their race.
There is never any trouble between the
white and colored people of the South that
is not caused by the unwarrantable inter-
ference of people from the North, and they
are, almost without an exception, persons
who have but little standing in their own
! section. They are not half as good as the
negroes they strive to array against their
white friends of the South-the best friends
| they have.
| A sensible negro has no respect for such
| Northern white men as sleep with negro
men, and take negro women to ride with
them in carriages about the city of Rich
mond, as some of the Northern Knights of
Labor do.
The taking of Ferrell, negro delegate
from the North, to the Academy of Music
and putting him among the Whites in a part
of that building assigned exclusively to the
| whites, was an act which has created much
feeling and hostile comment, and has given
a severe blow to the Order of the Knights
of Labor, and alienated from it many who
were friendly to it as they understood its
objects to be, but who do not approve of
the conduct of its members in regard te
social equality.
| II will take more nights Of labor
| Than a hundr ears combine
| For those Richmond Knights OF Labor
| To erase the color l.ue.
We give few extracts from the press
Baltimore San: Honest labor, whether
black or white, is under no greater disability
in Richmond than elsewhere. and it is the
grossest injustice to its people to place them
In the IltS6 p}6tllOu VI UolbR uOooAiO w ehS
colored race because they do not approve
the conduct of few designing and turbu-
lent men. Apart from the irritating bad
taste of the whole business, nothing could
be more absurd than parading colored
man around southern city and pushing
him into hotels and theatres. No colored
man with proper self-respect would tolerate
such piece of tomfOolery practlced IN his
person. and especially if he suspected, what
is probably true, that those who caress him
are SIMPLY using him as man of straw to
produce a state of political feeling from
which they hope to proht-another instance
of the ssthrift which follows fawning!'
This incident emphasizes the necessity of
the Knights of Labor letting political and
social questions severely alone-of steering
absolutely clear of side issues and sticking
closely to their legitimate work. If they
are to succeed at all, they must pay proper
respect to the feelings and rights of others,
and not undertake to reform society all at
once. They have quite enough on hand
without undertaking this rather difficult
task.
Raleigh Ne,os and Observer: The Anglo
Saxon blood rebels against any such notion
as that So far the relations between the
races in the South have been all that could
be desired. The negro has had all the
, rights to which he is entitled under the
law, and yet there has been a place for
him and place for the white man. The
feeling between the two races has been
better here than in any other section OF
the country. If strife is now to be stirred
up between the two elements through the
order of the Knights of Labor, it is going to
be bad for the order
: Atlanta Constitution: Strangers and out
siders, whether belonging TO the Knights OF
Labor or any other order or party, must
be made to understand that the southern
: people propose to settle their own social
and race problems. 1t is nothing short OF
an outrage for crowd of visitors in a
southern community to attempt to ride
rough-shod over the social laws, traditions,
usages of their entertainers. The manager
of the Richmond theatre Opera Honse)
strained his courtesy too far when he sub
mitted to the dsordery invasion of the New
: York delegates. If the offence is repeated
it is TO be hoped that the guilty ones will
be pitched headlong into the street. 1t is
better to settle this side issue at the start
than to wait until it becomes serious.
Savannah Ne,os: There is something for
Knights of Labor all over the country ia
think of in this matter-it is, that if they
stick to their organization they may be
forced to submit to many things which may
not be agreeable to them. The Knights
who marched to the Richmond theatre with
the colo7ed delegate at their head said by
their action that they had no respect fol
the sentiments of the people of Richmond
or of the local white Knights. SO far as the
social-eqnalty question is concerned. They
took it upon themselves to show the Rich
mond Knights and the southern delegates
their contempt for southern opposition to
social recognition of colored people, and
they did it in very aggressive not to say
offensive way. 1t may be well for south
ern Knights to inquire whether it is the
purpose of the Knights of Labor to settle
social as we'll as labor questions.