The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-02-16
TILE NEGRO AND THE SOUTH.
Col. Blanton Duncan Emerges from the
Tomb and Sounds a Warning.
The Southern Negro Has Made No Progress
in Any Direction, and the Future Is
Pregnant with Grayest Dangers.


HUNTINGTON Miss, Feb. 15.--Col. Blanton
Duncan. of this city has addressed an open let
Ter to John W. Daniel. the new United States
Senator from Virginia, in which he discusses at
length the future of the negro race in the United
States. He refers to the civil, political and mil
itary history of Virginia, and expresses the hope
that Senator Daniel will consider the needs of
the South apart from any party views. He
asserts that the question which predominates
and darkly overshadows the future of the entire
country is the social, moral and political condi-
ton of the negro race in connection with the
white race. He terms it 'calamitous danger
which threatens direct destruction asserts that
there is no precedent in history of an inferior
and superior race living together in equality and
says that it is an anomoly which must bear most
bitter frnits. He proceeds as follows:
Senator Sherman and other great Northern
leaders have announced that they intend to make
their battle nenceforward for the reduction of
the Southern strength in Congress and in the
electoral vote, to accord with the number of
negro votes which are yearly counted out and
disfranchlsed. They state the open secret that
in hundreds of localities in the Southern States
there has not been fair count and fair cleo
ton within the past ten years Tha' means
agitation in the North and violence throughout
the South. To abstract from the Southern vote
by legal enactment-that they shall not have
the negro counted in-would require
sSonstitutionsl amendment e. ., which the
easily defeat. The allotment of equality
and the franchise of the negro was never legally
accomplished. It was done by the sword and the
declaration of carpet Dagger legislators. not
pressing the sentiments of the overthrow con-
Taf IA ie NOR lar -Hav1
than any enactment which, through the same in
strumentality, should have transferred the title
of all the lands of the defeated whites to their
former slaves; and yet we are powerless TO set
that outrage aside. The Southern negro race,
twenty years ago. was scarcely more fitted for
self-government, to appreciate the duties of citi
genship, the purity of the ballot, than were the
kangaroos of Australia or the citizens of Central
Africa In two decades there has been no prog
ress mentally, morally or otherwise To-day
rising ABOVE the common herd. and if left to
themselves for ten years. would retrograde to
the state of their common ancestors"
Colonel Duncan then goes on TO say that it has
taken ten generations, under the most favorable
circumstances, to make the Northern negro
what he Enthusiastically the superior of his
Southern brother-and that the latter, owing
to his vastly superior numbers and the different
circumstances, cannot be brought up to the same
plane in three hundred years, if ever. He pro-
ceeds to give various reasons for his belief
Among them are the following
'sThat the Southern whites have neither the
means nor the inclination to cultivate the min1s
and morals of the negro that the attempt Wound
be useless, as they would remain under the
curse OF God against Ham; that education alone
will do them no good, and will only result in
making unsorupuous leaders of the brighter
ones among them; that as mong-els inherit the
vices of both races the growth of any large
proportion of mulattoes, the offspring of british
whites and dissolute negresses. the situation
would be so much the worse; that the blacks
cherish race hatred. and would be ready, if able,
to light the fires of San Domingo holocaust
ana tizey love whisky and care nothing for
honor, virtue or religion; that they cannot ap-
Dreeiate kindness, and are best ruled when
treated ike dogs"
Colonel Duncan then adds What should the
real statesman do when radealism proposes to
reduce Southern political strength Meet them
more than half way and suggest return to the
only legal status of 1860, when Southern citizen
ship was confined to the white race. Accept the
proposition of Northern men, and let the South
ern people resume their legal rights and restore
the franchise where it belonged before revou-
tionary methods struck down sovereign States
Reduce the voting strength simply to the repre-
sentaton of whites. Let the South voluntarily
piaceit beyond peradventure that its voice shall
. not shape political contests, and let the North
with It's Intelligence and manhood, act as it will
then do. when fanaticism and falsehood shall
have lost its power, to keep the Union intact
!, and its people harmonious and in concord. The
South, in national councils, after performing
such abnegation, would have ten-fold influence
Our statesmen would WELD magic wand What
is the excuse in Southern localities for unfair
electionsY That the negro is a brute untitled to
rule or select the servants Of the people, and if
granted the power would destroy not only the
property aud blot out the civilization of commu-
mites. but Danish perforce, in time the whites"
Mr. Duncan then quotes from Rev. j. F.
Tucker, OF jackson, Miss, as to the social and
moral status of the Southern negro, which he
pictures as of the lowest and most degraded char
acter; afirms that there has been no improve
ment in their mental and moral condition, that
they will steal from each other while at PRAYERS;
that In a county in which there should have
been 200 marriage licenses among the. blacks
in year there were only three that the mar
rage relation is scarcely known among them
and that they are nut true to their mistresses.
The writer then takes up the successive North
ern Influences exerted on the negro in the South
Dy designing men, for political influence
first as Republicans, then as Democrats
These men, he asserts. scruple at nothing
to retain power; live in concubinaee with me-
crosses. and cpenly defy the law. After further
quoting from Rev. Mr.. Tucker, to the effect that
negro parents are willing purveyors and that
even white men there have been known to barter
their mulatto daughters TO white men, Mr.
Duncan adds: 'The Mormon question has aei-
tated the mind of the Christians and the moral
lists as the foulest in the Union The Mormons
have intellect, education, refinement wealth,
and get Mormonism, in its extent and scope.
and danger, is but rivulet in comparison to
the mighty gulf of inquity, and immortality, and
gearful consequences which impend over us
from this negro problem"
: Mr.. Duncan frankly admits that he cannot
suggest q remedy, asks the people of the North
to put themselves in the place of the Southern
white, and says that it will take all the wisdom
ana patriotism of the national legislators to
avert the impending danger.