The state chronicle. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1883-1893, 1886-04-29
THE ADMINISTRATIONS
rtTT Effect OF ITS WORK FROM
SOUTHERN STANDPOINT.

THE EFFECT IT'S WORK FROM
Interesting Letters From Two Represen-
t,,tiycl lirgininns on the Effect of DEM
ocrutic Administration in the South.
The CHRONICLE is glad to present to its
readers the following letters from au edu-
Gated and representative white Virginian
and from a progressive cOlored resident Of
the old Dominion on the effect Of Mr.
Cleveland 5 administration on the problem
of the South. These are the first of Il sc
RE, Of letters from white and one
from colored man-on the same subject
whcir we shall print for several weeks
from North Carolina, South Carolina,
Georgia and Tennessee. These letters are
copyrighted and cannot be published by
any editor who has not bought them, and
they can be bought by no paper in North
Carolina except the CHRONICLE The cost
to us is much more than we usually pay
for correspondence. We think our read
crS will be interested in the views Of the
leading men in the several Southern
States, and appreciate the enterprise we
thus show in furnishing such interesting
matter.
lCopyrighted.l
From the White Mans Point OF View.
Mr. T. Z, Blackwell, of the Faculty of
Randolph Macon College, Va, Virginian
of the post -bellum generation, in answer
to the question, ''W hat has been the effect
Of the Cleveland Administration on the
problem of the South and the feeling of
the people of Virginia." writes as fol
lows
ASHLAND, VA, April, %, 1886.
Before 1885, the relations between the
General Government and the Southern
States had not been such as to produce
the highest form of patriotic feeling. No
Noutherner whom we delighted to honor
held any Office under the Government.
such office holders as were natives We're OF
very low standing in the community, and
such as were of the better class labored
under the lmputation of having become
Republicans for the sake of ofice-Whlch
they always got. The Government, too,
had come to mean the Republican party,
and that party, as we saw it, was compos-
ed of negroes led by such white men as
these According to the Northern Repub-
licans the only way we could show our pa
triotism was by joining their party. So
unfailing IL sign of becoming natOnallzed
was this considered by the Government
hat it was willing to lend its influence to
any man who joined this party. 1t is only
necessary to recall the action of the last
Administration with regard to Malone,
''the little Napoleon Of Reputation. We
had strlven for the privilege Of paying our
debt; and just as We had saved our honor
"as by fire. the National Government
helped Malone to faSten the stigma Of re-
pudiation upon us and to weaken the sense
of public honor in the State. Such treat
ment coming from Washington was not
making VirginianS any more patriotic.
Cleveland's election changed all this.
For the fiji st time in this generation we
felt that we We're indeed sin our fathers
house, once more. The feelings Of partici-
patton and responsibility have awakened
throughout the South a strong spirit of
patriotism that is daily gathering strength.
| asked an active political worker: ''W hat
has been the greatest benefit Of Cleve-
lands election to the South?" His answer
surprised me 1T is sentimental ben
eft, he replied: sit made us believe that
We are actually in the Union" Yet could
there be a greater or a more real bentit!
But more noticeable is the effect of Gle
yeland's election upon the negroes. They
had been taught that if they could only
get control of the State, they would be
granted such rights and privileges as would
make them in every way the equal of the
white race. Thinking that they were tC
elevate themselves by politics they nat
urally neglected the only means by which
race can raise itself in the scale of civlli
zation Education, steady work, acqur-
ing property were slow processes, and not
to be thought of, when constant atten
dance on their political meetings woulC
accomplish the same result. Feeling that
they We're kept down by their political op
ponents, they saw in every offer OF helE
from the whites an attempt to subject
them to greater indignities and they were
thus deprived of the aid of the people who
are in a position to be of most service tt
them. One cause of their great fear O.
the whites was the belief that the politica
aim of the Democratic party was to re-en
slave them and that their liberty and thei
welfare depended on the continued ascen
dancy of the Republican party. I once
tried to convince a sensible negro tha
there was no foundation for his belief
1t was to no purpose, Liberty had COM
with the Republican party, and with it
downfall it would go.
When they found after Clevaland's elec
ton that they were not disturbed and tha
they were treated as hitherto, it was sec
ond emancipation SAID one OF their leader
to me the other day: "Cleveland's election
has been great help to us. We kno,
now that the government can't make u
rich and exactly like white folks in every
thing. We've got to take citizens fare
we've thrown those corn stalk men in tn
felus corner, too" s'WhO are the corn
stalk InenE' | asked ':The men tha
used to tell IS that if the Readjuster
didn't carry the 5 ate the publ
schools would be shut up, and if
Democratic President was elected, we,
all be put back in avery"
1t is the obServatHn Of eyerybody-rea
70 AGENTS, farmPl an6 oil o,o p1nvar
of labor-that the NEGROES are workin
better and more steaGly paying thei
debts and their reats mol promptly, an
are less anxious - run IF to politica
meetings than ever lefore. AS the erea
cause of their being Suspicious Of tn
whites is removed, they are .etting NOR
helm from them. In my owLcommunit
know of more than oDzen persons c
nosition and influence who areanoaoed i
teaching in their Sunday eh,olsand othel
wise ins.ructing them, Nhose lid, if o.
fered eighteen months agowoulC not hay
been accepted. Thus, bGoes nspirin
Virginians with purer patotic thought
and feelings, Cleveland's ection has rt
moved an incubus from thtninds of th
negro, and torn down one oshe barrier
that separated the races sit to Ne
England last summer convlna me ths
some others besides our negrotad bee
relieved by finding that the Den1ea ha
shown no disposition to destroy couI
trv; and | thought | saw slgns' othe
La,,,f fpry