The Greenville times. [volume] (Greenville, Miss.) 1868-1917, 1888-05-19


had carried into that hitherto track
less field of American politics, recon
struction,n the honest purpose, the
practical craftsmanship, the catholic
philanthropy, the exalted patriotism,
which distinguished him from Others.
at the zenith of his fame, but ere he
could treat and heal his country's
bleeding wounds, the hand of the
assassin cut him off and sent him to
that lonely but most illustriOus path in
all human history where echo catches
the step of Washington. Universal ne
gro suffrage, the Africanization of the
South, was nowhere in the plans of
Lincoln or johnson, nor desired or
dreamed Of by the negroes. The
North had feared the freedom of the
negroes and consequent negro exodus
from the South, and until this fear was
dispelled they withheld all political
rights from them. From 1864 to 1867
not few of them spoke at the ballot
box. and all in the same voice, that
white men only should vote. In No
vember, 1867, even Kansas, that luck
less commonwealth which has given
more conspicuous cranks to political
life than any other locality, by large
majority voiced the same sentiment.
But it became evident in course of
time that the negro would not leave
the South, and the North need not fear
his presence. Then the whole ques-
ton underwent a change. The negro,
who because of his known inferiority
was solemnly adjudged in the rejection
of proposed amendments TO the Con-
stitution, unworthy to participate in
their political life, was by them de-
clared worthy to take exclusive con-
troll of ours and to give him and his
vandal allies unobstructed sway. Both
virtue and intelligence were driven
from the ballot box by force. That
this is the truth of history cannot be
denied; that ii was the treatment of
Anglo-Saxon to Anglo-Saxon is equal
ly true.
The greatest, the grandest race yet
known to civilization, but In dealing
with interiors, whether in strength or
intelligence, he has ever been the
author of his own morality which has
been fashioned to his present wish.
The impartial historian will ascr,be the
reconstruction measures of the Repub-
lican party to bliud hate and stupend-
Gus ignorance. 1t was very like a
statute declaring the child in the Kin
dergarten to be the alumnus of uni
versity, when in fact to recite his A. B
C.s would over-tax his training. Gov.
ernment can and did manumit q
slave, but Government cannot make oil
unmake freeman. Political despot
ism is whitening scourge wherever L
is endured, but the hand of unjust au
thority cannot reduce the guarded cit
adel of a patriots heart nor scale the
airy heights of frceman's mind. But
when the heart bows and not th,
body, when the mind wears the YOKE
and the neck is free, it is mockery tt
call such an one freeman.
The negro made bad start in free
dom. While this was your misfortune
il was in no sense whatever your fault
You aud /, in fact every intelligen
man, rejoices that African slavery is a
an end, and the autonomy and dignit,
of labor restored in the South. Still
if we, who know the negro, had been
entrusted to direct his first manumit
ted steps, they would have been very
different from what they were. From
the lowest plane in an artificial socia
order, beneath the lowest in tho natur
al social order, from being chattel, ;
thing, only quasi person, at one sud
} den bound he was sprung to the highes
pinnacle of political worth, invested
with all the rights and privileges
which belong to the last analysis o
human government, without having
previously acquired right or enjoyed
a privilege or possessed the fantes
conception of the meaning of either o.
them. In his new lofty place, was Gun
ming villain, civilizations outcast, who
taught him that the first use to b,
made of his freedom was to obstruct
to impede, to govern his DISTINGUISHED
master, and divide the substance. Who
has forgotten the craze about forty
acres and q mule Is the the negro tc
; blame for all tuisY | think not. W.
have cause to be thankful that he
proved no worse. Had any Other
race been similarly elevated and
tempted, it would have been terribly
different. As il was the negro was al
enlarged "Punch and Judy" to the
carpctbagger. and when he was ex
, PEELED the hideous pantomime closed
This bad beginning served to estab
lished a distrust and embitter a natur
al radical antagonism which has great.
, " complicated the situation Under
the American system it is impossible
: to divorce material matters from poll
tics, for politics is so intimately ant
sensitively interviewer with individua
life that one answers the vibrations o
the other
: But there is an identity of interes
| between us and the negro growing ou
of our relation to him which renderi
his welfare an adjunct of peculiar in.
+ terest, and the admitted fact of hi
inferiority only places our obligation
: to him ON higher ground. We have |
direct monied interest in his materia
: welfare; and while It may be yer,
easy to assign reason for his past ant
: present it is a problem of supremes
, difficulty to provide for his future
: The question is often asked, what j
: to become of the negro. There Is an
f other question of higher moment ant
: which has precedence in my heart, an'
}, that is. what is to become of the whit
G man herey If he, who alone repre-
| sents civilization, can be made pros
| porous and his farming profitable,
{ provision for the negro becomes easy
$ indeed. SO long as the negro re
1 mains here, his only future is througl
n the white man. But if contact wit
: him degrades us, brings us to his leve
8 or below it, if 10 secure his labor ther
S must be ceaseless pandering to the prt
c dominance of the animal in him, if W
n must permanently participate in hi
= debauchcries to preserve n bushes
.. sympathy with him, there is surel
4 a Il