The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1888-04-26

of the Negro.
The following communication writ
ten for the New York Weeky !NorLa,
by Mr.. Richard Marston, of Vance
county, the GOLD LEAF cheerfully
gives space in its columns:
EDITOR OF THE New YORK WEEKLY
WoRLD-I saw in recent issue of the
Weeky Wor!d, that an undertaking
had been or was about to be started
having for its object the transferring of
the negro population Of the Southern
States to the Empire of Brazil | am
sure that all well-wshers of the negro
will say, the sooner that such laud-
able and mercltul undertaking is car
RED out the better, SO as TO put stop
10 this "wholesa!e buthchery ot the poor
blacks by the highly cultured and re-
fined Southern whites tor, accodlng
to the statement Of the protector OF
SAID exodus, no less than eighteen
thousand of his sable kindred have
met with violent deaths at the hands OF
their white nelghDorS during the last
fifteen years, and all tor conscientious
principles just because the poor Creatures
had the audaClty 10 vote the opposition
political ticket. Now, 1t Is tor this
phlianlhropist of the colored race to
show from whence he got his blood
stained statistics. | write this letter
with view to bc made acquainted,
how it is, that North Carolina has been
behind hand in this "patrlotlc, but
bloody work tor taking into consld-
Grafton her geographical extent, and
the number OF her population, not less
than one thousand victims must have
fallen to her share. | am an English
man; became resident Of this State
in 1872 sixteen years ago, just one
y-ar before the commencement OF the
"general slaughter" | have generally
been present at our local voatlns place
on the day of election, and must EN-
, phatically say, that have yet to see
the first drop of blood split Oh those
occasions, or at any other time neither
have heard OF anything of the kind
taking place in any other part of the
State. Too horrible to contemplate
= No less than eighteen thousand in W
} ten yea,sl We're the human race
5 ever regaled with such deleCtable re
K pat before? All history says no
! The whole universe Says no; al
3 Heaven says no; all Hell says no
u The negroes themselves If consulted
. would say .'dat it neDber happened.
? Civilization would pronounce 1t I'M
IS possible for such blood stained outrage
TO occur in free America.
l. We are left III ignorance as t
> whether the Brazilian CITY OF Refuge
e has mercif4Iiy thruwA open the gates i
order TO rescue the poor wretches tror
+ l., their impending fate. But 1t may b
}, nothing more than a campaign cucko
u note. | Will here say, that | hav
frequently seen the negro walking t
Il the voting places IN company with tn
~ man with whom he makes his hom,
1t and out of whose land he is allowed t
N dig his bread, and there vote dea
=. against him; at the same time we
~ knowing that he is going against tt
~ interest Of his best friend, and doin
" his level best to place any mean whit
W man in authority over him, and tn;
y too without the slightest interference
~ We might ask the question, how ca
% he act so? The answer is easily giver
~ The negro if left alone would not
himself be guilty of such base ingrat
tude there is another and far less j,
Nd offensive element in politics than Il
u negro proper, viz. the white skin "ni
'W,' ~ ger" who, as soon as Congress had i
!" vested the "darkey" with politic
'y power, hoiseed his renegade colors
politically torsaking his own klndr,
y. ~ and color, just because he conceiv,
~ ~ that his brain had been inspired by
+. ~, revelation to the effect that he h;
IN ~, fallen deep in love with his sable .rel
" tive" and then, with Watering mout
-, :" and ravlshea eyes ne he looked beyo,
~ ~: the transltory side of politics, and
10 held rivers of milk and honey howir
% on the blissful side SOP de GULL
>" brudder's vote" The political title
" that class of office seeker is ..scalawag
u he formerly carried on business in col
pany with the renowned carpetbagg
they ran very lucrative business un
" the Southern people withdrew tht
patronage. When dissolution of pa
r,v nershIp occurred, it was generally /
The drrstood at the time that the lio
~ share OF the assets found its way il
r,o the capacious ''bag," which with
br few personal traps stored away in c
r corner, was pretty snugly and co
ks tortably packed as soon as the SIN
INV brass paddock was adjusted, its histc
md cal owner turned his happy if not n
,,,l est countenance toward the land of
birth ; well satisfied with the remur
alton received for doing little of
OLD dirty work of Congress by aiding
"reCopstTuct" the Southern States,