Charlotte messenger. [volume] (Charlotte, Mecklenburg Co., N.C.) 1882-18??, 1888-05-12


religiously right, to my mind, is the
most astonishing thing that has ever
occurred in the history of our people;
certainly the most astonishing since
the period of our emancipation. The
incongruity Of your editorial therefore
is somewhat Of puzzle to me and |
am almost as much at loss to discover
why you should have made use of the
sentence quoted above, as | am
astonished at the course pursued by
the Bishop.
If such thing as paying in money
for the emancipation of the colored
people were possible, upon what rca-
sonable hypothesis could the govern
ment put the burden of doing this
thing upon the Northern white people ?
What peculiar pleasure and benefit
would or could it be, think you, to
the colored people to have such a
heavy burden put upon them? Why
single out the Northern~ white people,
as fit victims to be sacrificed to such
an unholy purpose? What have they
been guilty of doing that would justi-
fly you in asking, or the Government
in imposing, SO heavy burden upon
them ? Did they not open their
treasures, spend their money, and
shed their blood that the Union might
be preserved, and that you and / and
all of our people should enjoy the in
estimable boon of liberty? Do you
not now enjoy the right to edit a
newspaper in North Carolina, your
native State, because they did this 7?
Was it not Northern white men and
women, who furnished the money and
school teachers that established and
taught the school or schools, in which
you acquired the necessary information
and culture that enabled you to be-
come an able newspaper editor? Was
it not the money furnished by North
ern white people that established for
the benefit of the colored people such
institutions of learning as Biddle
University, Scotia Seminary, st.
Augustine Normal and Collegiate
Institute, Bennett Seminary and Shaw
University? Is it not the money
given by Northern white people that
has enabled Rev. DIR. J. G. Price to
present to the colored people of North
Carolina the handsome structures at
Livingstone College? Next to doing
great and good things or acts our
selves, the best thing is to duly APP
preciate them when done by others.
The issuing of the emancipation pro-
clamation was one of the grandest events
ofthe 10Th century and its record forms
the brightestpage in American history,
sublime in its nature, mighty in its
immediate influences and remote
consequences 1t forms the Keystone
of a triumphal arch such as castle
borne ambition never conceived reach
ing like the Patriarch's ladder from
earth to glory beautiful as the rain
bow, enduring as the armament, in
scribed in characters of effulgence,
glory to God in the highest peace on
earth good will toward men: God
spake through his agent the immortal
Abraham Lincoln. Liberty came-God
given liberty, and that settled and
settled forever the question, the money
value which man had in man. To
conclude no white man so far as l
know or have heard, either North or
South, has suggested that property of
the government, individual or indi-
viduals, paying for the emancipation
of the colored people. Indeed the
editor of the News and Observer,
Democratic newspaper published at
Raleigh, the organ of its party, in
commenting on the reported propO-
sition of Bishop Hood said "That
while there might be some equity in
the proposition of the Barley Preach
err, he did not know that such thing
was desired by the white people of
the South Respectfully,
JOHN s. LEARY.