The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1888-09-27
THE COLOR LINE.
DRAWN BY THE NEGROES.
Let the Whites Initiate Their Exam
pie and Stand by Their Own Color.

People who talk of new issues in the
present campaign and who seek to
make the impression that this is purely
national fight on the single national
issue Of tariff, will not deceive men
who look the situation squarely in the
face. We are confronted with the
same old issue in the South and, as
usual, the negro is drawing the colcr
line. Another evidence OF this fact is
found in the following circular, which
was picked up day or two ago in the
suburban village of Jacksonville, a
negro settlement. 1t is headed "Thur-
man on the Negro and reads thus:
Mr.. Thurman, since his nomination
for vice-President on the Democratic
ticket, made a speech at Port Huron,
in which he spoke contemptuously of
our colored fellow-citizens as "prolihc
anims Is" This is IN full accord with
the old Democratic and proslavery
doctrine that the negro is soulless
beast, unworthy of freedom, and hav-
ing no rights which the white man
should respect.
What Colored man, with any self
respect, can support the ticket one of
whose candidates speak scornfully of
him as a mere animal 7" The col
ored voter who now fails to vindicate
himself and his race, as we'll as to en-
hibit his just resentment, by voting
against Thurman and the party which
nominated him, accepts the degrading
imputatlon cast upon him and lends
his conduct to establish the truth of
the aspersion.
Here then is the question that con-
fronts us all the time-so long as the
negroes are banded together, how can
the white voters afford to split? Ma
tional issues must be subordinated, for
white men cannot afford to divide on
the question of tariff, when in so doing
they open the way for negro rulers to
creep in.
The Register has never tried to ex-
cite race prejudice. 1t has always
dealt fairly and candidly with the col
ored people and leading colorcd man
in this city has volunteered the state
ment that the Register has done much
to bring about better state of feeling
between the. races IN Danville. We
have no unkind feeling for the colored
man and we are willing, perfectly will
ing, to concede to him all the rights
he has under the law of the land
More than that, we want to see the
colored people of Danville in a pros
porous condition and we shall alway:
aid them in their endeavor to become
prosperous and useful citizens. Blu
when it comes to politics, we shal
fight to the bitter end any attempt tt
put the negro in power, or any attemp
on the part of the negroes to put white
Republicans in power, for that mean
negro rule. In plain words, the white
must rule and when negro politician
call on the negroes to stand togethe
and vote the Republican, we use tbi
as an argument to show the white mel
of Danville how necessary it is 70
them to stand solidly together on tn,
other side of the color line and vot.
for the white mans ticket 1t is tn,
same old issue and white men wht
propose to cast complimentary vot'
for the Republican candidate for Con
gress will do SO with the full knowl
r edge of the fact that they are joinin;
, hands with the author of the circula
above printed, in his endeavor to con
solidate the negro vote and cast j
against the white mans candidate
You can't vote for the candidate of
party without voting for the party h
represents, and when YOU vote for tn
, Republican party, you vote for tn
negro party. That's plain English
but it is true.