The Pascagoula democrat-star. (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1878-1920, 1889-09-20
Gin 1eH1prraf-S Star
THE RACE Question.
Northern Men beginning to understand It.

One OF the signs oGthe time
which will escape no far-Seeing ob
server Is the greatly improved uu
derstanding among the people q
the North, OF the peculiar chardc
ter of the race question in the
Southern States. That this race
question is not really a political
question or one which can ever ne
settled or got rid Of by any amount
of political agitation or Federal
legislation, is now far more Seher-
ally perceived by Northern men
than if WAS ten or fifteen years ago,
AS time passes and the Intelligent
and thoughtful people Of The North
sec such abundant proof thai Their
Southern brethren ire no less pa
trioticand no less amenable to rea-
O on every really national issue
than themselves, they are coming
to a clearer knowledge OF the pc
culiar state of affairs IN the South
ern States and to Il more generous
and sympathetic attitude toward
the great problem which i rom
mitted to the people Of that sec
ton alone.
Some of our Southern readers
may think that we go too far in
holding that this change in the
Northern States is so extensive as
we have described il, tut they will
find that we are not mistaken. The
influence Of the better porlI0n OF
the Northern press in This direc
ton shOule not be underestimate.
Thus H0per'S Weekly Of last week
gave lis authority 10 The statement
Of the race situation IN the South
which must have weight with lis
thousands of readers in Republi-
can communities. In the course
Of this article the effect Of negro
Nominations in the South were
graphically described
LOOK, Ter Instance, at The feel
ing and situation in a county OF
North Carolina, one Of the quietest
of The Southern States, where the
colored population is about one
third Of The whole. Just after The
war, during The negro dominance,
the county commission was com.
posed of a negro chairman and
three negro members who could
not write their names, and one
white man. They levied high tax
es, and the financial situation was
such that when they were driven !
from power The county paper Was
hardly worth 10 cents on The dol
lar, and The colored sheriff, one Of
the ring absconded with nearly
100000. There was universal and
complete disagreement. But UNI
der white rule the county has paid
the debt, the taxes are low, and
school houses are Opeu everywhere
for black and white. There is
general content and prosperity, eX-
.cept that the negroS are represent
ed as even more ignorant and SUI
pertItiOus than when emancipaled.
There is, however, no i'll feeling to-
ward them upon the part of the q.
whites, and no disposition whatever
TO re-enslave them. But the new
generation, which never held
and is perfectly loyal to the
Union, is determined 10 prevent 1
what it considers the lapse of their
community INTO barbarism under
ascendancy."
Here Is certainly IA striking por- ,
of the State Of society in :
thousands of Southern commuui-
lies, and not less fair and judicial
IS the concluding portion of The +
iame article, which Is written in a co
spirit that is much more prevalent lTS
han formerly in the Northern edi- Sc
Orial mind: at
The negroes are acquiring a GER
ain degree of instruction, which
will reveal TO them their rights and -
heir superior force, while The habit q
VI servility sprung from slavery is b
disappearing, And all The y
While the negrueS are increasing i'm
numbers more rapidly than the
while the instinct of self.
reservation naturally YIELDS The
'hiles together, and what they
old 10 be The safety of society
self Is with them necessarily the
aramount public issue. This com.
the intelligence of the South.
I'm communities TO oppose any
arly which by ~favoring negro AS
endency seems TO them to threat
Il civilization among them. In
lis grave situation something mere
necessary than TO say a free vote
nd a fair count will settle the ques-
on. Nobody has yet proposed TO
low either how. under The cir
instances, a free vote and a fair
,uni can be secured, or how they
ould settle the question. A free
Die and a fair count might restore
lie North Carolina county OF which
e have spoken 10 The condition
ON which it has escaped. Is hiatt
result which The country desires,
which it would wish 10 employ
.e army 10 maintains The truth
that the question, which we have
erely stated, is one of The most
rlous, and certainly The most diff
'ult, which cOnfronls the Ameri-
u people. We are very far from
wing or thinking thai they are I'M
lal 10 IFS wise settlement. But
will be gained by denying
e existence of The question, or