Daily Republican., 1889-03-22
THE LIME-ISILN CLUB.

~ hev bin requested" said Brother
Gardner as the Meeting opened, 10 pre-
sent to dis club die oavenin' de query Is
dc white man improvin'P Pickles Smith
will lead of de discushun."
Brother Smith replied that he had been
taken unaware. He had never given the
matter a thought He had seen more or
less white folks around him each day, but
had given them no particular attention.
He had sore throat, bad headache,
cbillblaiHs GU both feet, and there were
strong indications that a frat class boil
was about TO hit him in the leg. He
would therefore ask to be excused from
expressing anything like a decided opin-
ion on the white man question.
Col. Anonymous Smith next followed.
II was q question that had bothered him
not little. Thirty rears ago the white
man got DRUNK. He gets drunk to-day.
Thirty years ago the white man sold
his vote. lie saw several OF them bought
In at the last election. In the years gone
by the white man sWore, gambled, stole,
robbed, lied, cheated and comm tied muir
der. II there had been any mo al improve
ment the colonel couldn't see II. He had
always felt q sympalhy for white folks.
and had always hoped they would do
NtAA1 uhh ~ EhAffSN iAAtA "hee Nv buheSA
progress had been made.
Elder Toots said he was glad the ques-
ton had come up. The white folks were
always concerned for fear the eolored race
was retrosrading, but the boot belonged
on the other foot. Within twelty years
the white man had invented the telephone,
but alasl the States had to pass lave 10
keep him from sending cuss words over
the wirea. The white man had erected
wonderful bridges, improved the telegraph,
brought out new orders OF architecture
improved in painting and sculpture and
elevated the standard of schools and
society, but there WAS another side to the
picture. The white man had discovered
other ways 10 beat the laws passed for
the protection OF life and property. Ly-
ing, swearing, stealing and embezzllng
were hardly counted rs sine. Visitors
had picked pockets and stolen overcoats.
Men who paid the highest pew-rent in
church were doing the heaviest stealing.
Dressing had become an art, but running
In debt and beating creditors had become
a greater one. The elder had nothing
against the white man on account OF his
color. The Lord had made him white,
and he was not to blame for It. But,
when the white man stood on corner
and claimed to own the earth, 1t was we'll
to investigate his claim.
WaydoWn Bebee said he had always
felt kindly towards the white man, aud
had always been willing to extend HIM q
helping hand He could remember back
for quarter of q century. II there were
any decided improvements he could not
name them. II the white man was better
educated, so were all other men. Inven.
lions were numerous, other races had
helped to make them so. Take the white
man as a man and he had doubtless re-
| trograded. He was losing his reverence
for the law, He was living fast and
loose, full Of gossip, suspicious, and hav-
ing no care how he made his money 30
long as he made it. II the white man
had got nearer to the moon by means OF
the world, he had also discovered new
liquids to get drunk on and new ways to
beat the law. II the soul had become
more poetic, lawsuits for debt had also
become numerous. If the average mind
| was living nearer to Milton aud Shake
speare just AZ many bodies were being
com mitted to state prison.
Sir Isaac Walpole said the query mad
often been presented to him, and he
| would take advantage of this occasion tC
cay that he thought he could see somt
slight Improvement in the last twenty
i've years. Who were Mormons? The
white folks. Who were bigamists? Tht
white folks. Who were embeZ2ling from
banks, stealing from post offices and
Itching school money? The white folks
All the sedltlon was uttered by whit,
men. All trusts and monopolies on tn,
one hand, and all the strikes and yiolenc,
on the other included only white men
1t was bis conviction that white iolf
were bad lot, but not quite as bad thel
used to be.
Samuel shinn arose to remark that Ii,
had seen good deal OF the white folks
and had been brought into collision will
them more or less every day for years
He conldn't say as beginning, that h
| liked the color. 1t wasn't last. 1t raj
all the way from the color OF an old roai
horse turned out to die to fresh snow
and he could never be made to beiiev
J that straight hair was of any good exeep
in the case of wolf White folks ha'
cheated him, lied TO him, stolen his wool
aud poultry, and he had come to distrus
the race. He didn't doubt that there wa
some slight improvement, but eyel
I savages are compelled to improve. II
believed the time was near at hand whel
: black would be the popular color around
and when the man with the woolly hea'
would step 10 the front.
"Gem'leu !" said Brother Gardner as h
arose, 'de queshun has no doubt bin dc
eided In the negative, but we shouldn'
bar down too heavy on de white folks
Dey has had a heap of tribulashun, es
peshualy In dis kentry. / fur one he
great an abidin' faith in de fucher OF d
B white man. He is gradually learnin' b