The daily citizen. [volume] (Asheville, N.C.) 1889-1890, 1889-12-13
WHITES AND BLACKS.
Sensible ExpressiOns From the
New York sun.

New York Sun.
In letter to the Chattanooga Times
on the race question at the South,
Judge D NJ. Key makes these remarks:
"If a Southern white man orwhte wo-
man places himself or herself on terms OF
social equality with the colored people,
visits them upon equal terms, dimes with
them at their own homes or at the table
Of the white person, the white man or
woman so doing falls out of the South
ern social world. If one from the North
comes here, and places himself upon
terms of social equality with the colored
race, he too, finds the door of Southern
society shut against him; but his fall is
in nowise different in form or conSe-
uuences from that of the Southern man
who demeans himself similarly. This is
the rock upon which many excellent
men and women from the North nave
foundered.
We do not see how any man or wo-
man from the North could have any
misconceptions as to that matter.
White people at the North who consort
with negr, eS on terms of social equality
are treated in the same way by their
white neighbors. There is no difference
between North and South i'll that re-
spect, unless it be that here the prejudice
against negroes on account of their mere
color is stronger than at the South.
During the early abolitioniSt days the
experiment of introducing negroes into
white society was made, but it did not
work. Nor has the race prejudice been
~ I,, oil
Northern towns and villages the negroes
are compelled to live apart, in quarters
inhabited by them wholly, or almost
wholly. Here in New York, they really
suffer much hardship because Of this dis
elimination. They cannot select their
residences, as white people do, from
among a vast number, but must go to
the comparatively few tenements in
which negroes are allowed, which are
usually in districts where the population
is colored altogether. If the landlord OF
an ordinary tenement house should in
troducc a colored family, no matter how
neat and respectable, he would lose his
white tenants.
In The more or less frequent instances
where a white woman marrieS colored
IL,
her white relations and friends, and is
culdly received in colored society. The
case of the white woman who married
the Hon Frederick Douglass, now Minis
ter to Hayti, is conspicuous example OF
this loss of caste. She has been ostracized
by white people generally, and the
colored people were incensed against MIR
Douglass for marrying her instead of a
woman of his own race and color. When,
too, he was to be sent to Hayti on n
man-of-war it is said there was trouble
in getting a white officer to command
the vessel. Even at Hayti, with its
negro government, Mr.. Douglass has
been received as if his appointment was
in the nature of an insult, and the
Diplomatic corps have no social relations
with him. He can hardly ever have there
the influence which any respectable white
Minister would have. The Haytian
Government argues that as this is a
white Government it should send white
man as its representative, according to
the custom of other nations of whites 1t
does not want Mr.. Douglass, though in
him the African blood has been diluted.
When colored cadet is appointed to
West Point he has hard time OF it, and
his bitterest prosecutors are Northern
lads. No colored cadet has yet gone
through the Naval Academy at An
napolis, and if there lad been a colored
midshipman the poor fellow would pos
sibly never have returned from his first
voyage. 1t is true there are colored
students in some Of our colleges at the
North, but they are obliged to live apart.
no matter how kindly disposed their
fellow students may be toward them.
The white churches do not reject col
ored members and attendants, and yet
at the North no less than at the South
nearly all the religiously disposed colored
people are gathered in churches of their
own and under pastors of their own
race. The black Christians feel more at
home by themselves. So also in theatres,
hotels, and restaurants there is practi,
cal discrimination against the blacks
which no enactment can prevent.