The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1889-02-10
THE NEGRO AND HIS VOTE.
SENSATIONAL UTTERANCEs OF THE
NEW YORK HERALD.
Gov. Lee, of Virginia, Attacked Because
OF His Recent Expression of Views
The Herald Assumes to State the Pc.
sition of Northern Democrat.


OF Virginia, on the race question in tho
South. On Tuesday it printed cx.Gov.
Clayton's story of the assassination OF his
brother, John NJ. Clayton, in Arkansas.
Gov. Lee is an excellent man, with, we
believe, the i5est intentions. lie is a
white man. Mr. Clayton, of Arkansas,
who was assasSinated in January, was also
a white man. The assassin of Mr. CLAYTON
was also white man. In Arkansas they
are saying that murder is murder, and that
1t would be wrong TO deal politics into this
Clayton affair.
But the curious thing is that nobody
murders Gov. Lee. We have not heard Of
a Democratic Congressman or candidate
being shot in the South. Mr.. Clayton
was Republican. He was looking into
charges, well established, apparently, of
Democratic election frauds and violence,
and he was shot while on that lawful
business. Ii is at least awkward, and we
wish our correspondent had asked GOV.
Lee whether he considers this asslssina.
ton Of a prominent white Republican 10
be an outcome of the trace problem,
which seems TO trouble him.
The other day we printed from Louis.
lana accounts of long continued series of
outrages on colored people in Iberia Par
ish. Men and women had been hanged,
stripped and whipped, driven from their
homes; and all this 10y gang OF ruilians
without pretensc OF lawful authority, and
with so little excuse that the correspond.
ent Of the New Orleans 1iRos. Democrat
wrote that no peaccablc citizen even knew
why all this was done.
This also, GOV. Lee would perhaps say
was an incident OF the race problem
which troubles him. But we should not
agree with Gov. Lee.
Ii in the South the negroes were found
frequently assassinating Democratic mem.
bcTs Of Congress or candidates for office; II
they mustered in gangs aud hanged,
whipped or drove out white men aud
women obnoxious TO them; II they formed
themselves into bands Of regulators, car
riod oil by violence poll boxes and books,
drove white voters away from voting
places, committed frauds ON the ballot
box, and, having done all this, assassinatcd
q white man who came 10 inquire into
their irauds-then, Gov. Lee, in that case
the Herald would agree with YOU that the
''ruce problem was a serious matter for
the South.
GOV. Lee says: leave the negro alone
and ho will thrive proporlionally with
the rest OF ~. Upset him, OH his head
with false and pcrnicious notions of assim-
ilation and social equality, and you destroy
his usefulness ms an intcger.' Well, since
1877 he has been left alone. Nobody. 80
lar as We have heard, has FILLED his head
with notions Of assimilation and social
equality" GOV. lee talksnonscnsc on this
point. and very iiresOmc nonsense. IL h
not the negroes In thc South who favor OF
practice social equality"
But the Governor goes on tosay that the
negro pays no taxes and yet sends his
children To the public schools. Has Wiz.
ginia ever attempted To ascertain how
much taxes her colored people pay? Are
her tax-lists kept Ia separate columns lur
whites and blacksl II not, how docs the
Governor know In Georgia this was
wisely done long ago, aud under Demo.
cratic rule, aud the result showed that the
colored people owned very considerable
and crcditnblc amount Of real cstatc-oycr
eight million dollars worth 80 long agU
~ 1875, only ten years after thc war
ceased, and paid taxes on H.
We regret 10 see the race problem"
turning up 10 quickly after the recent
! Democratic defeat. II does not look well
| ID makes Northern men who are cnliply
| friendly 10 the South feel hopeless con.
| tempt Tor Southern whites The South
| has In the negroes an admirable laboripg
class, patient. dociic, used 10 hard labor
aud to narrow living. II they were not
voters they would not be irccmcn. Being
voters. no doubt they make mistakes
lust a. white voters do. We will tell Gov.
lee frankly ono thing the blacks
could scarcely have sent morc stupid -rt
Of men 10 Congress from the South, II
they had sent the whole delegation, than
the whites have done.
What We should like 90 see In the South
| Ia men like Governor Lee, would be- a
| disposition 10 see that the negro las iuir
play. Fit IA true. ~ the Governor says that
the negroes In Virginia pay no taxes. that
/ certainly Il no credit TO the whites. la a
Christian land u h the duty Of the most
intelligent aud wealthy 10 take carc that
| the poor aud Ignorant prosper at least la a
/ degree. Selhshnoss II not "a Christian virtue.
Gov. lee speaks with gentle contemp,
OF the negroes because, having pleased
| lltiils AllfN NAllNfA " Nlahf hANl hVNfl'
nor aglin, REGARDLESS Of a constitutional
prohibition liut a great multitude Of
white men wanted 10 give poor Gen. Grant
q third term of the Presidency. There u
nothing In that, except 10 show that Gov.
Ice has kindly personal relations with
people whom yet hc would deprive Of th,
bailot-tho only weapon they have TO de
icnd themselves against systcmatiEcd
wrong
The negro isa voter 10y the sct Of th,
nation. lie ought 10 be voter. II b
the duty u the whites among whom 10
lives TO see that hc Is In every way fairly
dealt with and 10 ~ carefully instruct hin
In his public duties that he will yol,
wisely. 10 long AZ lac does not gct FAT
play, ~ long ~ the attitude OF hls whit
neighbufs pcr.uadcs him that thc,e would
take the ballot from him-which ~,
rightly regards ~ his best sccurit,
against systematic wrong-so long he vii
vote the Republican ticket lie is, IL
our Judgment q great fool 10 do 10, be
cause Northern Democrats would pfoicc
his rights ~ quickly aud more egectiycl,
than Northern Republicans have done
bat the ncgro's horizon is limited, aud !
Is the folly aud inhumanily OF the South