The Grenada sentinel. [volume] (Grenada, Miss.) 1868-1955, 1890-04-19
SENATOR WALTHALL.

|
The following we transfer to our
columns with great pleasure from the
fact, that the SENTINEL. as it's files will
clearly show, is in the same line of
thought as to Gen. Walthall:s Statesman .
ship:
III commenting upon the article in
The Commonwealth on the stolen letter
of Congressman Catchings to Capt. Nc
Nelly, the latter says, in recent issue
OF his paper, the Greenville Times:
Tie recipient of SAID letter truly IT"
CARDS himself as a full .sharer in lis
obliq qaities and their consequences. 1t
was in response to and in line with
letter from him dissenting from the
customary handling of the southern
question 10y prominent men.
The stolen letter was dated December
2S, 1888, and shows the letter from Nc
Nelly, in response to which it was writ
ten. was dated December 20. The fol-
lowing editorial comment by Capt.
McNeily upon speech on the southern
question deliveiel by Senator Walthall
in the serate on August 81. 1883, which
| appeared in the Times on September s,
1883, clearly shows that however much
he may have disscnted from the "hand-
ling" OF the question by others, the
Courage and tact with which Senator
Walthall dealt with it, met his earnest
and warm approval:
We believe It to be the wise course
for southern congressman to decline con-
trovelsy upon the intrusion Of our oct
affairs into the proceedings of their
houses. The effectiveness OF democratic
| silence upon the occasion Of the senalo~
rial investigation of the Copiah county
affair of 1888, was full proof of its wiz
dom. We are not saying that there is
not condition in the south interviewer
with political operations, demanding
federal consideration and curative lcgs-
lation. But this conditi III is not to be
approached, its remedial applications
not to be measured out, on party lines,
Gen. Walthall's speech is the initiative to
the true treatment Of the deep lying
ulcer OF the body polite, and his par
ticipation, manly and fair though it be,
in the mere controversy which the Jack
son resolution was designed to provoke
is to be taken as simply inti odnctory to
its real purpose. His exposure Of the
paltry preteDse OF these periodical in
vestigations, delivered in the most adj
mIrable temper, was complete and
crushing. But the main idea of the
speaker lay in his presentation of the
nature of the race problem: anC 1t is
this portion OF the address which
wrought lasting impression. We wei
come this departure a,s calculated ,c
turn northern thought upo" the Sonth
into the true chann,L 1t demanded
the courage and tact Of Senator VI althali
to give the impetus.
! The following is from the New Yorl;
Tribune:
The speech delivered by Senator Wathall,
of Mississippi, is admitted by many OF his
southern colleagues to be the best preSenta-
| ton of their side of the southern question %
which they ever listened in congress, 1t was
delivered with an air of fairness rather un-
| usual In political speeches made in the heat
of political campaign, and it commanded
as it deserved to do, the close attention of all
his political friends in the senate aud OF q
goodly number of republicans. The speech
was made in reply TO that of Senator Wilson
of Iowa, on the Jackson, Miss, outrages but
| theispeaker devoted little time TO the local
| matter in question. He covered the entire
/
! hinge upon the race question, and so far AS
| appearances and the warm congratulations
| of his fellow democrats may serve as an in
| dlcatiOn, his sentiments are those of his
| entire party at that time.
| The striking feature of his speech was its
more or less frank embodiment III substance
of the admission that the negro does not and
| cannot expect to have his political rights
| where he is in the majority his was lOt
said in words, but throughout the speech
| there appeared the assertion Of the native
| inferiorty ofthe African, and al the close
came the declaration of belief that no repub-
lican senator would live in Mississippi with
out doing his utmost to avert ''horrOrs" of
| black supremacy. This is wide departure
! from the sweeping stock denials OF the last
dozen years that the political rights of the
colored people are recognized and accorded
| in the south, and If the admission is not
| repudiated by his fellow democrats, it may
possibly pave the way for new order of
things.
We earnestly welcome this "wide de-
parture;" and hope it may be accep'sd
as the line of argument in future by
southern papers and congressman. The
''new order of things" the re-opening Of
the negro question and its adjustment in
accordance with the teachings of states
| manshin ia what ia coralv paeIp1