Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1890-03-19
INTELLIGENCE MUST RULE.
THE SOUTHERN RACE ISSUE VIEWED FROM
BUSINESS STANDPOINT.

A BUSINESS STANDPOINT.
RICHMOND, Va, March 8, 1890.
To the Editor of the N Y Herald.
As Southern man, and in behalf of
Southern people, l thank you for the ad-
mirable exposition of the "Southern ques
tion" found in a recent issue of your paper
under the heading ga Correspondent An
swered." No one could describe more
clearly, succinctly and conclusively than you
have done the disastrous effect upon our
social fabric and industrial future of putting
what you call "the heels" on top. The era
of Ku Kluxism and bloody race conflicts
which in the Southern States succeeded the
late war was due to the restlessness of a
proud people chafing and writhing for the
first time under tie domination Of an in
ferior race. The throes of that struggle
and prosperity and peace returned with the
restoration of democratic rule.
The like of that unhappy period we will
never see again, unless for pestilential par
ty purposes, the slum mbering fires of race
prejudices and racial antagonism are blown
into fame by reckless and malevolent poll
ticiaus.
With the establishment Of the democratic
rule in the South and the greater assurance
which it gave of honest and stable local gov
ernment Northern capital in steady stream
has poured in to build railroads, to establish
towns, furnaces, banks and other industries,
and to reach with it's fructifying influences
every nook and corner of our section. Will
the business Of the North commit the in.
credible folly of allowing political tricksters
and bloody shirt fanatics to stop the wheels
of this industrial progress2 Democratic
rule in the South means law, order, civili.
zation and progress. It is best for the white
people, tits best for the negroes. Let any
fair minded man come South and see for
himself the schools established for the me-
groes, the asylums, in which they are COM
fortably cared for, the property which they
are accumulating In the cities of Virginia
the buildings for the negro schools are al
most always equally as good as those for
white schools. Northern men who come
South to live-not political tramps, profess
sional agitators or carpet-baggers in search
of an office, but men who wish to become
citizens, with all that the word implies of
duty and responsibility-are quick to see
that our local government must be demo-
cratic. They may have been republicans in
the North, but most of them become demo-
Gratis in Southern politics. The business
men of the North must relegate the Chand-
lers and all that stripe to the rear. The
ramifcations Of Southern industries and
Southern investments reach too many
Northern pockets for them in their own
best interests, to allow their industries and
investments to be imperilled and destroyed
BY measures designed to provoke race con-
ficts. On the renewed and embittered
struggle for race supremacy, industrial
progress will come to full stop, and for an
investor stagnation means loss and ruin.
That the head should resent the elevation
of the heels is natural. 1t is most crafty
ing to the southern people to find in great
journal like the Herald so calm, so states
manlike, so lucid presentation of the rea-
sons against the passage of bills like the
Chandler election laws.
f. W. SAUNDERS.