The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1890-03-05
ARP ON THE NEGRO.
THE NORTH'S IGNORANCE OF
THE SOUTH.


Negro and his Socia! Status.
Ireceived a letter the other day from
Virginian who thinks Of moving
South, and he wanted to know how
long it would take him and his family
to be come acclimated, and what wa:
the safest time of the year to make
tbe change, Ifhe had ever been Soutt
he would not have asked such ques
tions. Most of the Northern people
associate the South with malaria anc
bad, sickly weather. They LOOK or
the map and see the parallels of lati'
tude. and so form their opinions
Well, there is some malarial country
awav down South somewhere, but up
here in Georgia we talk about going
to Florida to spend the winter, just
like the Northern people do. The
ONLY difference between Georgia and
Virginia is that our winters are shorter
and milde-, and our summers longer
and cooler. The climate is just vigor-
Gus and bracing.
Now, it is Z. fact that the Southern
people know a great deal more about
the North than their people know
about us. The tendency of travel is
northward, and has always beer so. A
hundred travellers would go north to
where one came south. Business aod
pleasure called them there. Until the
great army of drummers came into ex-
istence, the Southern merchants went
north twice year to buy their goods,
their spring stock and fall stock, and
they became well acquainted with the
people and their manners and customs
and politics and religion. For seven
wears I was merchant and mingled
with them from Boston to Philadel-
phia. but none Of them came south to
miuele with me. Before the war we
sent hundreds of our boys to Northeln n
colleges, but they never send any. to
ours. We have always taken their
newspapers and magazines, but they
have never taken ours. Thousands
of our wealthy people visit their
watering places and their great cities
everv summer, but they never visit
ours, and so they are still unacqualnt-
ed with us. In recent years a good many
af their nabobs and invalids take a
straight shoot for Florida every win
ter, but they 60 in Pullman sleepers
with the curtains down, and when they
get there they huddle together in q
fne hotel at FIVE dollars a day and
don't get acquainted with tie natives
and don't want to. They come chock-
full OF the prejudices of a century,
pr.iudices that are part Of their re-
iicion and they don't want 20 lose
them. You might as well try to get a
Baptist, or Methodist, or a Jew, to
change his religion. There is but one
channel open to removal Of prejudice
and that is through the pocket. The
only hope of promoting peace is IN get.
ting ACQUAINTED, and the only hope OF
getting acquainted is through business
channels. Russell Harrison came down
to Atlanta to a banquet and he be-
haved like gentleman, and expect
he is a gentleman, but he has gone
lack believing that our people are
killing and prosecuting the negroes
and robbing Republican postmasters
as general business, kind of amuse-
ment. But our climate and our mine
raj treasures are drawing their good
people down here pretty fast. They
are investing their money and they
stay to watch it, and the longer they
stay the better they like US. Their
deep concern about the negro soon
passes away and the race problem
busbear vanishes into myth. The
truth is, there are too many alarnists
about the negro, even in our own Sec
ton. There is plenty OF room mere
for white and for black, and will be for
a century to come. I can'tsee any vol
cano nor hear its mutterings.
The race problem has already been
solved in other countries. I was talk
ing to q traveller few days ago-a
man who has seen enough of the world
and humanity and government to can
eel all his pre- ejudices, and cause him
to lock upon everything with the eye
of a philosopher. Not long ago he
took a trip to the Windward Islands,
the little Antilles, and spent some
weeks upon them. He visited St. Kits
and Dominica and Antigua and Bar
badoes and Trinidad, and found the
| English people in charge, and although
the population was mostly negroes.
there was no trouble anywhere. There
was no social equality, nor any other
equality. England makes their laws
| and they ha> to obey them. Inc
English rule is kind and humane, but
Il IS firm and absolute. IL those
islands there are about thirty thous-
and whites and three hundred thous-
and negroes. Those negroes We're
emancipated in 1913, and they are now
pretty much what the were then. Some
Industrious, some lazy, some vaga-
| bonds, some beggars, but all dependent
upon the white mau and happy in
in that dependence. They have plenty
| Of religion and are content with the
present and have but little concern
with the future. They cultivate the
lands and make all the sugar and mo-
Iasses. The lands are owned by En-
dish landlords, who live in London
The governor general is appointed by
the crown, and he has enough officer:
and agents to enforce the laws ano
keep the peace. Negro policemen are
appointed to keep order among the
negroes, and they do it. Now, what l:
the matter with this picture? Nothing
| 1t is just the same pictuce that is here
Right here in this community we have
some honest industrious negroes who
work regularly every day, and are
clever, law-abidins citizens. We have
others who work when they feel like
it and steal when they don't. About
half the boys from ten to eighteen are
street vagaoonds, who run the streets
and the depot platforms. and are ready
tn make a nickel at ANYTHING that l: