The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-10-17
SEATTLE, sArURDAK OCT. ~.
"a PEACEFUL AND PRACTICAL
WAY"

ga PEACEFUL AND PRACTICAL
WAY"
The Buffalo Enquirer, violent Demo-
cratic sheet, recently remarked that "the
development of the New South is settling
the race question in a peaceful and practi-
cal way" The very next day the dis
patches from Arkansas announced the
lynching of five negro strikers, and on
the next day after that the lynching of
ten Increasingly because the laborers re-
fused to work at the wages offered. What
would the revolving labor of this county
think If strike on their part was followed
by the lynching of fifteen of their number
by an armed party of their employ
ers? These grim facts are whistled
down the wind by those Mugwump
papers that are never weary of
urging the importance Of cultivating
good feeling between North and South,
and of commenting to public notice the
generous gush we hear at least once year
from the orators at the "Blue and the
Gray" reunions. So far so good, but what
Is wanted is genuine harmony; tranquil
ity under peace, not tranquility under
tyranny. Words of renewed fidelity and
loyalty to the Union are always welcome,
but fine words butter no parsnips with
men who know that lynching negro strik-
ers at the South is no fancy sketch of out
rage, no mere political scarecrow painted
red for the occasion.
Practical men want good behavior more
than gush, and are .skeptical about "the
era Of good feeling" when despite all the
professions of fraternity on floral occasions
no man can settle at the South today
save in few favored spots, like Atlanta
and Chattanooga, and other large manu-
featuring countries that coddle Northern
and be frank. outspoken Re-
publican In word and deed with the same
freedom he would exercise in the state Of
Washington without suffering social ostra-
cism from the native whites In most of the
states forming the late Confederacy, or
without riskIng his life and property, par.
In certain sections of Louisiana,
Texas, Mississippi and South Carolina.
We do not say that this state of things is
or unexpected. but it is never
theless an ugly fact, and until it ceases to
be fact and is replaced by the belief that
q Republican enjoys the same right
to the expression of his political faith in
Louisiana that he does in the state of
and that his right to life and
Is something his native white
are bound to respect, we
shall not put much confidence in people
who can spill barrel of gush over the
sentimentalism born of champagne opened
over "blue and the gray" camp fires, and
the next month organize for the abs olute
suppression OF free suffrage and free
speech. There Is no doubt that Northern
man willing to see, without word of
protest, national pledges violated and the
weak and ignorant trampled under foot in
defiance of these solemn obligations, can
have q most tranquil life at the South.
In that sense harmony is easy, but there
are a great many Northern men who
while they are glad to make one dol
lar two peacefully, nevertheless do not
propose to abandon the free expression
and agitation of their political convictions
even for the sake of so-called peace and
tranquility. To such men the dismal
facts of the situation at the South. over
whose door Is written the legend "Silence
or Death" mean more than all the hand
shaking, bouquets. and pathetic Robbery
that make so many amiable Mugwump
papers full of smiles.
The Democratic answer to the reproach
of this grave situation is, "Why should
the everlasting Niger stand in the way of
our harmonyf" which is about as an
absurd question as it is for
a very great sinner to ask "Why
should a sinner always be met by retribu-
tion2" AS well might the father of an
child ask "Whv can't I get
children out of wedlock without being
forced by the state to support the child ?"
The Mugwump philosophy concerning the
situation is expressed in the assertion that
''the Niger has cost the country enough
already in the great civil war; if he can't
protect himself today let him root hog or
die" The Mugwump forgets that the
negro was not a voluntary immigrant;
that We Rugged him to our bosom and
held him there in spite of himself;
that he was no more responsible
by any deed or fault of his own for the
cost of the war than a child is responsible
for its ignorance that has never been sent
to school; or for its filthiness if it has
never been taught to wash itself or given a
change of clothing. If the negro is today
an odious and costly factor in Southern
civilization he Is no more responsible for
his fate than child that dies of typhoid
fever is responsible for the criminal ignor-
ance and folly that suffered the fell poison
of the disease to generate and faint
the air and water. The negro is
the child and victim of q cursed
system which he did not create, and to
which he did not consent. He was en-
slayed without his consent; his letters
were broken and freedom thrust upon him
without any effort on his part, and he is
still the victim of a situation for which he
is not responsible, did not create aud yet
he 10 damned and cursed because We who
are responsible for il cannot easily solve it
The increasing black shadow of the
negro is the incarnation Of the gloomy
ss,fft of retrtbation which .Iuav.