Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1893-08-06
NEGRO CHARACTER.
IS STEALING THE PREDONINATING TRAIT OF
The NEGRO?
The Question Interestingly Discussed By Bill
Arp and Bishop TurnT-An Impartial Pre-
ssntaion Of the Case.

IL
Turner. The latter jsanegrO, bishop
of the A. NJ. E. Church and one OF the
advanced thinkers OF his race.
perusal OF the correspondence will aid
the reader in solving the vexed ques-
ton, sis 1t natural tor the negro TO
steal?"
Enclosed I send you Bishop Turner's
reply to my letter in last Sundays pa
per. Will you please publish it.
Bishop Turner is the very best type
of his race, and all who know him re-
spect him. For thirty years he has
been before the people OF Georgia as
considerate thinker and conservative
actor in all matters that concern the
welfare Of his race. We saw his pru-
dence and good will tried at Rome in
1865, when one Captain De La Mesa,
mercenary Spaniard, was lordiDg IL over
our people like tyrant, and encourag-
ing the negroes TO all kinds OF lnwIess-
ness. Bishop Turner made a public
speech to the negroes and every senti-
ment was sensible, pacific and Kind, and
was approved by US all. The Spanlard
also made a speech, an idiotic, drunken
mess of stuff that Disguised everybody.
| have no issue 10 make with the
bishop in regard TO the honesty OF the
negro In the interior OF Africa. II bis
dishonesty Is not race trait, here then
there is no apology, no excuse, no ex-
culpatory conditions. "Abnormaized
environments and povertouS conditions"
will not account for thefts OF earrings,
breast pins, lace handkerchiets, par
asols and such things that are neither
food nor clothing. The nurses and
housemaids who steal these things can
all read and write, and most OF them are
much farther advanced In the school
books, and they are all members Of the
church in good standing.
But the bishop speaks the truth when
he draws The contrast and says one
white man will steel more at one grab
than 1000 negroes will in forty years.
The negro will divide with you, but
the white man, il he steals at all, takes
all that he can get. The white man
will overroach and cheat and deceive
in trading. He will get the best Of the
bargain II he can, but the negro is not
| given TO cheating. He does not know
! how z to sdrive a bargain and conse-
ouentlY is the cheated party. All this
| is true, but ii Is better for 1000 negroes
to steal a little than ten white men TO
steal much? One cashier who embez-
I zles 500, 900 can be handled and
Jailed and drop out of sight and memory,
| but a thousand little petty thefts com
mitted by thousand different negroes
keep up a continual aggraVation. Bish-
Old Turner and many other sympathetic
writer's on this subject are too apt to lay
all the blame upon the old defunct In
stitution OF slavery, when the fact is
that not negro under forty years OF
age has any recollection OF its hard
ships, certainly not one under thirty.
But most of the negroes who crowd the
ials now are under twenty, and have
really had better school advantages
than the poor white people In the coun-
try. The young negroes Of Cartersvllle
are better scholars to-day than the
But they will steal.
was brought up with negroes In and
around the homestead, and there was
no kinder master than my father. |
have no prejudice that am conscious
OF, and yet | assert that as far back as
| can remember the family OF negroes
would pilfer little things. For forty
years OF married life we have never been
without them as servants in our house
hold, and l know Of but one who was
perfectly honest. Some times l have
turned away to keep from detecting
them in the very act, and my solicitude
now is for them and not for myself. Is
there no way TO stop it, must they keep
on filing up the jails and chaingangs,
keep on dropping out OF sight and mem
ory, keep at work with sentinel and
gun always in sight? Is It not better TO
punish with the lash Of the whipping
post for these petty thetts and turn him
loose for another trial2
Now stealing does not degrade or dis
grace the negro like 10 does white per-
son. We all recognize that and con-
tinue TO hire them We condone the
offense before Ii is committed. One OF
the best servants we ever had said TO
me when ! complained OF her pllfering;
"You don't miss what l takes" They
are always kind and they love to do you
a favor. They are good companions
and trustY messengers and II We could
| pick ou ehoice l would rather have
them wants or for laborers than
| any RAJ now OF. But among them
are to .ound all over the land many
who a e brutes-devilsi ncaruate-fends
in human form. and these seem
to be increasing in numbers. The SEN
timent of black heels on white necks Is
bearing fruit. To eXterminate these
the lynchings will go on and all the
world says amen, whether the brutes be
black or white Nothing but the mot
to Of Davy Crockett is wanted, BE
sure you are right and then 60 ahead "
Be sure you have the right man, then
20 ahead. Mistakes may have been
made, but don't know OF one-certain-
" not one that was established. No
good man, no reputable citizen is in any
danger, and II ynching will save the
wives and daughters Of our people from
these horrible outrages, then let tae
summary procels go on.
1t would save them II the negro
preachers and teachers and editors
would cry out against the outrsEes and
quit complaining about the lynchiDgS.
If,they do not begin IL soon they, toe,
may Oe held reSponslbls. The sons Of
Jacob sew all the males OF Shecksm for
the sin OF epe towards their sister. This
horrible crinq IS spreading rapidly and
one or mere cASes are recorded every
day In the daily papers. never heard
Of but one case 10 the days OF slavery
and the heap Of stones where the negrC
was burned remaineth there until thi: