The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1893-06-15
HEAR THE OTHER SIDE!
tOl1 OR w. n. WALLACE, OF NEW
BERRY, ON THE NEGRO QUESTION.

| oCnHfJ YIN ! Tie Ne1HO SlUES ION.
Moral Deterioration of tho S,uthern
| Negro the Cause OF "the Usual Grim. -
and Lynchtng ~ AN Unavoidable Con-
sequence Thereof.
| CHARLESTON, $. c.. June THE
following article was published IN the
News and Courier Of this date:
70 the Editor Of The News and
Courier: There is no question of the
day more misunderstood outside of the
South than the "Degro question:" in
TACT, only S)utheruer understands the
character of the negro. a great deal of
namby-pamby sentiment is wasted on
him by some of our Northern brethren
propose to speak Of tho negro rs
citizen aud labOrer, and IN boih resoccts
L expect to show that he is not a dcsir-
able possession.
AS a citizen the negro's sphere is very
clrcumscrlbed. He exercises no iullu-
ence on the social or industrial life of the
State, and since the enactment 0! the
registration law aud the elght.boX law
10 influence In politics. He is therefore,
nonenuty except in 80 far as his moral
L will consider him.
For twenty.eight years he has borne
the responsibilities and duties OF citizen
ship. All these years he has had schools
supported by the State for his education;
ne has had his own ministers and
| churches, and has had the example of
The Cest class OF whites to help HIM to Il
higher life. He has learned to read and
Iu q in. I,
learned to live without work; he has
learned Il certain KIND of shrewdnes E,
and has initiated the faults more than
the virtues Of the white people. His
moral character Is best eXemplilied by
reference to some potable events that
have recently transpiredin this State, -
which the attention of the whole coun-
try has been directc', and which serve
now and heretofore.
Within the past decade, and nCreas-
ing IN frequency as the years have gone
oy rapes nave been OF frequent occur
renee. The crime has reached an
alarming state OF prevalence. Within
the past two months three negroes have
been lynched in South Carolina for ou.-
raging white women, and one offender
| w
the same time four or five negro girls
have suffered like fate from men of their
own race.
LII has come to be a very serious mat
ter with people who live In the country
and have to send their children by long
and lonely roads to school. Where the
children arc all small they run fearful
risk. Many of the cases have happened
this way. The lynching at Denmark,
the 24th of April, and that at Laurcns,
the 10Th OF May, were tor ouLrages com .
mitted on young girls on their way to
and from school in the country.
From 1861 to 1865, when eve"y able
| bodied white man was in the war and
the women were at the mercy Of the
negroes, there was not even an insult
offered by one Of them 10 Il white wo-
man. This ls.Olten recalled to their credit
True they were then slaves, bat sla YES
as they were they had no more reason
TO fear the consequences then than now
They were then no, only respectful, az
became their position, but they were
kind in their disposition.
And during the Rec instruction"
perlod-the DAYS Of social and political
upheaval-when the entire State was
under his control. with United States
bayOnets to back him and ourls and
juries all in his hands, such crimes as
have referred to were not known IN this
State.
When the Northern people understand
the situation down here they will as
suredly cease to condemn us for taking
summary vengeance on the desporlers Of
Women; whether they do or no. how
ever, swift and certain death awaits the
offender. We don't care to argue about
it, but we are fully determined. and de-
nunciations against "mob law" arc as
the idle wind. Recent occurrences in
some of the Northern States show that
in this respect the two sections e Of the
same mind.
might show that in Other particulars
than that mentioned the negro las de-.
terloratcd morally since he secured his
freedom. lie grows more lazy and thrift
less every day; he is more given u They
ing, and the number Of executions and
the Increasing number Of negro cOnvicts
III the State Pcnitentiary for hoInicldcs
show tha! from having been harmless
and traCtable he has become bl9ndthirs-
W and rcvcngeful. They often xii each
other for scarcely any prov0cation all
| S"ih iiS"ihio ti'i arc QUICK 20 use
them. In sho it is a taCL 80 UNIVERSAL
ly recognized down here that nobCdy
will dispute it that the negro has dc.
teriorated morally since he became a
freeman.
speak. Of course, OF the AVERAGE ne,
Gro. There are many negroes who have
made good use Of their freedom aud the
opportunities it has brought them, and
who are an honor to thcT race. But
what has been liberty to these has been
license TO great many more, who have
grown up like wild animalp, with no
nOral character and no restraint upon
their brutal passions but fear. 1t is
not surprising. therefore, that where
thcV think they can escape detection
they sometimes prove themselves
beasts III human form. Enough on that
branch OF the subject.
a g laborcr the negro is "A curse TO
the State. He is TO the South especial.
ly to Sout1 Carolina, wha! the "IIepth.
en- ChinccD threatened to become to the