New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-08-30
THE ABsuRD1TY OF THE RACE WAR"

THE ABsURDITY OF THE RACE WAR"
NO DANGER WHATEVER THAT THE NEGROES OF
THE SOUTH WILL EVER WIPE THE WHITES
OFF THE FACE or THE LAND.
To the Editor Of The Tribune.
Sir: The fear of the negro II the Stalking spirit OK
the South At every turn one sees and nears tne
evidences OF this apprehension among The guiiioie
and unthnkIng-th.s anticipation OF sometning tnat
never has happened and that should ike 70 prove
never can happen In this section OF our oh'ea
states II Is to be noticed by our asluie o"oe'.r
that the newspapers raise this cry OF face var
wth greet reguarity-at election times IrV'a'
events are magnfed to enormous proporuohs, ius'-
,,,a ,rsonces Of black insubordinaton are eaoor-
o,ed N such a degree that feeling spreans over
,imid readers who have no means OF SEEING '"'
neatly adjusted wires behind the po'tca' curtain
When Election Day arrives every VOTER l'o'' one
cause or another-the wide-awake poitca' or Inv
trembling timd-drops his ballot with ",n's eN
n-essed resolve that the niger snail De kept "n
da- and with a renewed sense OF the importance or
sunnressng all these latest indications OF the 'oo-
a,rensrousness' OF the negro OF whch 'he 'D'er
has just read. ,, ,.o ,o,h
NEGRO dominant" is the political con]ure "orc
and warcry Of every important eiect'oh' O". 800
sunnose that constant association by THESE southern
o.o,. uIrh the negro and having as Intimate
Lrowed0e Of the characteristics Of the coore1 race
AZ that would give them, would long s",Se nos
shown the sophlstri,s OF the poHrcai a'a' "''
BUT as distance is necessary to get the correct pro-
portions OF things in this case the Ju's"'en' ~
an outsider may be more fe"a''' Imam
people most concerned , - -.
.w-coner 70 the South, having taken up his
residence here learns many things OF which mere
visitor has no knowledge Whatever anu mas m
nressons will probably be In this orae'' he - a.
first astonshcd at tie number OF negroes III 'l'e
titles ~ the South; they seem far 10 outnumoer me
,his ia GO he is amazed-judgng by northern
standard-at the deferential, humDie anu 80
bringing manners OF the older ones among 'Ne D'a"
peop.e and the quietly respectful airs Oh 'he 'ooe
or generation. Next he realizes the in)osuce VI .e
law, az applied to negroes in the way OF eNcssss'
60 nd r,n,shments and the absence OF SUFFICIENT
legal protection when they are only suspected 'an"
that often for no reason) OF crimes in's' WIN 70
Main proof OF the almost total exuhcuoh Vi '"e
negro vote at the National polls, the laoor ina.
required OF the colored man Tor h''e "o'e -
n,r tho wages paid the white man, the amount "a
n,,,,,,,, demanded nv the employer. and the amount
- obuse given by hm-al. these observations ieai
m the reasonabi conclusion that the southern "e
gro Is timorous and cowardly to the last degree
A further fact which very soon dseoses T rse't h
ina. 'ns sncaI or buslnes organizations among To
better classes Of them is proof enough on me ,hec
rea afIoaa al natures which forbid sustained
thought concerted acton, ,ma thase VINO are
ndrcaI led those who have learned the me 40
ar,s win uerfect ease and become proncieent II,
niehar studies there mas been no Inanlesl atIo 20
an ability TO form their fellows into any movement
FOR organized Improvement OF the race . .,,.,,
II This Is true Of such organizations IL II etuat.s
true Of others OF a harmful sort lac same ~
hat iaments the probability Of negro uprlsiLS ~
e,,' coi,,mn viii. in another column devoted -
boomine tine South, boast OF the aDsehce Vi "a.
labor troubles with the negroes ana the a"'ah'ds'
90 being a Die TO hire them for hait-price, $780,.
U-ba there are general distut ottlS,S e'te
re II ia true many local troubles, pfec pi'atet =,
roost cases by .ong tyranny OF white 'i,ls.ooi
s,,nnre sson OF rights as citizens ~ thsse az :
snn e~roes AT lines make stand ana 90 s"il'-
Ky 49,, dasnerate but the usual end Of such FEEDS
~, breaks is that the dead bodies stieWeI %
The 1eld' are all black. as turned out 20 rr -.
case in the Brooks County tGeorgia) rae wai.
aser, dafe That particular disturbance nad i'r
= week several columns OF space daily IA ~,
Sor,h.r, napers but after the tempest OF pol,:caI
ca ntran had subsidized the still s!Ha voice o. u y,
e 10 pc work and the better class OF BROOKS
County citizens themselves 'e' -
The negroes in the South ara too poor 10 proN..o
,,an,seives with any implements OF serious wal
,arn sven II they wished to, and they are 700
hannv and INDECENT wilfuliy 10 choose the s,eYp
"a n Of race war to better condition WHICH IS
bearable When, therefore the clear,n s.neu MAJ,
rsszes that the negroes proveroial.y timia anu
,arJ that thew cannot organize or lead ,nem-
selves that they are INDECENT by nature 10 re-
sist the dominant white man ana TOO poor 10 pro-
vids weapons for themselves, he conciudes tn.t
..racs VA is a hogy When he reflects also tnat
in ali the thirty years OF expec ancy ann =, oPnry
~ such a dread event nothing OF the KIND mas ever
come on he reasonably concludes that II never wu'
Atlanta Ga, Aug. 3, 1888.