Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1897-03-04
DESTINY OF SOUTHERN NEGRO.
MINOR Camm Patteson Discusses
His Past and Future.

Ills Past and Future.
A striking problem, exceedingly difficult
OF solution. presents Itself to the people
of the southern portion of the American
Union. It is the destiny Of the negro
now that he is invested with the so-called
rights Of manhood suffrage.
The probable social and financial effect
OF his freedom and his newborn pohtical
rights upon that great section or TINS
country rs o question teeming with IN
tercst The experiment has been IN eN-
istonce over a quarter OF century-suln-
GENTLY long TO enable rejecting men 70
form an intelligent opinion as 10 the
probable result.
The edict OF Omar was not more unre-
lcnting and far less cruel than the savage
legislation which at one fell bloy IN
vested millions or people VINO We're III
semi-barbarOus condition with al lhc
rights of suffrage That IL disorganized
society was TO be expected; that it caused
comparatively so small a dlsorganlza ION
is the marvel Of the age. The writer or
this paper was a STAKEHOLDER ana the
son and the grandson OF slave-holdefs,
and has lived all of his life surrounded
by negroes, and from his youth has given
the problem more than ordinary renectlOn'
The most serious fear was long enter
tanned by many people OF the SCUM Va l..l
the result of giving the right or Suffrage
10 the negro would result in war OF
races, I'm which the weaker side would 80
down and that this war, II 1t ever com
menced, would be long, bitter, and unex-
ampled i'm the ferocity tnat would ac-
company ii.
MANY white men and women prepared
themselves as best they could FOR such
struggle, and l have often thought tnaI
the adequacy Of their preparation ana the
firmness of their determination went
great way TO prevent such elimination.
1t Is difficult 10 estimate the moral force
OF at least 100000 OF inteliigent "nitS
people living between the Potomac anu
the Rio Grande Del Norte who are an en-
tirely homogeneous people, ana VINO were
and are united in one idea, and that Is, 10
preserve white supremacy in the South at
all hazards and regardless OF conse-
quences. All other questions up 70 re-
cent date paled into insigniflcance before
this mighty problem. No political or eco
nomical question could for years be as
cussed. and the whites, VINO attempted 10
band the negroes in a solid mass were
treated with a severity as mercliess as II
was lust and proper In the eXtreiue
South that dreadful band known as the
palling record and ruled an immense ter
Titory with greater force and terrorism
than the Car Of Russia did his domains.
Some of the details of their acton were
shocking to the moral senslpllty Oh I ne
kind. and have received, as they nave
Justly deserved, the stern reproDation OF
an enlightened sentiment. The lnstltu-
ton. II such II may be termed, never eNs
listed i'm the State OF virginia. ana yet ~
must be admitted by all falr-minded per
sons that however much In our hearts We
NAV abhor the methods OF the ku-hluk
ISlan." there was strong ana lmperlous
necessity for the existence OF some po"e4
to maintain Anglo-SaxOn civilization.
our legislatures were filled with negroes
and Carpetbaggers from the NoIth' the
"Carpetbagger' himself being the very
scum Of northern society. and his cnier
ally was the "scalawag," who was ma
tive-born traitor; together they perpe-
trated the grossest injustice and inaugu-
rated a carnival OF crime certainly un-
paraleled in the history OF America. bvsn
the English dictionary mas pesh el, 49, sii',
by new and original eplthets o. opproDlnn
which we heaped upon them with a lavish
hand. Under their Infamous rule pro-
nerty of all kinds became well-nign worm
loss and the most dreadful OF all crimes,
which Is unmentionable here, became OF
frequent occurrence by the negro, ana AZ
one time threatened the most dreaului
consenuences TO our society. An organized
freedman's bureau tainted us with
thousand petty annoyances ana agra
waited the negro TO many wicked and ma
licious acts done often for the purpose Oh
airing his newborn zeal for freedom
To whom could we OF the South turn io OF
relief? The goyern1n t, mao 0r Of slave
drivers and rebels; large masses or our
hest citizens were disfranchised; ana ful "
Tan literature wae well-nigh exhausted III
it, efforts TO discover terms suniS,sh'ly =,
vile 10 convey TO their readers an iuSa ~
our ferocity, our aL ,sasn ,nsS''' AN'
one would have soon expected oeVout
and Nous Catholic 10 have Imprisoned tne
pona az FOR "a southern white mhn 70 haN0
exnected redress during the tseconstruc
ton period at the hands OF tho reuerai