The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1897-11-11
THE Observation-Disclosures

Observation-Disclosures THE
The South has its troubles-the ne
gro question, white supremacy, yellow
lever scare, immense river overhows
etc. The North is by no means ex
empt from its own share Of sorrow anc
troubles. Look at the recent awfu
butchery Of laborers in Pennsylvania
Look at the dreadful hanging in Indi
ana, and not for raping either. There
are mlsfortunes, calamities, etc. tha,
constantly ovcrtake the great rich
North One of the great SORROWS of
New England is the promise OF
greater growth in the South in cotton
milling, its great advantages and the
prospect of being still more formid
able rival of the East. But later ca
lamlty, amounting to problem need
ing, solution, is Sambo in the public
schools. From time to time in diff
ferent States the racial question bursts
out in great fame. 1t has recently
appeared in Illinois at Alton, a small
city. The whites cup there" do not
desire mixed schools for both races as
is the case in Wilmington. But Sambo
S rebellious, is defiant. He says he
will not be ruled out in this way, that
he means to go with the white boys
and girls, and will not attend the
equally good schools provided for him
and his race, and there is trouble
There were 06Io whites according to
the census of 1890, and O8I negroes.
The latter propose to dictate, to defy,
to have their own sweet way and will.
The accommodations for the blacks
are just as good in every way as those
for the whites, but the parents of the
negro children swear that their kinkey
headed darlings shall go with the
white faces and straight hair or there
shall be "a rucus." They have been
striving for five or six weeks to COM
pass their disturbing end, but when
last heard from had not succeeded.
1t is reported that the "negroes threaten
to use force, and dispatches from AL
ton relate that the city is intensely
wrought up and distressing condition
of affairs exists. Many of the people
dislike to send their children to the
schools for fear there will be trou bic,
and some of the teachers have been
intimidated by the rougher element Of
the negroes until they are afraid to go
to the school to teach. Meanwhile
the negroes maintain their stand,
while the police are guarding the
white schools from the intrusion of the
blacks.'
The trouble is augmented by
statement that the Illinois law is on
the side of the negroes. The best way
is to close the white schools until the
legislature changes the law and gives
the white people some rights and
privileges in that State-the right to
send their children to school only
open to their own race. The New
Orleans Pltayune reviewing the situa
ton in the North makes this apt COM
ment:
The white people of the Northern
States expended an immense amount
of blood and money to force negro
equality upon the Southern whites, but
they did not seem to understand that
they were creating a monster that
would in time turn upon them and
reud them. Now they are gradually
realizing the fact, and they will real
ize it more and more
The New Orleans paper thinks this
only the beginning of annoyance. The
mining and manufacturing firms will
have more trouble. They have al
ready imported cheap and dangerous
foreign labor thus displacing native
white labor. 1t thinks that perhaps
cheap negro labor from the South will
in time the Poles and
Hungarians. 1t says this result will
be fastened by the rapidly growing
competition Of the South. 1t will re-
suit it thinks in crowding the North
with cheap negro laborers "where
they will get the laws forcing them
into social equality with the whites. 1t
will not be surprising if, in the end,
the great body of the negro population
of this country should be sent to and
established in the Northern States.
The greatest desire of the negroes is
social equality and relations with the
whites, and they will in all probaoil-
ity make desperate effort to attain it
in the Northern States" Enfranchis-
ing the negro and interfering SO much
with the South may come back upon
the offenders. "The chickens may
come home to roost. '--Wilmlngton
Messenger.