The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1897-08-06
PUBLIC OPINION

The platform adopted by the Maryland
Democracy on Wednesday has wrung
from the esteemed Baltimore Sun q
howl SO loud and long and piercing as
to call for U unadulterated commiser-
alton. Evidently the Sun wishes to
picture 1t as another wicked trick OF
Gorman's-a new and unusually adroit
trap set to catch the credulous and un-
wary. 1t screams out to h effect that
German il getting more artful every
day, and hat this platform is the
very keystone OF the arch OF his pes
tiferous craft.
Anonymous letters are generally
towards who stab In the dark. or take
unawares. That one of these ours
should be able to obtain an envelope Of
the Halifax Rifle company OF Daytona
for his unmanly purposes is to enhance
the Of the transaction. Add
that the further outrage OF writing a
threatening letter, in violation of the
United States postal laws, and w. +
is hereby informed that il he choose
to call and get a friendly refutation of
the un~called-for letter, in preference to
one Of Uncle Sans inspectors calling
on him with one, he can learn that no
cause whatever existed for such a con-
temptible thing as an anonymous let
ter.-Daily (Ga-) Daytonian.
Connecticut is now the state which
has discovered that its last legislature
so muddled a piece Of work as to give
what was originally an unimportant
amendment of an old law an effect
never dreamed Of by the public. Dur
ing the latter part of the session a bill
was introduced which proposed to re-
peal eight lines Of an existing law re-
garding the sale of liquor by a dealer
who had been licensed, pending action
on his application for a renewal, n
to make a new provision on the sub
ject. In this shape the bill was sup
posed to ave passed both branches,
but the discovery has been made this
week that it was "mOnkeyed with" at
some stage of the proceedings. so that,
as actually enacted, it repeats the
whole ffty-four lines of the old statute.
New York Evening Post.
We have always felt an affectiOnate
concern for the Baltimore Sun-for this
venerable and doting dc newspaper
which essays the hopeless task of dis
guising a merely personal rancor IN
the dignified habiliments Of dispas-
sionate patriotism. OF course, the Sun
understands perfectly we'll that there
is no Inconsistency between the w
Platforms; that the demand for inter-
national ~bimetallism is so far from free
and unlimited independent silver COIN
age as the very strictest gold monom-
etalism; that every orator and expon-
ent of the gold standard has always
professed the most ardent anxiety for
a larger use Of silver under such al
agreement as the Maryland DemOcra-
cy now demand; that the platform of
1897 is simply the platform Of 1896 ad-
justed to the evolution of events and
the logic Of fact.-Washington Post.
A considerable number of white men
attribute the increase of criminal as
saunlts on white women by negroes to
free education. If this be r the
remedy is easy-amend the school laws
by closing the colored schools for n
year in any magisterial district in
which the crimes occurs. If his can
not be done by the legislature, then
do it by constitutional amendment.
This would change the negro Senti-
ment upon the matter quicker thar
preaching, and afford better protection
to females than the death of criminals.
Two SSau in any one county should
close the schools of said county not less
than two nor more than ten years. The
trite adage that such law would make
1.-The innocent suffer for the guilty"
does not apply for every thinking man
knows the heinOus crime is largely u
to it's federation by the race. If the
negroes understood the forfeiture Of
school privileges was at stake, as well
as life, a healthier sentiment would
prevail among them. Deprive locali-
ties of school privileges, and every
teacher, as we'll as all patrons, woul
frown down the qualification Of lust,
and advocate chastity. That virtue
is held too lightly by negroes. Make
free education as we'll as life the for
feit.-Warrenton CVa.) Index.