The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1898-12-09
The Wessen9m.
CAUSES.

lCICAL CNCILo III NAA0 ~ OaN ~
long as some statements sent from
here are so and even ma
nignantly false, and so long as the
northern religious press, and, a part
of the secular press, persist in misrep-
reservations, in ISLANDERS, in accusa-
tions. that are false, baseless and DELHI
crate, it is not easy to be silent or TO
withhold the pen. Two or three days
ago we saw a large Boston paper sent
to a gentleman of this city. 1t had an
article sent from here, but without
name, that would fill two and a half
columns of the Messenger. He told
us it was EVIDENTLY written by a
woman, and he said it was the most
violent and vicious of all the articles
he had seen. We did not read the
slanderous, lying thing. We saw but
d paragraph, and in that three or four
leading gentlemen of Wilmington wer
held responsible for the late outbreak
on the part of the negroes, and were
branded as murderers. 1t is a pity the
malicious liar and slanderer did not
have the courage to sign the name,
whether by woman or man, of the au-
thor of the villainous communication.
1t shows just what vipers are being
warmed in this city.
The causes of the late outbreak have
been often stated, and by many writ
ers. We propose to recapituate brief
" some of the chief causes, if not all,
for some may escape us.
The beginning of causes that culmi
mated in a racial conflict, and a revo-
luton that was peacefully accomplish
ed, by the action of the negro party in
power, was the action Of the mon
grel legislature of January 1897. Tha
body literally took from the governing
Intelligent, t~ax-paying class in Will
mingtOn-the whites-the precious, in
alienable, fundamental principle o
Home Rule-the safeguard of freemen
The foundation of all free, enlightened
party here full control. The whites
put in office were by negro support and
supremacy here. The negroes to the
number of seventy or eighty held Of
fee here. The result of this condition
this deprivation on the part of the
whites-this enforcement of negro
rule in Wilmington, was speedily
seen. The negroes,-the meaner, more
aggressive, more insulting part-began
at once to show their naturally bully
ing staggering dispositions. This grew
with time, until the conditions becam
simply outrageous and ~unbearable
These conditions have been amply pre-
scented by various writer's, among them
resident republicans, visiting republi
cans, able correspondents of the south
ern and northern press. Violenc
stalked abroad, rough, jubilant, abun
dant, vulgar, insulting ladies on the
streets, threatening whites, insulting
the aged, even prosecuting and hurting
children. We could give a score of ex-
and decency permitted. Houses were
robbed, furniture destroyed or befOul-
ed, and general deviltry perambulated
and defied. The city government was
a nullity. 1t stood paralyzed and help
less. No one looked to it for protec-
ton. The whites paid nearly all tn
taxes-968-and had no possible re
dress.
So the bad act of the fusion legisla-
ture started the trouble here. 1t
placed the white people under the rule
and grinding heel of the negroes large.
1y in the majority.
Could these things continues? Coul
such a state of lawlessness and out
rage go on from week to week through
the years? He is a fool who thinks so
He is an enemy of public decency, pro-
lection of life and property, of free re-
publican institutions, of law and order
of civilization itself, whoever dares tC
affirm it.
What next in the order of causes
The third class white men," as the
negro preacher in Washington SO aptl!
described them-the adventures an(
bummers and carpet-baggers (the re
fuse of the northern army and I'M
worthy, unpatriotic, traitorous scala
wags-all combined to try to continue
the fusion arrangement by which sucl
damning deeds, and such a multiplyin,
of crime had been accomplished upol
Eastern Carolina. The whites saw
that if the d%isreputable, vicious, cor
rupt gang of seedy, hungry dema
gogues succeeded in their dark an