The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1898-12-10
GREAT RACE struggle.
HOW THE QUESTION is VIEWED
IN WILMINGTON, n. c.
North Cardinals Position on the Cues
ton of White Versus Negro-Bitter
Feelings are Engendered.

There was a time, says a writer in
the Chicago Record when the south
sought to obscure the fact that it did
not intend to permit the negro the
right of suffrage where such permits
sion meant the domination of either
the colored man or the creature of the
colored mans vote. Now all false pre-
lenses in this matter are cast to the
wind. The white people openly avow
their implacable hostility to negro
ISM" and their intention to rule state.
county and municipal affairs, even
though every election amounts to
revolution. That they are in earnest,
recent remarkable events in North Car
DINA prove. The farce-or was it a
| tragedy ?-enacted here was called an
election, but in reality it probably was
| the most amazing subversion of the
will of the majority ever witnessed in
the history of a popular government
The newspapers of North Carolina,
and indeed of all the south. are terri
bly, outspoken on this question. They
say the negroes and their white allies
are in "a most villainous conspiracy
against virtue and peace" and they
urge every white man henceforth to
conduct himself as the sworn enemy
of the negro with political aspirations
and of the white man who casts in his
lot with the so-called enemies of his
own race. This latter person, as the
uprising against the Tolberts in South
Carolina indicate, is not only social
outcast, but a man who stands i'm con-
~ nf h l., 1,n
mitted to live while no trouble is on,
but let a crisis come between the ra-
ces and his fate is in the balance.
Southern men appear to cherish a
kindly consideration-even sincere
regard-for the negro so long as he
accepts with good grace his position
of subsection and performs uncom-
lplainingly the mental service that is
esteemed his natural and proper
work. They want him to be content
ed and happy, but they say he shall
not make laws for them nor i'm anv
way exercise mastership over the
white people living or yet to be. Just
what is the foundation of this deep
rooted prejudice it is difficult TO say.
We may be sure however that the ig-
norance of the negro is not in itself
his condemnation in the eyes of the
southerner. for he never becomes so in
telligent. though his intelligence at
times far surpasses that of the aver
age white person, as to be recognized
Tor moment as in any sense the So
cIal equal. or as at all admissible to
the social realm of his fair skinned
fellow man. The African is looked
upon as an inferior, immoral. lazy and
retrogressive man, and il is claimed
he needs only to be encouraged to as
pre- beyond his station to become in
tolerably self-important and insolent.
However impressive may be the ne
gro's side of this conference.-the
ever may his individual or social
merits-manfestly he cannot cope
with his white antagonist. Even
where he is largely in the majority he
shows no capacity to defend his own
rights. There are $4,000 negroes to
l 1000 whites i'm Wilmington,
North Carolina, but in times
of stress the minority does as it pleas
eS. The colored men are in the midst
of triumphal civilization; the sources
of power are held against them. and
their disorganization and weakness
appeal most strongly to human SYM
pathy.