The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1898-12-01
SOME STRAIGHT Talk,
TRUE ATTITUDE OF WHITE PEO.
PIE TOWARD NEGROES
friendship for the CoIored Race on
the Part on the Whites of North
Carolina Clearly Demonstrated bv
the Conduct of the Latter in Their
Course of Action, Both Public and
Private.

South growing out of the negro problem
deserve no notice from thoughtful
Southerners, beause they are rabidly
partisan and grossly ignorant; but
the editorial from your paper above
referred to is thoughtful, and mani.
tests a desire to get at the real situa-
ton and to deal honestly by us.
Therefore, desire to call attention to
certain facts which you either are
not aware of, or overlook.
The following quotation is made
from your editorial:
''lf the people of the Southern
States would frankly say that they
wanted to be ruled by their best
rather than their worst citizens, and
proceeded to shut out from suffrage
undesirable white voters on the
same terms as the undesirable blacks.
there would be one solution If thew
would devote themselves heartily to
the work of training ignorant voters
so as to secure good Government
from them, that would be better.
though slower, process; but as it
IS, they retard rather than promote
the advacement and reform of the
most dangerous element in their
population, and legislate, not against
ignorance and vice for their own
sake, but against them as exhibited
by negroes.'
Now, as matter of fact, we have
always said we desired to be ruled
by our best citizens, and we would
all along have been doing so, had not
the country committed the stupen-
dous mistake on endowing the negro
with the right of suffrage. Had that
not been done the recent deplora BILE
conflict in our city would never have
occurred. That having been done,
it made it impossible for any COM
munity where negroes predominant
ed to be ruled by its best citizens.
Will the country now permit us to
be governed by our best citizens?
You say: IF they (Southern peo-
ple) would devote themselves heart
lily to the work of training ignorant
voters" etc. We havebeen doing our
utmost to train the negro voter for
twent-siN years. In this State the
whites pay 964 per cent. of the taxes,
the negroes 3! per cent. The pro-
portion of the school fund paid by
negroes is somewhat larger than the
above.
The school fund is divided between
the whites and blacks on per capita
basis, SO that in communities where
the negro predominates, the negro
hn hui % ho
This has been going on since the
whites secured control in 1872. We
have provided them with free schools
in the country districts, and graded
schools in towns. We have given
them an agricultural and mechanical
college, and various schools for the
training of their teachers. Now
what else should we do, think YOU,
before it can be fairly said that we
have devoted ourselves to training
ignorant voters?
Again you say that we ..retard
rather than promote the negroes
advancement and ..legislate not
against ignorance and vice. per Sc
but against them as exhibited by the
negro. viii you point out wherein
we do that? | have no doubt that
our statute books are accessible to
you; will you designate one such
piece of Legislation? On the con-
trary, in addition to the schools
poryided as above, which, we sup
pose may fairly be taken as evidence
of some effort on our part to promote
the negroes advancement, and the
laws which provide for these schools
as some legislation against ignorance
and vice per Sc; in addition to them,
l say we have provided the negro
with schools for the education and
training of his deaf, dumb and blind,
and with asylums for the care of the
insane OF his people. There are
houses, under proper custodlans, in
every county in the State for the care
and protection of their aged and
destitute. The county of New Han
over, in which the city of Whining
ton is located, is now paying $50
each month for the assistance of the
poor of the negro race outside those
houses and 1925 per month for the
whites in the same way. The cree
ton of negro churches is made posi-
bic by the generous contributions of
white men. In all other, except
election matters. the negroes seek
unreservedlv the counsel and as
sistance of the whites, in the daily
problems of their lives and receive
them without stint. In the face of
these facts can YOU justly say that
we retard advancement of the negro?
Furthermore | commend to your
consideration the question whether
Democracy, i. e.. government by the
people. ever contemplated the sud-
den injection into the body polite the
people of relatively tremendous
number of men who were savages as
compared with the native population
and really aliens? And if, that
being done, we then find that uni
versal suffrage under the influx OF
| such an alien element will result in
the arrest of material progress, and
| will DESTROY the fruits of civilization,
can we truthfully say that, therefore,
Democracy has failed?
The pure and ideal Democratic
philanthrophy" no more -contemplat-
ed the admission of the Southern
slaves to the full right of suffrage,
Immediately upon being given their
freedom, than it contemplated OF
required the admission of the North
American Indian to that right.