The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1898-11-16
AND OUTRAGEOUS ABUSES
LEFT WHITES NO ALTERNATIVES
BUT IRON REPRESSION.
REPUBLICANS NOW coNcEDE NECESSITY
Of The Inevitable Conflict at Wilmington and
the Conservative, lust, Wise, Safe
Government that Follows that
Only Whites can Give.


Mr.. Henry S. Brown, who had charge
of the New York Herald's correspond
ence at Santiago and Porto Rico, spent
a few hours in Raleigh en- route for
Wilmington to make careful review of
the situation there
Here is his letter in the Herald:
Raleigh, n c., Sunday-Only hasty
view of the existing shotgun situation in
north Carolina and South Carolina is
necessary to bring about the conviction
that the fowling piece is a greater sue
cess than was John c. Calhoun.
The fowlng piece has triumphed where
John G. Calhoun failed.
Notification is now a fact as result
of the stirring and melancholy events of
tie week just ended. Henceforth the
Constitution of the United States. so far
as the Fifteenth Amendment is concern
ed will be IA dead letter in the Carolnas.
Henceforth there will be no free suffrage
for the black voter He may be permit
ted TO vote. it is true, but not in con-
sidera BILE force unless he consents to vote
Il white mans ticket. If he votes the
white mans ticket, all well and good.
i L al
ter. Ii he votes so as to endanger white
supremacy, then once more the shot
gun.
That is the plain, blunt truth, and null
LITIGATION is not hereafter to be set aside.
This is especially true in North Carolina.
As to South Carolina that can be gone
into more fully in subsequent despatch
The difference between North Carolina
and South Carolina appears to be that
there was some provocation for the use
of the shotgun at Wilmington, while at
Greenwood there was none.
ABUSES IN WILMINGTON.
In Wilmington the blacks out-number-
ed the whites almost two to one, land held
the city government with the assistance
of a white Republican clique, of which
Governor Russell was one. There We're
many outrageous abuses. SO high did
the feeling run against the blacks, and
so many threats were made that the Re
publican ticket was withdrawn on the
eve of election. so that the Democrats
had walkover.
The successful Democrats insisted that
the Republican officials, who were to
hold over until January should resign,
that Manly, the negro editor of the
Record, the Republican paper. should
leave town, and that most of the leaders
of the party in power" should go into
exile All, of course, at the point of the
shotgun. The white mans party leaders
say that the cause of the outbreak and
the attack on Manly's printing office
was an article Manly had printed reflect
ing ON white women They might well
get a better excuse-the insulting OF
women in the streets. for instance, be-
cause Manly's editorial. which was high
ly indecent and insulting, was printed
away back in August.
Be that as it may, the city officials
failed to resign. Manly's printing office
was destroyed, and the whites say the
blacks fired the first shot No one hest
tates to say that the white rioters went
to extremes. No one will say that prac-
tically the entire white population was
not fully prepared in advance for just
such an oldtime killing.
SET UP IT'S OWN GOVERNMENT.
Not content with burning the printing
office, numbering more negroes than the
Coroner will ever be able to account for.
exiting Bunting the Justice of the Peace
and United States Commissioners Chief
of Police Melton and Policeman Gilbert.
the "white mans party" set up Il city
government of its own, which has since
been sustained by five companies of
militia, two Cuttings and Hotchkiss
rapid firer-ordered out possibly in
penitential way by the Governor, who
had built up this black oligarchy on the
Cape Fear and had sent the whirwind
to be reaped.
The flight of the negro editor, the
United States Commissioner. the Chief
of Police and a part of the police force
reads very much like "The Outcasts of
Poker Flat" the only difference being
that there was no blood shed in Poker
Flat when the revolution took place.
But the singular thing about it is that
not single newspaper in the State has
condemned the murderous mob rule in
Wilmington. Not a single white man.
Democrat, Republican or Populist, has
raised his voice against it, A most con
spicuous Republican Federal officer.
whom | saw to-day, not only declined to
to go on record as condemning the ac-
ton of the mob. but intimated that it
might be blessing in disguise.
Now. what does this mean? Does il
mean that the heart Of North Carolina
has grown callous? Does it mean that
the shotgun has inundated free speech
as well as free colored vote?
FAILURE OF BLACK DONNA
TION.
So far as / have been able to ascer-
tain after days diligent inquiry at
this. the State capital it means neither
of these things. 1t means that black
domination has been tried in the city of
Wilmington, has run its course and end
ed in utter failure and in bloodshed.
Every man with whom / have talked
has sandwitched into his conversation
some such remark as this:-dYou men
in the North do not understand the
situation here. If the negroes were TO
get in power, ana stay in power. every
white man who did not act with them
would have to leave the State Human
life would not be safe, our women would
not be safe, and property could not be