The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1898-04-19

The Race Problem
To the Editor: Mr. T.. :. Simmons.
the blind lawyer of Washington. y. G..
has recently published a small book with
the above title. Mr.. Simmons i master
Of an elegant. suggestive STYLE. and ex-
hitjt> in this book considerable originate
y OF thought. We havr read II blind
poets. notably Milton. of blind historians.
notably Prescott: Of blind preachers. no
tably. Milhurn. the blind chaplain 10
Congress: Of a blind poStma>tcr-Gcncrnl.
notably. Faucet. the blind postmaster
general OF England. but never in our cx-
ptrience have we heard or read sc i blind
lawyer.
Mr.. Simmons served for several wears
IL a magistrate for Beaufort county. and
commissioner Of Internal Revenue for
the Federal government, and has proved
4 success in every position he has occu-
pied. Mr.. Simmons was counsel for
Il Of the northumberland with
The murder Of j. T.. Bruner. OF aurora.
Beaufort county. 4 few years since. |.
was Il unique sight ID See thar blind
iIiII Ntiift III lfIoIt u july anu IlItstt 80
c~loquently for the life Of his client. Ills
intirmity gave emphasis 10 his pathetic
appeal. and drew tears from the eyes Of
tn" jury and some Of the audience.
Mr.. Simmons has been Il consistent.
uncompromi>inc Democratic. Notwith-
standing his blindness he has always
taken an active part in every political
campaign. Some twelve years since NJ.
Simmons ran for the Legislature. and
although leading a forlorn hope. he de
featcd that Ajax Of the Republican par
~. Mr.. j. +. Resp:>S. Whilst a member
Of the Legislature Mr.. Simmons was not
4 mere entity; he took an active part in
its proceedings: and his influence was ap-
preciated by the leaders of the Demo
cratic party.
Whilst we concede to Mr.. Simmons all
due merit as Il man. author and orator.
yet we take issue with him in his con
clusion. and do not hin his scheme 10
colOnlze the negro race in the States of
Alabama. Mississippi and Louisiana. and
leave them to form Il separate
government to themselves, not dom
mated by the white race. hut
under the supervision of leading
white men to be elected nv
themselves, practicable or feasible,
The writer does not believe the negro
race capable of self government. and as
to the supervision by leading white men.
tfle negroes prOyerbial self esteem repelS
the idea that they would tolerate any
Such supervision. just here the Write
would correct q historical error. which
Mr.. Simmons has fallen into. How he
came to make such a mistake, after
reading DR.. Mitchell's work-the Pre-
Adamltes-which we presume he has by
his reference to it. W. cannot conceive.
Mr.. Simmons refers to the ancestors OF
the negro race as a highly civilized peo-
pie. He must confound the negro race
with the old Egyptian race. the only
civilized race that has ever trOdden the
soil of Africa. As far back as we nave
any record Of the negro race. if we trace
/ it back to the twilight of history, the ne
gro has been a fctich-wOrshipper and Il
cannibal.
The negro can be identified with the
cave jewellers, mentioned by HerodOtus
To write Of the negro race under the
most favorable circumstances as bein.
capable Of self government is absurd
Whcn an experience i'll the late wal
between the States. teaches us that il i
! questionable whether the highly civilized
I! Anglo Saxon race. is capable of doing so
LII tuplult. u olu El1SliDu ana New
England. imported from Africa the ne
gro: he was sold into slavery. Owing
to climatic influences. his labor at the
North was not profitable: the able bodied
! of the negroes were sent South and
sold; the old and intirm were liberated.
4 few years after the emancipation Of
the negro at the North. the abolition
party was formed. with the avowed pur-
pose of freeing the negroes in the slave
States. under the allegation that slave
holding was a national sin. and
a blot on the Constitution
Abolition orators hurled denuncia-
tionS at Southern slave holders:
their presses published iii glaring head
lines the memorable expression Of Wen
del Phillips. That the C~onstitutloN was
a league with Satan. and q covenant
with He'll" Mrs. Beccher's Uncle
Toms Cabin" was spread broadcast
through the land. the Southern heart
was fired. and the letters Of the State
| more firmly riveted. This eliminated in
Il civil war, which in its results upon
the financial and social conditions of the
~subjugated section, has no parallel in
either ancient or modern times. As an
exhibition of the Inconsistency of the
Northern people. in their dealings with
the Southern shareholders, the writer
we'll remembers a speech made by Sena-
tor Butler, Of South Carolina, in 1854, in
the Senate Of the United States. Sena-
tor Simmons. of Rhode Island, was an
ardent Abolitionist. and was in the habit
upon all occasions whether the
subject under discussion was per.
tinent or not, of injecting into it hi
! %prejudices against the shareholders
and hurlinr yind:ctiyp dpnunciatiOnS n
them. It came to the knowledge of Sen
ator Butler that Senator Simmons was
a very wealthy man, and that he had in
herited most of his wealth through lis
father. from his grandfather, who was
a large owner in several slave ships
which traded to Africa and imported
negroes. TO the coast Of NORTH
and South Carolina and Virginia
and sold them into slavery