The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1898-11-29
A New Crop of Northern SIanderers
Baltimore Sun, Nov. 22nd.)

No better justification of the white
revolution at Wilmington, N. c., could
be furnished from a hostile quartz
than was afforded by the spirit which
characterized the colored mass meet
ing held in New York Thursday night,
and reported in the of yes
terday, to protest against so-called
Southern outrages." The attitude OF
the negro as illustrated at a meeting
supposed to be representative OF the
best colored elements, is demonstrated
to be that of bitter hostility toWard
Southern white people and of savage
desire to humiliate and crush them. 1t
was the same spirit as that displayed
when the negroes were in the ascend
ency at Wilmington, and which led
them to heap insults and cOntumely
upon the white victims of their mis-
government. 1t was the spirit which
rendered the situation at Wilmington
intOlerable and made revolution a ne
cessity. While it may be conceded
that their attitude is mainly attributa-
BILE to the political adventures and ia
natics who have infamed their minds
and played upon their passions, it is
clear that it is an attitude which not
only justified, but demanded heroic
measures such as were adopted at Will
mingtOn, M which will rende it nee
eSSary to maintain a firm hand upon
them until they have reached a far
higher condition of civilization than
they have yet attained. The false
teaching of the past thirty years has
done infinitely more moral harm to the
negro tina all the generations of sla-
very through which he passed. Sla-
very fOund him a savage, and in null
titudeS of cases made him a Christian
and in many instances gave him the
refinement and good form which were
developed even in dependents by the
high social standards of the Did South.
The political education which he has
received from New England sources
since emancipation has confused his
brain, perverted his heart and corrupt
ed his manners, and instead of really
progressing, there is danger, under the
baneful influence of the morbid and
unprincipled guidance to which he has
been exposed, that he may revert to
the original type from which slavery
rescued him, except that this renais-
sance of barbarism in him will be &C
cOmpanied with the vices of civiliza-
ton and the power for mischief which
civilization confers upon those who are
in it, but not of it.
If the negro is to avoid this danger
and develop into a higher manhood
and citizenship, he must free himself
from the evil influences and teachings
under which he has been degenerating
since the war. AS long as he suffers
himself to be abused by bad counsel
and kept in a false attitude toward the
southern white people, just so long
will he continue to rerograde in char
acter and responsibility. He has seen
the effect of thirty years of fanatical
political education. Let him turn
away from the school of hate, defiance
and distrust in which he has been
trained and try thirty years of good
will toward and cooperation with the
white people Of the South. If he does.
he will rise to a higher stature and a
higher degree of prosperity than ever
before. His home and abiding place
is in the South, and he should recog-
nlze the fact that his interests are
bound up in the prosperity and pro-
greSs of that section and are depend
ent upon the relation in which he
stands to the dominant classes there.
While the negro is to be regarded
more with pity than with anger. be-
cause the victim of a pernicious sys-
tenn of political philosophy and pre-
ended philanthropy. it is impossible n.
find in the English language words
Sufflclently strong to properly describe
the white hypocrites and political
criminals who have mislead him in the
past anu are still to fire
his heart against the South. Such
Wanton, malicious and unspeakably
abominable aspersions against South
ern women as were uttered at the New
York meeting by one Mrs. Eliza beth
t.. Grannis could spring only from a
heart as black with nate as the foul
and shameful SANDERS which she Ut
tered The New York Sun describes
her remarks as unprintable. An ey-
tract from her address, as given in yes
terday's dispatches. was as follows:
L am only here tonight to represent
Womanhood, said Mrs. Grannis. We
all know that the white women and
White girls Of the South are full of col
ored blood. / stand here for colorei
women and colored girls the same as I
do for white women"
At this a wild uproar enSued. The
colored men and women jumped I'D in
the aisleS to cheer. Many laughed and
gave vent to hysterical ordinations.
Others mounted their seats and waved
their hats.
The pure and true women Of the