The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1898-02-25
DASTARDLY COWARDICE.

There can be only condemnat ton cv-
erywhere for the brutal crime commit
ted by the people of Lake City. They
| had II right to protest against the inn
Iortation Of Il negro, who had never
| lived in their town until he went there
to become postmaster but their crime
| is none the blacker because the President
put an alien on them as postmaster.
The Columbia States editorial on the
outrage expresses our sentiments so well
that we give space to most of it Us fol
| lows:
The race pride of these men, it seems.
was wounded by Tie appointment of Il
negro pCstmaster-sO to blaZcn to the
world their high resentment and prove
tire injustice of thus giving office to al
inferior, they place themselves on tbs
moral and religious level of the aborigi
nal African. they attack at midnight
under cover of darkncsS-the many
against the few, tdc strong against the
weak and hepless-and they assass
nate indlscriminately man, woman ant
characteristics in this deed? Where il
/ his superiority shown? Where do We
find the fruits of mis- thousands of yca..
Of civilization and self-control and cul-
tivated conscience?
"A negro postmaster. is that some
thing to resent with assassination !.
Who are these people in Williamsburg
county that they cannot endure thal
which the most refined. the most sensi-
tive citizenship of the State has en-,
dured with patience and dignity Ill
years gone by? Columbia had Negro
postmaster for eight years. Charleston
had negro postmaster for eight years
Dozers of South Carolina towns have
had negro postmasters. 1t was often
sive--necessarily So--bnt who was hurt
| ty it: None but the party that APP
pointed them. BY its persistent ele-
vatlon of the negro above the white man
in the South the Republican party has
| sacrificed ali its opportunities; it has de
Stroyed its hope in this section. That
| is its punishment, and Democrats who
wish to see it weak and MANNED and
| futureless lhere may well bea1 with phil
| osophy the inflictions by which it seals
/ its fate.
but even if the affront and the in
! jury wera unbearable, who should be
! held responsible for it? Not the pool
negro who in taking office accepted
| what it was his right to accept; not
his wife, his children, his helpless babe
Rather the white man. the State boss
who had him appointed; still rathag the
/ President who made the appointment, OF
/ the national boss who made the bargain
for votes at st. Louis which has result
Cd in the ch0sce of negroes for Fedora
offices. Not Baker, but Mark Hanna
! All! but Webster and Mckinley anC
Hanna are white men. and to attack
| them with nurderous intent would be
! fraught with danger. And that is when
! the bastard cowardica of revenge lipoI
| the negro displays itsclf-revcnSa upon
| the tool not upon the men who used
| il; revenge upon the weak and Inpro
! tected, not upon the strong, entrench-
ell in authority, whose hurts would bf
| avenged.
I'VE are shamed and sickened. For
| the sake of South Carolina, her good
namc. her pride and her manhood we
would have preferred to see her lose 2
| thousand sons in battle than have tc
/ record such d towards crime as that
which strains her to-day. All of lis have
TO bear the disgrace Of 1.-THE million
| innocent alike with the mob. For years
and decades it will be a taunt in the
mouths of our enemies, and we must
| bow our heads under the lash of their.
scorn."