The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-11-16
NEGROES WERE
MlSLED.
nm GUY CARLETON LEE, OF THE
JOHNS HOPKINS


nd Element Was a Menace TO
T.oce-ToO Much Kindness by the
,,,ites Developed in the Recipi-
,.san Exaggerated Sense of Self
Importance.
From the Baltimore Sun.
,,-.to,ngton, N. c., Nov. 12,-As the train
nbicb I came from Baltimore neared
~. North Carolina line the effect of the
.rt disturbances at Wilmington be-
came apparent.
Great dread seemed to have settled
the negro and his actions betrayed
e.ar that possessed him. Small knots
= ,rxious-faced men could be seen at the
cations discussing the great calamity
,s.i had fallen upon their race. On all
- fbe evidence of a lesson well learned
IMPRESSED the onlooker
,oints where the train made more
.s., momentary stop the negroes were
'.,srvewed. The first answer to the
onestion, What is the trouble with the
D.aro?n was, II don't know" Further
..ioring brought out the acknowledge
,t that they did know, but their YER
sion was:
The white people are just killing the
-,or niggers ecause--because-weh, 1
s,,.oose. that we don't know
In otber words, the negro evaded the
,neetion. He knew the reason and when
mare confident would give it.
At Wilson, N. c., al which point the
..sseneers to and from Wilmington
me for the North and South via the
Attic Coast Line, the excitement was
;r,frse. Several hours of investigation re-
1e5,eo The following situation;
ne feeling developed in the recent cam
,.sn was most bitter. In addition to the
lsse question the element of personal vi
t,,,..rat;on had aroused the most violent
,,.sfons of contending politicians. The re-
suir of the ballot which oYerthrew the
,s1o. negro majority of Craven county
l5nssd most vehement dissatisfaction
i among the negroes and their leaders.
4 melted by these headers, of whom the
Il most blamable were white Repuohcahs'
d III. ordinary negro. voters completely lost
Il s.,f-control. They were on the verge of an
q oufbreak. Arms were purchased. The mon
a az FIAT should have bought food was spent
on cheap knives, guns pistols and ammu-
u ni;on. The plans for altering by force the
B decision of the ballot were carefully iaid'
Certain worthless and ignorant negroes
4 were selected TO begin the trouble ana
were kept in a state of beasuy lntoXlca-
ton The negro leaders stood PACK aho
4 behind them Far behind, and yet not hid
den stood the white scoundrels to whom
the. negro looked for guidance.
This was the situation at Wilson When
4 the terrible scene at Wilmington burst
upon the plotters before everything was
ready for the display of negro strength L
do not believe that bloodshed was con-
4 templated neither do | think that more
than an armed assertion OF demands was
planned
The plans of the negroes were mcom-
pI-te for two reasons. These were the cow
ardice of the leaders, as well as the rank
and file and the objection made by many
negroes to raising their hands against the
white race, even in threat. You may can
this second reason by any name you WIN.
Some call it gratitude and affection, otn-
ers say it arose from a fear OF Whlte ven
geance
they were strong enough to have their
will" that because they furnished the Ia
Dor they supported the white people; thar
they could prevent giving North Carolina
and the negro to the Democrats, your
natural enemies"
The negroes were not wholly to blame
in their attitude Their condition arouses
pity in the mind of the Southerner. lie
sees the great decisions under which the
race laoors and is struggling TO remove
the cause.
Negroes of the South are but clay in the
hands of the potter, and the potter cares
not what vessel he makes if it Will serve
his purpose.
The deluded negroes at Wilson awaited
the signal as they did at dozens of towns
throughout Eastern North Carolina, but
the stern repression OF negro iaWlessne5s
and outrage at Wilmington, and the
prompt action of the representative white
men OF the threatened towns brought the
matter to a sudden halt. The success
OF the whites gave the lie to the repre-
d sensations of the leaders of the negroes.
The news that the turbulence in Will
mington had been suppressed in the blood
OF their race fell like the lightning stroke
on the waiting negroes knowledge or
how they had been. fooled swept over the
race. They had learned in time that TINS
Is "a white mans country"
The citzens of Wilson, Selma, Florence
ana dozens of other towns met and dis
cussed the situation. Representatives
OF the negroes were admitted and COM
piete submission of the negro resulted. So
complete was the transformation wrought
III Twelve hours by the example or VIII
mlngton that Wilson was justified in
sending to the aid OF her sister city the
home guards that We're not needed at
home
After studying the situation in Wilson
returned TO the railroad station, for
passenger going to, Wilmington is obliged
TO remain all night at the station in the
waiting Pullman. On entering a sleeping
car l was surprised GO note that half OF
t'e seats We're filed with negroes. They
were part of the deported malcontents OF
wilmington. In the rear of the car was
eN-Mayor Silas p. Wright, and a worse
scared white man have seldom seen. The
Hesioes We're in a state of great nervous
excitement for they feared an outbreak
al Wilson and yet dared not go to Selma,
a watch point the railroad company had
ADVISED them to wait.
from Wilson 70 Wilmington the nervous
apfehension Of the roadside negro was ap-
i4.eat, and the negro man was not in his
aI evidence. AS the train passed
through the eattlapaaptas near Wilmington