Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1898-11-13
GROSSLY UNJUST.

About a week or ten days prior TO the
elections of last Tuesday the Washing
ton Post sent ore OF the brightest and
most intelligent members of its staff to
North Carolina TO investigate and write UP
the situation in that State in general and
I'm the eastern counties in particular. The
work was well and conscientiously done
The picture Of the evils of negro domina-
lion was not overdrawn by the Posts cor
respondent. as was shown by letters and
special kilograms from North Carolina to
many other papers outside the State, the
Dispatch included and taken by and
through our washington contemporaries
write-up was in unequivocal and intense
sympathy with the white supremacy
movement Moreover, 1t furnished an I'M
answerable argument to the effect that
The white people of North Carolina would
be justified in going 10 any lengths that
occasion might demand in prosecuting
their determination to throw Off the yoke
of negro rule, protect their wives and
daughters from insult, and prevent con-
dtions in the future that would be an
sggravatlon OF the horrors of the Recon-
struction era.
But the assertion of white supremacy
The carrying out Of the programme which
the Post. through its correspondent, JUS
t.ned-having been followed by q clash OF
races at Wilmington-a collision for which
the negroes were clearly responsible-the
Post proceeds. editorially, to moralize on
the North Carolina question, and read
the Wilmingtonians lesson on what
they should have done after they found
shat they had triumphed In the election.
I'm a thick-and-thin article, In which, In
one breath it expresses sympathy with
the whites, and in the next INDUCES IN
back-handed condemnation of them, II
tells them that there was no necessity
for resort to tragic methods" that they
should have exercised more patience"
and "forbearance," that even admitting
that the negro was the nggressor, two
wrongs do not make II right and that
they were "too prompt" in the use Of the
rife In less than two months, says the
Post. the new Legislature would have as
semhled: in three months, at most OBJ
noxious laws would have been repealed
and inefhciency and ignorance in munich
pal administration would have been re-
placed by intelligence and capacity. Then
the Post asks: 'Why not have waited,
then. a few short weeks? Why not have
kent the fair name OF Wilmington free
from the stain Of blood?'
This Is a very good example of the
treatment academic. but in view Of the
POSTS ante-eection series of North Caro-
lima specials and letters, 1t puts that pa
per in a very inconsistent light. The losi-
cal deduction from the observations OF
the Posts correspondent is that failure
10 meet negro aggression on the threshold
md delay in changing abe municipal gov
eminent would have been TO court incen-
dlarlsm and race war at Wilmington
horrible to contemplate. Moreover any
weakness on the part OF the whites OF
Wilmington would have encouraged negro
aggression and increased the dangers OF
bloodshed elsewhere in the State.
That any blood was shed in Wilmington
IS, indeed. to be deplored. but to intimate
that the action of the white people of the
city on Thursday put a stain upon her
fair name Is grossly unjust TO them.
Knowing what they did know. they took
the only course that afforded assurance
that their fair city would not be drench-
sd in blood In the near future.
No. The white people Of Wilmington.
having put their hand TO the work OF
oyerthgowing the negro regime. could
nos look back. TO have done 50 would
wobably have involved crime. not only
ssainst themselves. but against the MACS
" the negroes, whose minds had been In