The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1898-11-22
The Negro
New York Tribuue.)

been acute and dangerous in the past
few days. but in only one has there
been a race problem worthy of dis
cnssion and admitting of difference
Among thoughtful and unprecedented
men The Illinois riots were labor
troubles, and the race a~ntagonism in
them was purely incidental. The
striking miners would have objected
as strerasously to importation OF white
as OF black laborers TO take their
places. and Governor Tanner would
have had equal Justification for his
high-handcd notification OF the CON-
stitution OF the United States IL the
Dew corners had been white men. The
significance sf his action is not his
exhibition OF race feeling. but his Of
nctai promui CATION Of the view not
now Tor the first time preached by
professional la aor agitators that what
ever AZ any tiTae they are pleased to
cali the rights Of labor becomes IN,
supreme law OF The land constitutions
or statutes notw outstanding. Tina. was
the luea mat ur6erlay Dehism and
the Chicago riots and dictated the nom
ulist attacks on the integrity of the
supreme court. To accept IL or u act
as II they accepted il and hermit
wholesale Iawbreaking So long as II ia
done in the name OF labor is a ia
Norite device OF demagogic officials IL
calls for stern Reproduction and repres-
sion and some elementary instruction
In the character Of the United States
as n country OF liberty regulated by
law rather than Of licence regulated
by mobs.
The riots in Greenwood county. South
Carolina. were race troubles Without
a race problem. There was no excuse
Tor the Nanton and wholesale murder
or negroes there. \ petty difficulty
which "a white a nrntEnlal ,r,, -
the excuse by brutal and lawless gangs
Tor sating their appetite for shooting
negroes, and the best elements OF the
community condemned their man.
hunting and tried 10 save their inno-
cent victims. There was no question
OF white supremacy or Of white safety.
! The negro Is no longer a factor in
south Carolina politics since the adop-
ton of the new constitution. 4 white
candidate for congress was engaged in
the perfectly awful and peaceful on
GRAFTON OF making a list OF negroes who
came 10 the polls to vote for him. but
whose votes were refused under the
registration law. He desired to test
that law, and there had been no oh
lection TO his doing So until one oTi-
cious person attacked him without
proNocation and the negroes Joined TO
protect the man attacked and his as
sailant was shot. Thereupon the hood
lums Of The neighbol hood went negro
hunting, and after rounding up inno-
cent blacks who had fed to the fields
in fright they proceeded, in spite of
protests from their neighbors. to shoot
them. This was simple murder and
nothing else. Race Prejudice was the
occasion for il, but the bloodthirsty in
stincts of the staggering. worthless
white trash" who have too frequent
ly been allowed by the conservative.
law-abiding white population OF the
| southern states To 1iSirrara them yyqS
the cause.
But when we come to North Caro-
lima and the troubles over the VIII
mington city government there We
find not merely the senseless race feud.
but the real race problem. Tn South
| Carolina disturbance was riot. The
! North Carolina disturbance was revo-
luton. There appears to be no doubt
that the negro rule in Wilmington was
bad. The negro's best friends i'm the
south are agreed that ne is not yet
fitted TO rule well, and do not blame
the whites for desiring 10 rule the
towns Of which they are the most in
telligent and capable element with the
largest interests at stake. though they
are often much outnumbered by the
irresponsible and ignorant blacks.
whose attempt at government is only
an opening for INSCRIPTIONS sharpcrs.
Wilmington has done away with this
government by what is nothing more
nor less than an act of revolution. The
new system may justify itself as bet
ter than the old, but mat 1t the com
mon justification of revolution. 1t in
fact Is its only justification. and to ad-
nit that it is adequate is To admit that
democracy is a allure. The theory OF
majority rule and uniNrdsal suffrage
has no place for good government by
the minority when the majority gov
is bad. a majority OF bad ne
groeS is just as sacred under our con
stitution as a majority Of bad whites.
such as some of our northern cities
; have had to endure. The majority rulc.
be ii good or bad, must be a~cceptc
unless we are prepared to retrace our
steps to the more moderate republic
canism Of our earlier history, when
suffrage was restricted with the frank
purpose of keeping the government out
Of the hands OF the irresponsible ele-
ments Of society. The humor OF the
situation is that this attack on the
democratic principles should come from
states which have always asserted
their superior devotion to the pure and
ideal democratic philosophy.
But the situation is not one in which
humor predominates. The problem liz
a serious one, and il has two sides
and 1t is made more serious by inerad-
icable and irrational race prejudice.
But for that a solution might be found.
III the people OF the southern states
would frankly say that they wanted to-
be ruled by their best rather han
their worst citizens. and proceeded To-
shut out from suffrage undesirable
white voters on the same terms as the
undesirable blacks. there would be
one solution. II they would devote
themselves heartily to the work OF
training ignorant voters SO "a TO Sc
cure good government from them. that
would be a better though a slower
process. Blu as 1t is they retard rath-
er than romot the advancement and
reform of the most dangerous ele-
ment in their population. and legislate
not against ignorance and vice for
their own sake, but against them as
exhibited by negroes. In consequence
revolution is the only road out Of the
country they make uncomfortable for
themselves. Some times IT. is the peace
full revolution Of u~nrepublican consti-
tution-making. Some times IL is the
l chnf ~ rgr-n1nffnn gtfah nu NHf1rnfnp-