The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-11-13
RACE TROUBLES IN THE CARO-
TINAS

LlNAS.
The race troubles which occurred near
Greenwood, S. c., and in Wilmington, n.
c., last week, are in the highest degree
regretable. The effect of them Will be felt
in those states for long time. Race
animosities will be strengthened not only
! there, but elsewhere. The bad feeling
which has been stirred up will show itself
h. many minor acts of violence in widely
! separated sections Of the country. The
| government was asked to interfere In the
South Carolina trouble, but declined to do
so. on the ground that no United States
official had been interfered with and no
United States law violated. Whatever OF
fenses were committed were against the
state laws and it was the states duty 10
enforce its laws.
Regrettable as these race troubles are,
there is no assurance that there will not
be more Of them. The political history
of the South since the negro was given
the ballot shows that the two races can
not get along together on the basis of
equal rights in politics. The white people
viii not submit to negro rule. As long
as the negro keeps out Of politics there
will be no race wars, at least, in the
South. He is free to follow any of the
cSlings or enter any of the professions,
and he is certain of ample protection in
competing with the white man in business
or The labor market but when he seeks
public office and aims to dominate in pub
f,f 4. In, to h. IL
The superior race will not submit to be
ruled by the inferior.
A great mistake was made in giving the
negro the ballot before he was ready for
it. 1t Is a question whether the negro
would not be further advanced than he is
il he had not been given the ballot. Without
il he would have devoted the time he now
gives to politics 10 his moral and material
improvement AS it is, the percentage of
negroes who are better off than they were
quarter of century ago is very small.
The great majority of those who succeed
In getting office are not fiji for such places;
not that they do not know how to dis
charge the duties of the offices to which
they are appointed or elected, but because
they make themselves aggressively Of
fensive 90 the white people of the COM
munites in which they live, and the peo-
pie of their race follow their example.
There are exceptions, of course, but as
far as we are able to discover the ex-
ceptions are few. 1t was the offensive
manner in which the negro office holders
in Wilmington conducted themselves
which brought about the riot in that city.
We do not say that another race, occupy
ing the same position that the negro race,
does wouldn't act as it does. We simply
state a fact
There may be those that pretend that
they cannot understand why the white
people cannot tolerate the negro on foot
ing of equal political rights They can
not understand il because they are not
in position to understand 1t. They deal
in theories; they know nothing of facts
as people who are brought in contact with
the negro understand them.
The Chicago Chronicle, speaking of the
Wilmington riot says: 1.-THE Caucasian
deems himself to be of a superior race to
the negro. He deems himself, in fact. SUI
perior TO the people of any other race, and
he has never for any length of time sub
mitted to the domination of another race.
II is not likely that he will ever do So"
As already stated, we do not see any
prospect of a cessation of race troubles as
long as the races continue to stand on
an equal political footing at least untiI
the negro has reached a much higher plane
of civilization than he at present occu-
pies. If the Northern state which gives
the largest Republican majority had as
large negro population in proportion to
IT'S white inhabitants as South Carolina
has it would be the scene of as many
negro riots and lynchings as that state is.
In fact, it would be the scene of more.
because the people of the North are much
less tolerant of the negro than. the people
of the South are.