The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1898-09-06

The Mild and Apologize Comments Of
His Paper ON the Sianderous Daily
Reeord-The Negro Question Cuts NO
FfSure-AmalgamatiOn the solut1en
Of the Race Problem.
The New Era is a newspaper pub
lished in this city. 1t is edited and
managed by b. F. Keith. Here is his
editorial on h article OF the Daily
Record. attacking the honor OF White
men and the virtue Of white women:
THE SLANDEROUS RECORD"
THE slanderous article that appeared
In the Record. a free lance negro paper
here. has stirred up a great deal OF
feeling. and while the article Is moth
ing more than the product OF a gross
sladerer who is no better than a brute,
yet such articles will do more TO array
\ white against the colored race,
which means that his own race will
suffer from sucn conouct more than
by anything else that could happen.
But we are glad to note hat some OF
the most influential OF his own race
met and not only condemned such a
dirty sheet, but the editor also, and re-
Quested that their race abstain from
patronizing il, which wa all that they
could have done except to have given
him a short stay in our city. OF course
the politicians will make much to-do
over this imbecile that was not known
to exist up to a few days ago and they
did not know any n when they were
supposed TO have known such a mis-
chievous animal as he is. II the article
had been planned by the enemy of the
negro race, il could not have been more
cunningly devised"
1t is a familiar saying that one may
de damned by faint praise. 1t is equally
r that one may be praised by faint
condemnation. And the above editori-
al from THE New Era" by editor
Keith falls within the second category.
Co-incident with the appearance of this
editorial, in another column of THE
New Era" the editor
Realizing that in all this great ag-
ricultural region-Eastern North Car
olina-there is not one paper devoted
to the interests of the farmers, whose
industry is the foundation of civiliZa-
ton and the source of all wealth, we
nave decided to make the New Era
a genuine practical farmers and truck
ers' journal, a paper devoted to agri-
culture, trucking, southern develop
Lii 6oOu " u IlOIi
Even as Mr.. Keith, in the frenzy Of
his early conversion, ~pre-empted the
exclusive right to parade as the one
true knight of the silver cause, while
haughtily spurning democratic silver
journals as gold bug enemies, so now
in his egotistic realization that he is
the one editor of the one paper in all
this great agricultural region devoted
t Othe farmers interests. he at once
to m~onopolize the devotional
attitude. One would LAY expected
when this farmer devotee, under the
exultation of his realization of an eX-
elusive apostolic call to defend and
protect the farmer, had read the in
famous lines-"poor white men are
careless in the matter of protecting
their women, especially on the farms
to say nothing of the imputation that
the black" and "burly" negroes were
sufficiently attractive for white girls
Of refinement and culture to fall
in love with them'-his peer
less soul so given to better
than those conceptions of himself
would have stormed it's passionate de,
votion into a bowling hurricane of in
dignant ~vehbiage. But that is wher,
one is disappointed. "Anti-monoply;'
Cleveland traitors" gold bugs
Ransom rings" "hireling press
railroad attorneys" wal street plu.
tocrats' eft cetera. OH how the winds
might have howled and the lightning
flashed, if only Mr.. Keith could feel as
the white man feels at the low-bret
insult of 1.-The slanderous Record
The pulsations quickening with right
eous indignation in the hearts Of al
self-respecting white men, at the con
temptation of the gross libel, SLOWED
down in the heart of editor Keith
And not without reason. He has ex
pressed himself in recent conversatio
that "the negro question cuts no figur
n the ultimate solution of the negr'
problem would be the amalgamation o
the white and black races. And in thi
view he presents" the published opin
ion of a negro bishop of the Africa
Methodist church. Close to 'em, Ell
Keith? 1t is not surprising this dis
torted pigmy would receive, with pa
cific Indifference, the horrible sugges
ton that poor white girls of cultur
and refinement, especially on tn
farms, amalgamate with infatuatin
"black," "burly" negroes. In his scien
tifc view Of the race problem, it
but a frank avowal, if untimely mad
in q political campaign, Of the begin
ming of the process of amalgamatiol
But lest the poo white man, especial
on the farm, perchance a reader Of hi
paper, may not accept his theory c
the SOLUTION OI the race pTODlcUl, u
carefully retains in the editorial quot
ed from informing his farmer reader
of the language and tenor of the gros
libel, lest, of course. the true BIT
unscientific blood of the Anglo Sake
: might be stirred to resentment Ar
5 that, Mr.. Keith knows, would not I
to the interest of the political comb
t nation which commands his allegianc
t in these days of an aroused public COZ
= science.
1 So he treats with gingerly indiffe
ence the seriousness of the Daily F
cords libel, and Ginning in with cal
: didate Jockeys view of 1t, he attr
r butes it to an unknown Imbecile, "mii
f chievous animal as he is" n is
: very glad that some Of the most II
fuential of his race met and not on
condemned such a dirty, sheet. b
0 the editor also, and requested that the
race abstain from ~patronizing it." Al
: who were the some? Thirteen n
groes and G. P. Jockey. The forme
5 all member of the republican exec
i tive committee. n the latter the r
publican fusion all along the lin