The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1898-10-28

4
ers who Instisate the Negroes to Dew
iItry-The Fusion Horde May as Well
stand From Under
The announcement that North Car
.olina's most finished orator, the Hon.
Alfred NJ. Waddell, would address the
white men of Wilmington last night at
the opera house, was sufficient to pack
the house. The parquet and galleries
were filled, and many of Wilmington's
leading aides were present. In the au-
dience were sixty unterriied Fifth
warders rugged out in red shirts. They
formed at Sixth and Castle streets and
marched down Castle to Front, thence
up Front to Princess and then up
Princess to the opera house.
On the stage with Colonel Waddell
were sixty Of Wilmington's most prom
inent citizens, and all together there
never was a more representative gath
ering Of white men of Wilmington to
greet the speaker. At SIS p. m. Colo
mel Thos. w. Strange, chairman of
the democratic executive committee of
ANCH I1dl1CECL COUlIIy, dIIlld LIIC
heartiest applause and in a brief speech
introduced Colonel Waddell. The audi
ence gave the orator a most flattering
ovation, and when the deafening
cheers and applause ceased Colonel
Waddell spoke as follows.
Fellow Citizens, Ladies and Gentle
men:
If this were an ordinary political
campaign, and the matters in issue
were of the usual kind, 1 would not be
found occupying the smallest part Of
the public attention, but would be en-
tirelY content to remain silent, as [
nave lone for some years, and quiet
ly to vote according to my convictions.
Even as it is, my presence here in this
capacity has certainly not been of my
own seeking. The only embarrassment
l experience arises from the conscious
ness that what L nay say will be but
the reflection of your own thoughts
and feelings, and must therefore fall
upon YOUR ears like an Oft-told tale.
To seriously argue to an intelligent au-
dience the s~Oundness of the Ten Com
man1mentG as a code of morals, could
hardly he more Unnecessary not to
say cOmiCal, tan to discuss the right
fuInesS and the eXpediency CT MAIN
tanning the absolute supremacy Of the
white people in any part of the terri
tory If the United States.
The assertion of such supremacy
does not necessarily nvOlVe any hos
tilIry to the negroes. On the contrary,
it is but insisting on the plain truth
that it is just, and right, and absolute
ly best and wisest for both races that
the white people, who settled this
country, and civilized iC, and made it
the grandeSt country on the globe, and
VIII have done more for the negro race
than al the other peoples that nave
ever lived upon the earth should alone
govern it. as a whole, and in all it's
parts. 1t is their country, and they
have a right to rule it, and they GER
tainly will rule it. Every intelligent
person knows that it is not Only very
foolish, bur will be absolutely suicidal
and %ruinuOuS for the negroes to at
tempt to resist this inevitable result.
They have been told so for thirty years
by the best friends they ever had, but
they seem determind to disbelieve it,
and to persist in asserting a right to
a large share in the management OF
pubic affairs. The mass of them are
ignorant n probably believe that
they will succeed in their purpose.
They have been played upon and prey
ed upon by vicious leaders of their own
idtc an ny llICdI III liIOH '@C
make this agitation a source of profit
to themselves, until they have become
a menace to society and civilization.
heard the other day that the Elk
Reverend Private Secretary of His
Wickadness, the Governor of North
Carolina, who is doing oratOrical
chores for that illustrious person, in
replying to the assertion made by a
dem ocratic speaker that this is a white
,,r'. >,,-+rx rn;J IT p-nc HHnnt a
white mans country, but a free mans
country and INDUCED III some windy
rhetoric on the subject. The indian
was and is a free man. Is this his
country? The negro was a slave, and
was brought here as such, n after
200 years of slavery was emanclpated
Is it his country? For 5000 years the
negro has had a whole continent to
himself, and it is in the same condi-
ton now as it was at the beginning,
except where white settlements have
been made. He has never, during all
these thirty cnturies, exhibited any
capacity for self-government, much
less for the government of White men.
Whenever he has been civilized by
white men, and then left to himself, he
has invariably reverted to a condition
of savagery.
In Hayti and San Domingo, as late
as 1865. after a long tutelage by white
men that portion of them who lived
away from the towns had actually
relapsed into c~annibalism If this
southern country were abandoned To
them. in less than a hundred years
they would DO the same thing, in spite
of all the education and civilization
given to them by the white people. In
the light of history and experience it
would be a crime against society and a
defiance of the decree of the Almighty
to entrust any part of the governing
power of a civilized Ian to their
hands. The sickly and mandlin senti-
mentality that so long prevailed in re
gard to them has been squeezed out OF
the minds Ofthose who cherished it by
the ~ineXOrable pressure of facts, and
even these sentimentalists are driver
to confess that this is a white mans
country and that he will surely rule it
They have at last fully vindicate6
the southern people. They are nov
fiercely asserting that it will never d.
~ IODrrA Dinnn1