New-York tribune., 1898-11-15
TIE NEGRO PROBLEM.


worthy of discussion and admitting Of differ
ence among thoughtful and unprejudlc"d men
The Illinois riots were labor troubles, and the
race antagonism N them was purely Incidental
The striking miners would have objected rs
strenuously 10 importation of white as OF b!ack
laborers to take their places, and Governor
Tanner would have had equal justification for
his hich-handcd nulllncation Of the Constitution
of the United States If the newcomers hhd
been white men. The significance Of his action
is not his exhibition of race feeling. but MS
official promulgation of the view not now for
the first time preached by professional labor
agitators that whatever at any time they are
pleased 10 call "thc rights OF labor becomes
the supreme law Of the land. constitutions or
statutes Notwithstanding. That was the idea
that underlay Debslsm and the Chicago riots
and dictated the Populist attacks on the intog-
rltv of the Supreme Court. TO accept it or to
act as if they accepted 1t and permit wholesale
lawbrcaking 50 long as it is done IN the name
Of labor is a favoritc device Of demagoglc oi!l-
c!als. 1t calls for stern reprobation and re-
preston and some elementary instruction III
the character Of tho United States as coun-
try Of liberty regulated by law rather than OF
license regulated 10y mohs.
The riots IN Greenwood County. South Caro-
lima. were race troubles without n race prob
lem There was excuse for the wanton ana
wholesale murder of negroes there. petit!
difficulty which white man provoked was
made the excuse by brutal and lawcss gang
for satng their appetite for shooting negroes.
and the best elements Of the community con
demned their manhunting and tried to save
their innocent victims. There was no qres-
ton Of white supremacy or Of white safety.
The negro Is no longer factor in South caro-
Ina politics since the adoption Of the new Con
stitntlon white candidate for Congress WAS
engaged in the perfectly lawful and peaceful
operation Of making list OF negroes who came
10 the polls 10 vote for him. but whose votes
were refused under the Registration law He
| desired 10 test that law, and there had been
| no objection to his doing So until one oficious
| person attacked him without provocatlon and
| the negroes Joined 10 protect the man attacked
| and his aSsllant was shot. Thereupon the
| hoodlumS OF the ndRlbOrhood went negro-hunt-
| ing and after rounding mp innocent blacks
| who had fed TO the fields in fright they pro
cecded in spite of protests from their nclghbors
| to shoot them. This simple murder and
| nothing else. Race prejudice the occasion
| for it. but the bloodthlrsty instincts Of the
| staggering worthless "white trash" who have
| too frequently been allowed by the conScrva-
| tive law-abidIng white population of the South
| el1l States 10 disgrace them. the cause.
But when we come TO North Carolina and
the troubles over the Wilmington city govern
mcnt there we find not merely the scnSolcss
race fcud but the real race problem. The
South Carolina disturbance was riot. The
| North Carolina disturbance was revolution
| There appears to be no doubt that the negro
rule of Wilmington was bad. The ncgro's
| best friends in the South are agreed that he
| Is not yet fitted TO rule well, and do not blame
| the whites for desiring To rule the towns Of
which they are the most intelligent and capa.
| bc element with the largest interests at stake
though they are often much Ounumbercd by
| the irresponsible and ignorant blacks. whose
attempt at government is only an opening for
| INSCRIPTIONS sharpers. Wilmington has done
| away with this government by what Is moth
| ing more nor less than IN act OF revolution
| The new system may Justify itself aS better
| than the Old but that is the common justlhca
ton OF revolution. 1t in fact IS its only justin
| cation, and To admit that II IS adequate is 10
admit that democracy is a failure. The the
DRY Of majority rule and universal suffrage has
no place for good government by the minority
when the majority government IS bad. A ma
| jorlty Of bad negroes is just sacred under
| our Constitution as majority Of bad whites
| such as some OF our Northern cities have had
| to endure The majority rule. be II good or
| bad must he accepted unless We are prepared
| to rctracc our steps to the more moderate re
| puhlcaniSm OF our early history when suffrage
was restricted with the frank purpose Of keep
! ing the Government out OF the hands Of the
irr rspon,ible clements Of society. The humor
ocratic principle should come from States which
have always asserted their superior devotion to
the pure and ideal democratic philosophy.
| But the situation * not one in which humor
| predOmnates. The problem IS n serious one
| and IL has two sides and il is made more scri-
Gus 10y incradcahlc and irrational race prcin-
dice. But for that solution might be- found.
| II the people Of the Southern States would
| frankly say that they wanted 10 be ruled hy
| their best rather than their worst citizens. and
proceeded 10 shut out from suffrage undcslr-
able white voters the same terms az the
undesirable blacks. there would be one solu-
tion. II they would devote themselves heartily
to the work of training the ignorant voters 50
as to secure good government from them that
would bc better though a slower process
| Put as II Is they retard rather than promote
the advancement md reform of the most dan.
cerous element In their population. and oglelate
not against ignorance and vice for their own
sake. hut against them as exhibited by negroes
| In consequence revolution Is the only road out