The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1898-10-06

This shows a white majority in the
town of 80, and If the people had been
allowed to select their own mayor, as
we'll as their coun"ilmen, and the cOun-
cilmen had been honestly apportiOned,
a republican form of government would
prevail in Greenville today. instead of
the outrageous travesty that now ex-
lists. Now this bill, which this Legisla-
ture passed, had in it the unheard of
provision that the two negro wards,
containing minority Of the voters, and
they negroes, in Greenville, should be
entitled to two aldermen each. while
tine two white wards. containing a ma
jority of voters, and they white, should
have only one alderman each, and
these six men when chosen should elect
the mayor and other town officials,
HOW 1T WORKS.
Two hundred and fifty-fOur white
voters thus have two aldermen, and 221
negroes have four aldermen, and these
six have the power to choose mayor,
chief of police and his subordinates,
tax assessor and collector. town clerk
and ali other officials. This indicates
that nothing but a deliberate intention
to make a minority Of negroes govern
majority of whites could have ac-
tuated the Legislature in passing such
bill. The result is that a negro po-
iiceman, aim an cXact reproduction
of Charley IL. lIotel berkeley porter
unfit to / ae,, -, records of the town.
are amC1. ,:le-2V!i'e's officials. The
men in vi - hands was placed the
power to -rNr the taxes and eXptnd
them. for the year ending May, 1898,
paid for the same year taxes to the
amount of just $l.4.. as shown by the
tax collectors books.
SPENT ALL THE, MONEY.
The present board of aldermen took
charge of the city's offices about May
10th. When the government was turned
over to them there was $14 in the treas
ury. Every dollar of the regular and
special taxes for 1897 had been collected
ana expended, and the special taxes for
! 1898, due on the first Monday in May,
amounting to s64S had also been col
l~cted and spent.
SOME OF THE BOARD METHODS.
. At a recent meeting of the board of
! aldermen one of the negroes moved
/ that the salary of the negro clerk be
/ raised. This opposed by tie two
| white aldermen, for the reason that the
, clerk was inefficient and ALREADY re-
! "tlNed anr4e salary for a competent
man. and by the aid of the vote of one
! IF the negroes the motion to increase
was lost. But the defeated negroes
were determined to carry their point
They continued il session 80 late tha,
the white aldermen We're compelled tC
, go home, and then one OF those voting
with the affirmative minority before
moved t reconsider (Which was agains,
all parliamentary law, as we'll as If
violation of good faith with the absent
members of the beard), and it was done
and the negro clerks salary increased
There are verv many things which
/ could write of concerning the negro.
lZed town if l We're disposed to dea
with rumOrs. I find that almost every
good citizen firmly believes them anC
doubtless they are OF the Scotch verde
kind, true, but not proven" but | will
not mention them. Enough has beer
said that is indisputabls to show tina
IN changing the charter of these town.
the Legislature deliberately determined
10 wreck them, if possible There
could be no other reason for their de
string to do this diabolical thing excep
that they were perfectly willing tina
towns and counties. and the whole
state, in fact, shrouId be wrecked. pro
Vlded they could humiliate and crush
the white people and gain political con.
troll.
II our western people could See wh,,
have seen during the past week. anC
near their white brethren talk as
have heard them talk Of the actual de.
StructluD Of their social and business
aHairs, not a white man would vote RI.
republican ticket in November un1ess
he thought il more desirable 10 hold $
petty political office than that his
State should be prosperous and hannZ
ny beng ruled by the people who h9vf
her happiness and prosperity ut heart
jNo. ?. KERR.