The Appeal. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. ;) 1889-19??, 1899-09-09
THE OVERTHROW OF Law AND OR.
DER IN WILMINGTON, N. c..
Fearful Work of . White Mob-An
Of the Horrible Crimes In the
South Which Disgrace the Amer
lean Nation in the Closing Years
Of the Nineteenth Century Are
Committed to Maintain a Privi>,
legged Class-The North is Silent.
(By Capt. J. Brewster.)

In November, 1898, the civil govern
ment OF Wilmington, the chief city of
North Carolina, was overthrown by vio-
lence and the control of public affairs
seized by an armed minority in defiance
Of the law. 5af rf as
No effort was made by either the state
or the nation to suppress the insurrec-
ton or support the lawful authorities
The insurgents destroyed the office of
the Record, a newspaper published by
| colored citizens, burned the building, and
would have murdered the editor if he
had not saved himself by flight Several
prominent citizens were ordered to leave
the city under pain of death. Hundreds
of Afro-American men, women and chill
dren fled from their homes and sought
safety in the forests OF these num-
Der, not accurately known, were killed
by the pursufrs when overtaken in the
sWamps. The excuse for this bloody out
break WIS given in two words, NEGRO
rule" The insurgent leaders asserted
that the Afro-American citizens of Will
mington, aided by partisan enactments
of the legislature, which was dominated
by Afro-Americans, had got control of
was neither property, nor life, nor wom-
ans honor was safe.'' The Afro-Ameri-
cans-since Republican officials gained
pcwer-had become insolent and threat
ening. Political corruption was rife.
Crime increased. The black officials were
either utterly ignorant and incapable, or
were in collision with criminals .,
The reader will observe that all these
charges are vague. indefinite-mere as
sertions without proof-without a sin
gle fact given to illustrate the awful
condition to which Afro-American rule
had reduced the white people of Will
mington. r ''E'.- .5..5 -. -
Let us seek facts elsewhere We find
that the Afro-American. voters in the
state comprise about one-third of the
whole number-the whites being in a ma
jority of two to, one. 'E
The legislature contained 16O white
members and eight Afro-An,ericans
How those eight Afro-Americans man
aged to dominate their 16O; white col
leagues is not told. But Southern gentle
men assert that they did, Who dare
contradict them? Wonderful Afro-Amer-
leans, indeed. Or were the white gentle
men wonderful liars? @ AL
And the city government of Whining
ton, the city that groaned under Afro.
American rule, the city in which neither;
property, nor life, nor woman's honor;
was SAFE" because of the vile Afro
American officials. ~ =. a."rs -
The mayor was white man; seven out
of the ten aldermen in the city council
were white men. The chief of police was,
a white man, and decided majority Of
the force under him also white A
board of audit which passed upon all eX-
penditures of the city council consisted
Of four white members and one Afro
American. The school board had a white
majority of two to one. - ,r..>.ai
5, Such was the personnel Of the city gov
eminent. The leaders of the mob called
this NEGRO irule''-too intolerable to be
borne, and which they proceeded to over
throw by lawless violence and deliberate
murder. Not a. single Democratic paper
in the state of North Carolina >. con-.
demned this outrage. ~ a.-..t-. =
The real cause of this outbreak Is
found in the fact that the white officials
were elected chiefly by Afro-American
votes and were Republicans. Being Re-
publicans, they were in favor of equal
rights for all citizens, equal privileges,
and equal protection under just laws.
These are the things the South hates.
All the horrible crimes in the South that
disgrace the American nation In these
closing years of the Nineteenth century
are committed 70 maintain a privileged
class and keep the Afro-American race
in humble subsection to their will. And
for more than twenty years the Repub-
lican leaders in the North have been ST.
lent, and have bid the people to be silent,
lest we rekfndle strife and offend s'our
Southern brethren Shall the free men
of the North obey their cowardly COM
mands?