The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1899-09-21
TIE GNAT AND THE EAMREL

1t was in the name Of "Whlte
Supremacy, of course, that the
Red Shutters at Wilmington IN Nv.
1898, under command of Gen. After
Office Waddell, committtd that IN,
human butchery OF innocent and de-
fenceless negroes, which has left
such an enduring stain upon the re-
cord Of the State.
But, pray, what high and lefty
purpose is it that now actuates the
warlike chief Of Wilmington in
threatening to call out his braves
and start again upon the war-path?
A recent dispatch from Wilmington
explains:
WILMINGToN, N. c., Scptembe f.,
16 -Special.-Ther is considers bic
apprehension here tonight OF a ser
ious clash between local steveoors
and a colony of sixty negroes brough,
here by Mes srs. J. H Sloan q Co.,
extensive cotton exporters, of this
city, to operate the Wilmington cot
ton compress.
Local stevedores are indjgnan,
that work was not given them and
have warned those brought here thsG
they must leave the city ct orce
1t was necessary this afternoon fol-
Mayor Waddell to go the compress
and in a speech reassure the opera
tives, especially those imported, tina
they and families would be prote cted
''if it required calling into service
every able bodied man il Whining
top.'
Now it will be remem bered that
during the last campsin it was cir
culated that the people of Whining
ton were done with the negroes, even
as servants, and that a movemen,
was started to import white laborers
TO take their places
This was probably one of the
many campaign stories sent out by
the "white supremacy" crowd tc
give some sort of justification to
their highhanded methods. But ne
sooner were the Waddelites estab.
lished in office, the (white supremacy
they were seeking) than they began
to consider ways and meaus of keep
ing the negro in Wilmington, and
we have it stated in above'he dispatch
that negroes have even been import
ed into Wilmington. Aud even
more, astonishing as it may seem,
Mayor Waddell, the Great Chief OF
the "White Supremacy Red SHIRT
ers" has taken it upon himself to
make a speech to these imported
negroes in which he assured them
that he would protect them even if
to do so required calling into service
very able-bodied man in Whining
ton. Now when we consider tina,
if it were not for negro labor, which
can be gotten cheaper, white labor
would have a better show, 1t ap-
pears that MIR. Waddell (having got
ten his Office is this time ready to
don the red shirt in defence of the
supremacy of negro labor over
white.
But the Mayor of Wilmington b as
done something else in connection
with this recent trouble deserving
mention. he has issued Procla ma
i on Offering reward for arrest o
any who disturb the imported neg-t
roes, and the preamble of this Pro.
clamation is such rich reading tina,
We give 1t to our readers. 1t as fol
lows
Whereas, certain persons, whose
names are unknown to the Mayor,
went, armed, to q house where some
laborers from Norfolk were staying
last night, and threatened to kill
them if they did not leave the city
today, (although said laborers had
violated no law; and whereas such
acts are not only criminal, but base
and cowardly, and are calculated to
ruin the business and dishonor the
character of this community; and
whereas said laborers have been in
duced to remain here under promise
of protection from the Mayor, who
is determined to discover, if possible,
these violators of law and punish
them, now there fore, etc.,
Had such q reward been offered on
the morning of Noy. IL, 1898, Mr..
Waddell himself would have been