The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1899-05-04
Southern Race Troubles.
FAILURE OF THE REPUBLICAN
PARTY TO SOLVE THEM.

Some Serious Aspects Of the Recent
Lynchings-FaiIure to ConvIc: In
the Lake City Case-Bearing of the
Matter On the Philippine Question
We Haye Troubles Enough Without
Going Abroad Hunting for Others.
WASHINGTON, April 25.-It is a sig
nificant coincidence that the same
newspapers which ushered in the
secular week with an account OF the
desperate fighting in the Philippines
should also have borne the most dole
full tidings of our race troubles at
home. The Baltimore Sun, news
paper decidedly Southern in it's SYM
pathies, and SO not inclined to exag-
gerate unfavorably the local race
troubles, this morning presented two
solid columns, covering dispatches
from six points in the South, in all Of
which the race question is presenting
a very critical phase.
Such record as is made by one
days news from Newman, Palmetto,
Greenville, Richardsonville and Lake
City may well give pause to any
serious student of American affairs.
The allegation of Senator Depew that
the Republican party always meets
and settles it's troublesome problems
is not borne out by the facts. The
Republican party has not settled the
race question in the South, or made
it seem less disturbing or distress
i'm ho, f0n f,-
years ago. President Mckinley has
had triumphant tour through the
South, and as a signal of the COM
plete reconciliation of the sections,
following the successful war with
Spain, has proposed that the care of
! the graves of the Confederate dead
be assumed by the Federal govern
ment. Complete reconciliation of
North and South has been loudly pro-
claimed. In a sense it exists. And
yet, the man whom President Nc
Kinley appointed postmaster at Lake
City has been most brutally murder
ed, and although the government has
spent thousands of dollars in running
down the case, the local jury fails to
agree upon conviction. The reason
Of this disagreement is that the South
does not want negro postmasters.
That feeling is so strong that, in
spite of all the warnings of the Judge
that the jury was not called upon to
consider that general question, it was
considered, and the horrible mas
sacre will probably remain unpun-
ished.
| THE NEGROES CLAIM RECOGNITION.
The President is practically obliged,
as partisan, to appoint a certain
number Of negro postmasters. He
must "recognize" the Republican or
ganization of the South, for this or
ganization shows up at national con-
ventions as large as if it really con-
tributed something to the success OF
the Republican party. Heretofore,
the party has not had the courage to
scale down the representation in con-
ventions to the basis of votes cast
fer fear that the indignation Of the
organization in the States which suf
fered from this process would make
itself felt against those who proposed
such thing. But as long as the color
ed delegates from South Carolina in g
Republican national convention have
as many votes as the white delegates
of Maine, New Hampshire and Yer
mont, the President will have tc
"recognize' them, and there will be
negro postmasters; as long as there
are negro postmasters there will b'
,.;o
persons charged with these crimes
are tried by local juries, the convic
tions will be rare.
HARD QUESTION TO ANSWER.
The question, What can be don'
about it? is difficult to answer. II
the matter of postoffices some system
could be devised, North and South
by which the wishes OF every com
munity would be properly consulted
in the selection of a postmaster
This is as just for New York as 70
: South Carolina. The advice, more
over, that Booker Washington is Civ
ing the negro should have the wides
support. His message to his race i
to cultivate the art of industry ans
thrift, and to let politics alone. l
might be wise to urge the negro t.
push forward in politics if white mel
could be found in actual contact wit
the negro who will work on an equal
ity with him in politics. Unfortunate
ly such whites can rarely be found
Some of the bitterest remonstrance
received at the White House to-da
against negro postmasters come fror
7 persons of Northern birth and ante
cendents who have gone South t
make their homes. The Souther
e people may we'll enquire, when the.
l read in Monteplier and Bangor news
I papers how readily the race questio
9 may all be settled by simply regard
1 ing the black man as white man
0 what the persons who have lei
Montpelier and Bangor to take u
0 homes in Texas, Mississippi and Mort
r Carolina say about this. Unless thes
q Northern people In the South are pr(
: fessional politicians they usually ar
. not found taking widely differer
e view from their Southern neighbo1
J. on the question of the negro
politics. OF course. they will not t
: prominent in lynching parties, b,
S neither will the best class of Soutl
Y ern whites.
|. A FAVORABLE SIGN.
!, The recent affirmations. by IL
- Supreme Court of South Carolina.
the law providing that the heirs
any man who has been lynched ms
7 collect $4,000 from the county
re which it occurred, is fayorab
~ sign In the small counties this W
>, ~ hit every tax payer, and make
u greater impression than sentencil
to the penitentiary a few of the rim