The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1899-05-05

40 SAa&A " &AG a
long as this proposed equality is forced
70 the front the negro must suffer.
1t is nothing to the discredit OF the ne
gro to say his race is the inferior.
And because IL is inferior, it should be
willing to follow where the whites
lead. IL IL does not the inferior race
suffers. This is always the case when
there Is a conflict OF races. Only the
negro can top this confiict-Tarboro
Southerner.
l. is suggested that reforms in the
law by which criminals could be more
speedily and surely punished would do
much to prevent lynchings, but this is
doubtful. A man guilty of the name
less crime stands very little chance OF
escaping justice in any state, and yet
a greater number OF such criminals are
executed by lynch law than by the
courts. A man who has friends and
money, more especially the latter,
finds il comparatively easy TO take ad-
vantage of the laws delay, but not so
with the poor devils guilty OF the crime
for which the negro was lynched in
Georgia-Durham Herald.
1t has been, and still is. tie policy OF
many OF our citizens, to talk as much
as possible of the greatness Of the state,
and to do as little as possible to pro-
mote its interests. This has always
been true of all states. While North
| Carolina is a great state, with great
natural resources, her most important
product her girls and boys has been
strangely neglected. In many neigh
borhoods in our state the horses and
cattle are much better housed and car
ed for than the boys and girls. The
stables are better fixed than the school
houses. Many a man is careful TO
choose an expert to break his colt, but
any one who can read. write and cipher
may train his boy. 1t is to be hoped
that this condition is passing in North
Carolina. The people are more arous-
ed on the subject of schools than they
have been for a long time.-Jonesboro
Progress.
We urge that every school committee
man in BERTHE county be a white man.
We urge the appointment Of white
committeeman for each colored school
in BERTHE county. We urge the COM
plete taking charge by white men OF
every public agency in the county.
The school committeeman really spend
the school money. The white people
IdlS0 the SCuOOl luuuS. IHc Ac6ioVS
pay little Of it. Two reasons are m
perative why the negroes in this county
should not have any disbursing Of the
school money. In the first place the
past shows hat they pilfer the fund,
force teachers to board with commit
teemen, hire their own children to
each, and sell their vote to the teacher,
who is ready to buy it to get the school.
II That oil re ithaca +ht1rc honnap rtohf
in BERTHE county is we'll known. Then
aoain the money of the white people
has been used to build school houses
where negroes and sorry whites meet
nightly to hatch up their hellish
schemes Of taking charge OF the oun
! ty; and it is also used to keep radical
leaders-negresses-in vituals and
. clothes to fight the men who pay the
taxes. With white committeeman all
that will end.-Windsor Ledger.
Referring to the errors which have
marred a number Of the measures
which passed the General Assembly in
their enrolment, the Statesville Land
mark says: "The Landmark is of the
opinion that the gross negligence is
due to the custom of selecting legisla-
tive employes-clerks, etc.-with refer
ence to their political influence rather
than with regard to their illness for
the positions in which they are placed.
This is a custom that ought to be
changed" AS to the enrolment of the
bills for ratification, the Secretary of
State ought to be required to have this
done. That officer is the custodian Of
the bills after ratification, and should
be made responsible for their correct
~ -
lect competent %copyists, whose work
would be subject to the examination,
verifcation and approval of a commit
tee chosen by the two houses. Before
the advent of fusionism in 1895, the
chief clerk chosen for each department
was permitted to select his own assist
ants. The legislature of 1895 set the
precedent of selecting every assistant
land increasing the number largely
and unnecessarily-including some ne
groes-who were chosen with more ref
erence to their political influence thar
fitness. This is a division Of respon-
sibility entirely unwarranted, and as
the results have proven, injurious to
the service.-Raleigh Post.
So long as negroes continue to rape
white women there will be 1ynching
and burning and mutilation. Any one
ought to b. convinced that lynching
will only stop when rape stops. The
southern people are not cruel and never
were; they are a kind-hearted people
good to n another and to all men;
they are kind to dumb brutes. What
ever may be true or false about them,
they wera never a cruel-hearted people;
they were kind to the negroes when
they were slaves; they are kind &c
them now They are a people who
have borne with much, but there is one
thing that they will not bear, and that
is the outrage of their women. W.
may argue all we will, and abuse az
much as We like, but the southern
white man has decreed that this thins
shall not be. There is in the south :
"knightly" attitude toward women
Whatever part this old-fashioned gal
lantry may play or may ever have
played between individual men and wo.