The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1899-08-24
HISTORICAL REVIEW
OF THE RACE TROUBLE AT
WILMINGTON IN 1898.
WiImington's Second De-
cIaration OF Independ-
endenCe.

CIafatl0n OF lndepend-
endenCe.
The following able review and analy-
sis of the stirring scenes enacted at Wll-
mington. November, 1898, is from the
pen of Capt. r. ID. Meares and was pub
lished in the Wilmington Messenger
November 10, 1899
The city of Wilmington, \. c., is one
of the Oldest towns in the new world,
and its people have been ever of the
hest. The white inhabitants of to-day,
TO a great extent. were born and bred
there. as were their ancestors before
them. The citizens of other states,
who went there to live. and there Is
quite a number of them, entitled 10 ana
desiring recognition, became promptly
identified in every particular WITH the
ueople already there. The sturdy New
England stock is fairly well represented,
and is as pronouncedly Southern as the
native born 1t has never been people
willing TO accept insults, nor capable of
resting tamely under oppression. They
have always known how and when to
strike. They have proved it in recent
events and not for the first time.
Probably no more thrilling series of
events. small though the stage. have
ever taken place than were enacted be-
tween November 9th and 18th. No
tragedy. carefully prepared, ana pre-
scented by actors familiar with thelf
parts, could exceed in dramatic effect
the stateiness. the deliberation, the
dignity, the freedom from excitement
which pervaded the entire performance.
If looks as though the initial movement
had been made in the direction Oh
changes far beyond the local results.
The widespread attention drawn TO the
disturbances there and the bold attitude
of the whites has put the negro before
the bar of public opinion. There can be
but one verdict. analysed as have been
the conditions by many of the brightest
minds of the country.
PROLOGUE.
In 1897. the Republicans, having Sc
cured control OF the Legislature, prompt
ly proceeded TO disfranchise the people
Of Wilmington by the enactment OF q
law which gave the governor, Repub-
ican. who had been and was peculiarly
obnoxious to Wilmingtonians, the power
TO appoint FIVE members of the ten com
nosing the board of aldermen, the other
five TO be elected by the five wards, III
two Of which there was an overwhelm-
ing. negro majority. As result, the
CITY government was soon IN the posses
sion of the worst elements, not OF Inc
Republican party, because there IS no
degree of good to be found in that party
in Wilmington but of the worst ele-
ment in the community. The iowest
grade of partisanship, with its natural
concomitants of incompetency and IN
efficiency. controlled the management OF
n citv, where over % per cent. of the
taxes were paid by the white men, VINO
were practically denied any voice in the
expenditure of their own money. 1t was
taxation without representation; it was a
deprivation of the right Of self-goyern-
ment. it. was sure To bring trouble I'D
the end. The whites were very patient.
TheyundertoOk to make the best OF the
situation. and quietly waited Tor the
time when the wrong could be rlghted'
hoping that the evils they We're FACING
might prove to be rather in the lack OF
n good government than in the influence
and effect of bad one. And so matters
ran on until the summer of 1898, wneh
the approaching political elections began
TO attract attention. The lncendlary ap-
meals made to the negro, the bad advice
freely rendered him and evil suggestions
put into his mind, sometimes by his
black leaders. more frequently by white
ones. who, seeking office by his votes
were degraded enough to cater TO MS
worst passions i'm order to incite his am
mostly against the white by which alone
could be secured a solid black vote, all
tended to inflame him TO an extent which
the white man saw BODIED trouble.
Daily and nightly robberies, always
of the white man. made private guards
necessary If the police was not in
league with the robbers, it was abso-
lutely useless. No efforts of any kind
were made to detect or arrest evil doors
some who We're captured by citizens,
were deliberately released without form
of law. women We're insulted on the
streets and ON their piaZZas; children
were struck on their way to school. 1t
became unsafe for white women to walk
on the streets ut all. and finally, as the
most damnable of all the insults offered'
a negro paper published an article de-
famatory of the virtue of poor White Wo-
men. Grimly and in silence, the WHITE
men waited-had the negroes possessed
any discernment, the silence would have
been ominous. Nothing was forgotten
every insult was remembered. but the
war of races, which the negro seemed
DESTROYS of inaugurating was kept oil by
the forbearance of the whites. The
white man was engaged in determined
effort TO shake off once and forever the
domination of the negro, and In the
pursuit of purpose such as that he dis
dained to stop to brush aside the little
pests that annoyed him. He did not de-
sire to treat the symptoms-he would at
tack the cause He armed himself-his
civilization was at stake. The honor of
his women, the right to walk the streets
free man, the safety of his children,
the protection of his property were IN
volved They were to be preserved
peacefully if possible, forcibly If neces-
sary. The white man had fought other
such battles from time immemorial, ana
was ready to fight this. Election day
came and passed quietly and peacefully.