The Richmond climax. (Richmond, Ky.) 1897-1914, 1899-10-04
A cONTRAsT-THE NEGRO NORTH AND


Pana, Rockiort. Cartervillel Let the
philanthropic friends of the negro at
the North take these names down on
their memorandum books. They are
names that stand not only for Republic
can towns in the Republican state OF
Illinois, but for the actual attitude OF
the Northern people toward the ne
groes.
Time again we have read in the
Northern newspapers burning demon
STATIONS of the South whites because
they do not invite negroes into their
parlors. or because hotel keepers and
managers of theaters exercise discrim-
ination in behalf of their patrons Time
and again we have seen petitions that
the wrath of heaven might be visited
on those who refuse to associate with
negroes on terms of social equality.
And when some degenerate brute
commits an unspeakable crime, which
is speedily and sometimes awfully
avenged, the pretended friends Of the
negro fill the air with their cries ,charg-
ing that the whole South is given over
to barbarism
1t frequently happens that when a
Southern negro of standing goes to the
North, he is seized upon by the philan
thropists and cOddled and Toasted in a
way calculated to convince him that the
Northen people are all humanitarians of
the. first order, and that the North is
the negroes paradise.
But now We have the facts, the real
situation, the attitude of the Northern
people written in blood and marked by
the assassination of negroes whose only
crime was desire to earn an honest
living, such as honest negroes are earn
ing in the South. The question 9th me-
gro's future is not solved by asking him
into a white mans parlor, or to partake,
as a guest of a white mans dinner.
Over and above these social accidents
and incidents, there is a cryil g neces-
sity that the negro should have the priv
ilege, nay, the right of earning his own
living by honest labor and according
to his gifts, natural or acquired.
We may dispute vehemently over
social equality and kindred questions;
it is dispute which means nothing, so
far as the future of the negro is con-
cerned; but there can be no dispute
over the fact that he has right to earn
an honest living for himself and those
who depend on him. Sensible men of
all parties and persuasiOns will agree to
this. Well, he has this right in the
South and is exercising it i'm a way
and with zeal calculated to attract the
attention and win the approval of all
who have any practical or substantial
interest in his future.
But he is denied this right in the
North-at Pana, Rockfort and Carter
ville-in terms of blood and by means
of assassination; in other parts of the
North, in terms Of prescription and by
means of taboo-to apply an ancient
term to modern development. In Re-
publican communities, in Republican
State, he is not only asssssinated when
he seeks to earn his living by honest
labor, but he is prevented, by murder
GUS measures, from leaving on train
and going about their business-the ac-
tive Republicans of Carterville, Illinois,
probably being impressed by the theory
that they owed to neighboring COM
munities the duty OF cutting them of
and relieving them from contact with
negroes seeking to earn an honest living.
Now this, after all, is the great ques-
ton in life SO far. as the things of this
world are concerned. 1t is the all-im-
portant question. 1t is question that
comes home with painful en phasis to
the great majority of the human race,
especially to those who are born into
the puzzling conditions which belong to
the end of the nineteenth century.
This being so, where does the great
est wrong reside, where is the greatest
crime against the negro committed-in
the South, where few degenerates and
moral lePers are wiped out suddenly
and unlawfu!ly, or in the North, where
negroes, seeking an opportunity to earn
their living, are assassinated in the
dark, as at Rockfort, or ruthlessly muir
dered in the broad daylight, as at Car
teTville and Pana? We challenge the
Republican editors and the Northern
philanthropists to make out a case
against the Southern people as revolt
ing to justice and humanity as the