The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1899-11-07

! peace, good viii in the south.
But the entire better class of the
negro race must unite in suppressing
rapes and murder and arson and other
damnable crimes in order to insure
peace and harmony. Lynchings viii
continue just so long as the worst
| crimes against the whites continue.
tbs pity, It's true. pity it's. It's
| true"
Principal Herring writes as follows,
and it is plainly true, whatever men
Of his own race may think Of it:
You say that men should be iEde-
pendent thinkers and vote their con-
victions-be it the republican, populist
or democratic ticket. But whenever a
colored man dares to vote other than
a ticket made by the machine, the
bosses denounce him and say he has
sold out. Had the negro largely
divided his vote when this division ap-
peared in the democratic ranks. six,
four or two years ago, there would
have been no color line drawn, no race
riot in Wilmington, no fraud and cor
ruptfon in the state. no bad men in
office and no amendment proposed. /
have at least maintained the right of
voting for the best men to office, re-
CARELESS of their party affiliations"
There can be no shadow of doubt as
to the absolute correctness of that
view. If the negroes had never so
blindIy, so unwisely, so ~viciously CON
tended against the true and best por-
tiOns of the white voters there would
never have occurred in the state the
widespread frauds, populations, scoun-
drelism, expressions and abuses, usur-
pations, cruelties that did occur.
There would nave been no numbering
of Chicken, Stephens to make CAPT.
tai against the democrats, as Holden
said to three Baptist ministers of the
Gospel There would have been no
wholesale peculation inc abuses such
as marked the black radical party in
the vile Reconstruction times. There
would have been no public debt created
by wholesale robberies, amounting to
more than $50, 900, 900. There would
have been no disgraces to the white
skin put in office to pluck and ruin.
There would have been no dirty fellows
sent to the federal congress without
honor or ability or character as some
were. One was kicked out of the house
for bribery. But for the solid negro
vote none of these iniquities, black
with crime and mountain high in mag
nitude, would ever have stained the
annals of the honest old state. Says
Principal Herring, the brother in
black:
Had this been done throughout the
state, only good men would have been
elected-quietude in North Carolina,
friendly relation between the two races
and no need of organizing colonization
societies to take the negro away from
among those who have proven to be
his best friends-men who have stood
his bond loaned him money, advanced
him provisions, sent him physicians to
his sick. family, n given him friendly
advice. Why this change? Some one
is responsible. The one that gave Or
ders to vote for a 'bobtail dog, if your
machine or bosses nominated him,
should bear the penalty, and not the
whole race. This has Widened the
breach between the races. The class
of people who cheered and applauded
your colonization effort were the shift
less, capr1clOuS ones who nave amaSSed
nothing here-cou1d leave the state be-
tween the setting and rising of the sun,
and leave nothing behind them but
their track"
That puts the case strongly, pointed
ly, exactly. But it is aid to be, ac-
cording to the adage, never too late
to mend" How will the better classes
of the negro race vote in 1900? Will
they follow the wicked, selfish leader
ship of such greedy office-1seekers and
teat sWingers and trough treaders and
treacle Slippers as those now c%onspiring
and "connood!ing" and plotting and de-
ceiVing and posing before the amazed
state of North Carolina to the utter
disgust, contempt and adherence of
all decent, self-respecting white men?
How such fellows of the baser sort"
can presume to speak to reputable gen.
tlemen, and how reputable gentlemen
can speak to such fellows, is inexplica-
bic and would be passing strange if not
so common. The man wearing a white
skin who would dare to try to fasten
negro rule upon his own race is a
wretch unworthy of any honest mans
regard or civilities. He is a traitor,
base and unprincipled, to his own kith
and kin and to his own skin, which
snake-like he should quickly slough.
We will be glad if it shall be found
that the following in Principal Her
rings article shall be approved history
instead of present prophecy:
I'VE plead to white Americans for
law and order n fair play. The time
has passed when abuse of the south
finds favor with us. We pray and labor
for her peace and prosperity.
Whatever is wrong in. the south can
be corrected in and by the south. The
best black men and best white men or
the south will surely move towar one
common good. With the spirit of
brotherly owe we have a common and
a glorious destiny, but with hatred and
crime we drift toward the whirlpool
of strife and DEATH
The Best Prescription For Chills.