The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1900-04-19

Carolina forever, that the negro where
he predominates in numbers cam OF
be trusted to govern. They them
selves declared his unftness and pub
lished his incapacity.
Again in 1897 there came into the
Executive chair in North Carolina
man, who in public speech had de-
clared that he was not friend of the
white man nor a friend of the negro,
but friend of MAN. With his advent
to power the negro naturally forgot
the days when he was regarded as a
savage and with eXpectant joy listened
to the inaugural address which was
to usher in that new and glorious day
of political equality, but before that
address closed we hear this friend of
MAN warning the legislature not to
turn the cities of the State over to
the Ignorant and propertyless ele-
ments,' and thereby this friend of
MAN declared that fond as he was of
universal mankind he realized that
the negro is incapable of governing
the cities in which he predominates,
for surely it will not be contendcd by
anybody that Governor Russell had
other reference than to the negroes
when he spoke of the Ignorant and
prOpertyless elements" And the
legislature of 1897, violent as it was,
determined as it showed itself to be
to break all ties with the past and to
repeal all Democratic legislation fol-
lowed the advice of the Governor to
the extent Of providing for the APP
pointment by the Governor in the
cities of New Bern and Wilmington
additional aldermen to those selected
by the people. This act of the legis-
lature and this idea of Governor Rus
sell came before the Supreme Court of
North Carolina in the case of Harriss
VS.. Wright from Wilmington, and
that body sustained the legislation
and recognized alike the untitness of
the negro to rule and the right of the
State to protect itself against his in
competency. Every judge on that
bench knew that as matter of fact
that legislation was passed to discrim-
mate against the incapacity of the
negro and yet the opinion of the court
does not mention the 18th amend
ment nor declare the act unconstitu
tional. So l may be permitted to OBJ
serve in passing that the court knows
many things as facts which it can
never know judicially. Further con-
firmation of the untitness of the negro
to govern may be found in the open
letter which Senator Butler addressed
to the people of North Carolina just
before the election in 1898, in which
he pledged the Fopulist candidates
for the Legislature to introduce bills
providing a special form of county
government for certain Eastern
counties where necessary.
In what Eastern counties did Sena-
tor Butler suppose special form of
county government was necessary
and why was it necessary? Plainly
he meant in those Eastern counties
where the negro predominated and
because of the unftness of the negro
to rule. A more recent and conyinc-
ing evidence can be offered. Senator
the United States Senate on January
%, 1900, uses this language: ''In the
very nature of things it (negro domi-
nation) cannot be. From the earliest
dawn OF civilization to this good hour
the great white race has given to the
world it's history, its philosophy, its
laws, its government, and its Christi
anity, and it will continue to do so. "
In recent speech delivered in Colds
boro by Major H. l.. Grant before the
Republican convention Of Wayne
county he declared "that the neg gro
could not longer hold Office and that
for twenty years he had fought to put
down the idea of negro supremacy;
that while the negro under the con-
stitution has right to hold office
public sentiment was stronger than
law, and public sentiment was op-
posed to the negro holding office -
Indeed it has become the fashion
among Republicans and Populists to
assert the untitness Of the negro to
rule, but when they use the word rule.
they confine it to holding office; when
we say that the negro is unfit to rule
we carry it one step further and con-
vev the correct idea when we declare
that he is unfit to vote.
| The causes which have brought
about this consensus of opinion have
| in large measure forced themselves
on public attention within the last
. few years. We have had but two
periods of Republican rule in North
Carolina, from 1868 to 1870. and from
1896 to 1898. That party contains
large number of respectable white
men, but the negro constitutes over
/ two-thirds of its voting strength.
Government can never be better nor
wiser than the average OF the virtue
and intelligence of the party that
governs. The Republicans insist
that we have never had negro rule in
North Carolina; that the Republican
party elects white men to office and
this fact gives us government by
white men. Governor Russell in hi:
message to the last legislature vindi
Gates himself against the charge oi
appointing negroes to office anC
proudly boasts that out of SlS ap.
pointments made by him not more
than eight were negroes. He misse:
the point which we made and max,
against him and his party; it is no
alone that Governor Russell put tn,
eight negroes in office and his party
thousand more, but that the 125, O0
negroes put him in office over tn
; votes of white men-it is the part,
behind the office-holder himself. Their
is no man in the State today NOR