The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1900-06-07
NEGROES WILL GET AT THE
THROATS OF THE WHITE
MEN"

Me-
1t has often been said that the ne
gro is his own worst enemy If by
that is meant that he seldom recog-
niZes his real friends, but instead
selects as his leaders lot of ranting
tools and follows them, then they say
ing is true.
The proposed Constitutional Amend
ment in this State has furnished a fine
text for these Headers and they have
not neglected to take advantage of it
to talk riot and blood-shed and VEN
geance upon the white man in case an
attempt is made to deprive the ignor-
ant negro of the ballot. From time
to time recently we have published
some of this incendiary tomy-rot, adj
vising the colored men of the State
that it would be to their interest to
give it no heed, but repudiate such
leadership and denounce such utter
ances.
The latest outbreak of this sort
comes from negro editor, I. Thomas
Fortune, and one w. o. Murphy, pre-
sumably a negro also. These two ne
groes were the chief orators at Il ne
gro meeting held in Brooklyn last
Sunday to celebrate the one hundredth
anniversary of the birth of John
Brown. The meeting was held under
the auspices of the Society of the
Sons of North Carolina, which is COM
posed of colored men who have gone
from this State to live in New York
Here are a few extracts from For
tunes speech on this halcyon occa-
sion, as reported by the New York
Sun:
1T cost tons of blood to put the
fifteenth amendment into the Consti-
tuition, and it will cost tens of tons
to put it out. You must organize and
keep your powder dry in order to de-
mand an eve for an eve and a tooth
for a tooth in the great crisis which
will soon be upon the negro, in which
much blood may be spilled. The first
gun of the fight was fired at the Mont
gOmery conference.
IF the negro wants his rights in
the South, he must fight for them, or
he must leave the South. | have for
merlly opposed Bishop Turner in his
appeal to the negroes to leave the
South, but / shall myself start a cru
SADIE to have all the negroes leave the
South and come North or go else
where, where they can be men.
There is no use living in the South
and crying peace. peace, when there
is no peace. / believe in law and or
der, but when the law does not pro-
tect you, you should fight and die, if
need be. You should demand an eye
for an eye and Il tooth for tooth.
The negro will never command re-
spect until he shall strike blow that
will win for himself the respect of the
world, for even God has no respect
for Il coward. The negro should be
brave and follow his leaders, whether
they 1ead to Calvary or to a scatfold
in West Virginia. There is coming
great crisis for the negro and the
first gun was fired at Montgomery
Ala. when it was proposed that the
fifteenth amendment to the Constitu-
ton should be repealed. But there
can be no settling of the negro prob
lem with the negro out of it, it mat
ters not how many conferences OF
white men are held.
There is now 100000 of us. with
100000 fighting men, and in some
great crisis in this country these
100000 negroes will get at the
threats of the white men who have
wronged and outraged their citizen
ship"
The Washington Post. commenting
upon this remarkable meeting has
this to say of Fortune and his pesti-
ferrous ORWELL
He is well educated. good and for
cible writer, and, under ordinary cir
cumstances. a very sensible and we'll
meaning person. We wonder whether
he realizes that, in this frantic out
burst. he has illustrated the most
pessimistic estimate of the negro
characterize proposition, for exam
pie. that no amount of scholastic
training or contact with Caucasian
civilization will ever eradicate the
savage instincts of his race.
And what does this professional
leader mean by blood in connection
with the fifteenth amendment? tie
cannot be ignorant of the fact that
its repeal was advocated only by Mr..
Bourge Cochran, foreigner by BIRTH
"a resident of New York, aud no more
qualified to speak for southern gentle