The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1900-08-18
NEGRO. is AN ISSUE
Not Less Objectionable in a
Federal Position
Than He is in State or County or Township
Office. Other Questions in the
Campaign.


to consider what will be the rule of con-
Quoting the canvass on the part of the
Democrat party.
1t is gratifying to see that there is
disposition on the part of some to con-
duct the campaign more largely upon the
lines which were followed in the fortles
and fifties-namely, the discussion OF the
principles of the respective parties.
In the discussion of the political issues
and the merits of the two great political
parties in the United States is it pos
sible to entirely eliminate from these
discussions in North Carolina, the record
of the Republican party which is VIII
ten in the black lines of the appoint
ment to office of negroes, among our
home people-the Anglo-Saxon race?
The white people of the South are Pc
cularly situated in regard to this par
ticular portion of the history of the Re
publican party.
The recent election shows concluslVely
that our people, white people, without
regard to PARTY lines-Democrat, RepuD-
lican or Populist, free silver, gold stand
ard or what not, are opposed to the oc-
cupaticn of a public office by the ne
gro Then assuming this to be true what
is the difference in a negro who holds
a Federal office and one who holds
State or county office?
The objection to the negro in ONCE
is the fact that the white people, our
white people, have to do with him ID
the transactions of the business relations
of the office, and again 1t occurs that
if the negro fills a Federal or State
or county office, is he any less of ne
gro?
Then if it is true that a negro is
Objectionable who is in a public Once,
is there any reason why he is less OBJ
iectionabe to the people in the communl-
ties in which Federal appointments prevail
because there are comparatively FEWER
Federal appointments than there are
State or county appointments?
The objection on the part of the white
people of the South to the negro holding
a public office is the fact that the negro
Tin the South has always occupied an
inferior position in the relations existing
between the white and negro races and
also from the further and possibly more
offensive reason that the negro as rule
does not know how to behave himself
properly in his department or in the
conduct of the affairs of his office, that
is, from the standpoint Of the Southern
white man.
Vested with a little brief authority
Cut such high fantastic tricks before
high heaven, .ae
AS to make the angels weep" ~,
Now, if we consider the locality, trans
fer the scene of the political contest
to the States north of the Mason and
Dixon line, why then the differences
would not be 50 apparent or we might
state SO great, and yet even in this So
called negro loving section of the United
States there is a very large and eX-
ceedingly respectable portion Of its citi-
zens who are directly and positively OPP
posed to the negro holding office, and
this too, among a people whose environ
ments in regard to the negro is very
much less objectionable than in North
Carolina.
There is no reason for the foolish, weak
and disgusting conduct of campaign
upon the lines of elimination and re-
elimination. One of the greatest causes
of injury to the Democratic party IL
North Carolina, since the civil war is the
fact that some of our public speakers,
during the political canvasses, too often
left out of their discussions the great
principles of the Democratic party-its
successes, its achievements its advo-
oacy and maintaining Of the rights and
liberties of the great mass of our people,
the prosperity of the country under its
administrations, and thereby instead OF
educating our people to be Democrats
| from principle, simply appealed to their
prejudices or inherent emotions, upon
| the ground if you are not a Democrat you
would be on the side OF the negro, since
all the negroes belonged to the Repub-
| lican party, and so the young white men
of North Carolina have largely grown to
be more members of the white mans
party than Democrats, simply because
| the Democratic party opposed the ne
gro, and not because they believed in
the particular principles of the Dem
ocratic party, and because of this con-
| Quoting the political campaigns too large
| ly along the lines Of ridicule, denuncia-
| ton and prescription.
The Hon. w. A. Smith, in the campaign
| for Congress between the Hon. Sion H.
! Rogers and himself stated in one OF
| his speeches during the canvass, that
they-Smith and RogerS-had decided 10
conduct their campaign upon the lines
observed by the political parties before
the war, that they would discuss the
| principles Of their respective parties,
and not descend to the low plane of WILL
| fication a nd abuse; because, said Smith,
before Sion and l had gotten together
on this campaign we had looked up the
political record of each other and after
comparing notes found out that one OF
us was about as mean as the other, and
so concluded that we would not say any
| thing about it.
The time has come when the political
| canvass must be largely one Of education.
The Democratic speakers must be SO
| thoroughly acquainted with the history
of the party as to give the people a rea-
son for enlisting under its banner. They