The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1900-12-19

The rapid increase OF suicides IN
the South is alarming and proyokes
the serious study Of our thinking peo-
ple. Fifty yedrs ago = suicide, was q
rare event amopg the white raoe. and
never heard o4 amoug tho negroes.
When i. did occur. it. was considered
an evidence Of insanity do not re-
call but one instance in my youth and
that was woman who jumped into a
deep we'll when no help was within
reach. But nowadays y::most every
daily paper contains an account Of one
or more self murders, and even negroes
have taken the Infection, for they will
initiate every vice and frailty Of the
whites. Old Lewis, who is my wood
chopper. asked me the other day how.
It was that the white folks kill "der-
serves SO much, and de niggers
dident." "Becauae," said II white
folks are more easily overcome. with
grief, or remorse, or distress, than ne
groes. You negroes don't borrow trou-
bic, nor take it hard when it does
come. You don't give yourselves
much anxiety about tomorrow, or
next week, or next year. You don't
grieve long over death in the fami-
"; your emotional nature is Of low
grade; your marriage relation is loose;
in fact, it is on the decline since free
dom came. The marriage records
show that your legal marriages are 60
per cent less, according to population,
than in the white race, and the de-
crease gets less aud less every year.
Your young men and women doG'
marry; they just take up aud quit when
they please, and go the men DON { care
yer, much about the welfare of their
children, if they have any. Besides
all this, Uncle Lewis, your race has a
trait Of stealing little things, and shis
accounts in great measure for their
Indifference to the laying up of some
thing for the future; something for
the winter, or the rainy days, or for
old age. If the worst comes to the
worst, they know they can. steal or
beg If your young folks, men and
women, haven't got but a dollar in the
world, they will spend it for water
melon, or an excursion, and take the
chances. Now, Unole Lewis, you re-
member when there wasn't o ohaingang
in the South, nor o heinous crime nor.
brutal outrage, committed by your
people, from the Potomac river to the
Rio Grande. Now there are in Geor-l
gia alone over 4, 600 Of your people in
the chaingangs, and there would Be
1000 more if all tbs little stealings
we're punished. Uncle Lewis had
stopped cutting and was leaning on
bis ak helve. Oats ALSO said he,
'and boss I knows il, and boss what
i want to know is dis: What must We
poor niggers do about it2'' There 10
the rub. Icouldn't tell him, but I.
did say, "Unole Lewis, your race has
got some mighty good traits, andsI
like to have you about us; yca are
kind.hearted, good-natured, easy TO-
please, srd doa't carry malice or re-
venge in your hearts; you steal, but
you don't cheat anybody. The white
race wont steal, but they will cheat,
Or take advantage in, . trade, and that
is worse. If you trust . negro with
anything he will not abuse your conf
dence, but white man viii embessle.
and defraud and even the cashiers of
banks will appropriate the hank's
money, and falsify the hooka for
months andyears. Every race has its.
:::c traits, botn bad aud good. Some
Of your bad ones were almost run out
BY slavery, but they have come back
again, and all your college education;
Goes not stop it. It makes it woraes9
There is nothing will stop itbut work.
constant work, every day. uAder some.
good employer. w Vork onSthe farm is
4 your best safeguard, or work as me.
'hanics under good contractors. Your
people make good mechanics, ss 4 the
white people employ them and patti rom
ne them just as willingly a. they do
white mechanics. The negro Sblaek.j
smiths and masona get: good employ
nent here and everywhere, at,a as Tor
cooking and washing 4 and nursing,
your women havs ID all. The two
races would fis together nicely ifit
wasn't for politics and idlsness An
iale negro is Q dangerous oreatnre and
should be takenlnp sud put to work.
' ne is much more dangerous than an
LIE white mar, for, he has no shame,
Il a1d feara uok fyy,a -. -, I'll ~ q, :. q