The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1901-11-07

Says They Deserve Much Credit for
What They Have Done, Although
There are Many Things In Their
Freedom Which They Have Neg
iected-Gives Them Good Advice
and Warns the Race Against False
Notions of Social Equality.
BY request Of the management Gov
Aycock formally opened the Colored
State Fair in Raleigh Oct. 29th. Fol-
lowing is his address which-was well
received and warmly applauded by
the large number of negroes who
heard him. He said:
1t affords me pleasure to open this
fair. | wish the cOlOred people of
North Carolina to understand bv
every act and expression Of mine that
| am the Governor Of the entire State
and all its people and that every in
terest which concerns any individual
is a matter OF Importance to me. 1t
has been gratifying to me that those
to whom | have been opposed politi-
cally have recognized the real feeling
which exists in my heart. In nv
duty as a servant of the State it is of
immense value that those of oppo-
site political faith should feel that he
who has been chosen to serve them is
not the enemy Of any person or OF any
race in the State.
| have earnestly cndeavored since it
h,. e., In a. Z
ernor of the State to so conduct the
high office to which | WAS chosen as
to develop the industrial, commercial
and educational sides Of our life, be-
cause III these we have heretofore
! been weakest.
| The North Carolina people are in
many respects Z strong and great peo-
pie. They love liberty and they sre
devoted to personal independence.
They ue-d no instruction along these
! lines. They have the courage of
their convictions and are ever read Y
to assert their political and individ-
ual rights. What we have needed
and what we do need is instruction
! along industrial. commercial and edu~
cational lines, and | have been an4-
ious to be an humble instrument in
this work.
I The colored people Of North Caro-
lima arc entitled to much credit for
what they have done. At the close Of
the war there were many who had
great apprehension AS to the conduct
which would result from the freedom
of the negro. | am glad to be able to
state that the apprshensio proved to
be unfounded. Your conduct in the
main has been admirable. You have
surpassed expectations. You have
been sober, law abiding and indus
trions, You have justified the hopes
of those who thought you ought to be
free. You have created more value in
freedom than you did in slavery and,
taken all in all, you deserve the thanks
Of the Commonwealth.
You will pardon me as one who is a
friend Of yours for speaking to you
today words which may seem unkind,
but are in fact kind because truthful.
There are many things in your free
dom which You have neglected. There
are many things yet for you to do.
In glancing through the criminal sta
tistics of the State | find that while
your race constitutes only onethird Of
! the population Of North Carolina you
commit one half of the crimes. | am
not unmindful of the fact that your
race is poor and weak and without
the influence Of the dominant race
and that, therefore, in proportion to
actual crime committed a few more
are indicated than would be if you
were rich and powerful and with the
influences which tend 70 suppress in
dictments. But eliminating this un-
important factor, as one may well do
in a Just State like this, the proper
ton Of crime in your race is startling
and dangerous, and one which ought
to evoke your most earnest considera-
ton.
Before YOU can ever take your
proper place in the world you must
learn first obedience to law. This
ought to be with you matter OF con-
stant instruction in the home, in the
school, in the church, on the high
wav. wherever two or more of you
NAV gather, until it becomes : part o.
your very existence and grows into
your nature. Ehe great strength OF
the white man has been his love OF
home. and the consequent love oi
these industries which secure to him
his home 1t will be we'll for you and
for your race when you shall have
learned that your strength is founded
upon industry and economy, and that
your Importance in the State will IN
crease with your growing wealth
This fair, therefore, which to some ex
tent, but inadequately, illustrates
: your industries, is matter OF impor
tance to you and to the State II
shows what you have done and en-
courages you to do more.
1t may not be inappropriate for mt
upon this occasion to express to yot
the hope that recent events occurring
in the nation may not unduly excite
YOU and that YOU will still remembei
that your best friend. sre those who
, live in your State. What you wish
swhat YOU need more than recognition
by the President or other people IL
authority, is the establishment among
yourselves of a society founded upol
culture, intelligence and virtue an'
in no wise dependent upon those OF
different race. The law which sepa
rates you from the white people IL
the State socially always ha. beer
and always will be inexorable, and i
need not concern you nor me whethe
that law is violated elwhsres it vii
,.ror he violated in the South. 1t
violation would be to your destruc
| tion as we'll as to the injury OF tn
whites. No thoughtful, conservative
and upright Southerner has for you
race aught but kindest feeling an'
we are all willing and anxious to Sc
~ rro,r into tho biphast CITIZENSHIP