The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1902-11-11
THE NEGRO NORTH AMI SOUTH.

A negro man while riding a bicycle
in the streets of New York the other
day ran over a m She was
knocked down and rendered uncon-
scious. a crowd Of men and women
who witnessed the act attacked the ne
gro and he was violently beaten, being
knocked dow several times and kicked
while upon the ground. He was finally
rescued by two policemen. The negro's
conduct Vas outrageous. He seems to
have made no effort to avoid the acct
dent. But why should he have been at
tackled in this brutal by a
crowd Of white men and white women.
Persons Of both sexes attacked him.
We are told that women shouted in
giae or rag as they saw the man being
m~altreated." Why did not this thing
happen in some southern state where
the white man is supposed to hold the
negro in mortal enmity and to be al
ways scheming his destruction? What
a howl our northern friends would have
raised had it been so and what a sweet
mOrseI to roll under their tongues would
have been the statement hat southern
white women shouted with glee IS
they saw the man being maltreated."
1t makes all the difference in the world
in what section of the country such an
Offense cur If at the south it is an
other instance of the vile treatment of
the poor down-trodden negro by his
former owners if at the north it is a
sporadic case of Iawless conduct by the
rougher element of society liable to.
break u anywhere upon great provo
cation.
1t is Il fact well established both at
the north and at the south that socially
the negro has a position assigned to
him which he must occupy n that as
soon IS he oversteps the boundaries II
that position he is met with hostile
treatment, though the people of the
former section try to deny the existence
of such conditions among them, while
We of the south admit it and justify it
by the principle that the two races
must remain separate and distinct So
cially- We treat the negro fairly and
give him his just rights. This is we'll
illustrated in the matter of paying forl
his education by taxing ourselves there
for more han wen justice requires. AMI
unbiased judgment as to the treatment
of the negro north and south would bel
in favor of the latter section. Every
welI-behaved negro in the south has
given him as fair a chance as is givenl
to the white people. He can live hereI
quietly and peaceably; is given the op-l
portunity to accumulate property and
to educate himself Inc his children at
the expense of the white people.
Now that the first campaign under the
Acknowledgement of the negro is over
n we have returned to the every day.
life if our several industrial pursuitsl
we expect to see great advancement
made in the condition of the negroes inl
our midst. Politics was not intended
for negroes and wherever they dabbleI
in it they injure themselves and retardl
their industrial advancement. The
white republican politician of the south
has been the greatest enemy the negro
has had since the day of emancipation
The negro and the white man of the|
south can get along very we'll so long
as the former keeps out of politics as
a solid mass opposing the wishes of the
white people of these states Now that
his status politically has been settled
we look for increased friendly relations
between him and his white neiShbor
and for rapid advancement in the ma
teeial welfare of those COlored men who
accept the situation and turn their at
tention to acquiring property and edu-
eating their offspring. The fact that
the white men, by the franchise amend
ment. have asserted their right to rule
this state should give the negro no
afarm as to the preservation OF his le-
gal rights or fair and just treatment.
REVISION OF THE TARIFF.