The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1902-07-10
Wilmipe.on Messenger.

Sucu OCio" Ilo" tuo tyofs"s ~
Portland. Oregon, on the incident of
Miss Miss Mary Custis Lee being ar
rested a short while ago for violating
the Jim Crow car law OF Virginia.
Our readers will remember that Miss
Lee took seat in the car reserved,
for negroes. When told by the con-
ductor of the train OF her mistake
she refused to go into the car re-
served for white people and. on reach
ing Alexandria,, was arrested and
taken before a magistrate, who sus-
tanned the railway conductor in his
action and took Miss Lees personal
recognizance for her appearance in
his court the next day. The last re-
port of the affair was that Miss Lee
had forfeited her bond of five dollars
by failure to appear. We suppose
the case was dropped there; /
Here is the editorial on the case of
Miss Lee:
The arrest of Miss Mary Custis Lee
at Alexandria, Va, yesterday for vio-
lation of local ordinance. which for
bids a white man or woman to ride
in that part of street car reserved
for negroes, is interesting on sew
eral accounts. Personally, it APP
pears. Miss Lee felt no repugnance to
such contact with the blacks as WAS
involved in sitting among them; at
least, she did not care enough about
it to change her seat. No doubt, in
her infancy, she was nursed by a
black nanny" no doubt the closest
personal intimacies of heI life have
been with black servants.
Miss Lees attitude is significant
because it is characteristic Of the
South. Strong as the race feeling is
there. it does not rest upon physical
antipathy, for the Southern people
have no such instructive aversion to
personal contact with the negro as
/ Northerners very commonly have.
This is demonstrated in a thousand
ways-by the universal employment
of black nurses, bv the unrestrained
mutual play of white and black chill
dren, by the presence in nearly y every
white household OF negro servants,
and by-no means least significant
the existence everywhere in tho South
of unnumbered mulattoes.
The protest of the Southern people
against anything suggestive of social
contact with the negro does not rest
upon repugnance. They are willing
! to sit next to a negro if there be in
the situation some distinct mark OF
his social inferiority and subordina-
, ton. No Southerner objects to rid
| a. NTH HE hIo al
driver, but wild horses could not
, drive him to a seat beside the same
! man at dinner. The physical differ
ence is not much; the moral distinc
tion is overwhelming and absolute
= There are in the North those who af
1 feet not to understand it; but they
8 are persons either wanting in candol
l or without the sensibilities which en-
t able men to Judge intelligently ane
y fairly of the conduct and motives o
e other men.
= There is, of course, profound mo
tive back of this universal Southern
\ determination to "hold the negro t.
: his place" 70 some extent it rest
C upon the old slavery tradition; bu
h this is only part Of it. In many part
e of the South the negroes outnumbe
e the whites, and if they were allowe'
If to vote, they would everywhere in a.
: lance with white scalawag associates
IS rule in the local politics. PERM
IS them full enjoyment Of the politics
Z privilege, and add to it general qua
o itv of social privilege and they would
1t it ia universally believed, overwhell
ID the country and practically make
uninhabitable for white men. Socis
le and political subordination OF tt
he blacks is, in the universal Souther
re view, essential to the domination {
ne intelligence and prosperty-in oth'
n words, TO white supremacy.
ps This explains the bitterness Of q
es South in connection with the Book
. Washington incident and in respe
m to every other circumstance where
It's Northern kindness-or stupidity
ed gives social recognition TO the bla
20 man. There can be no doubt th
re- every such incident stimulates I
nd pretensions OF large classes OF Sout
i'll ern negroes; and it is easy to see ht
.te this offends the Southern whites.
their view OF the matter il increa'
Dol the difficulties Of the situation a
as adds weight to the burden which !
his come to them by inheritance. Th
are feel that the North should resp
err their opinions and their sentimen
ing that it should not mix in matte
the Of which it has no practical kno
Iss, edge. They take it unkindly and
ion terly that communities which hi
the no contact with the negro probl
BON and no share in the burdens which
and makes should presume to enfo
are rules of conduct and privilege VIII
hat make for the South new difficult
gh- and embarrassments.
OILS This much is certain, namely, t
. il is in the South and not in
North that the negro problem is
Gu be worked out; and nobody will d
bite that the Southerner understands
nc negro better than the Sorthsrner.
for is further certain that every p'
les. where the North has interfered
all Southern policy since the war, it
Iity, only been to make mess OF thi'
ecu to multiply difficulties and posiE
Just ad justments. The first and su
upy- effect of Northern interference At
1 is time is to deepen the animosify
first tween the two races in the Soutl
rule the Booker Washington case has q
be plain. Common sense, we think,
herp pssts that the North keep hands
that il leave the South 10 deal VI