The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1903-02-03
A WORD WITH THE NEGROES.

In another column We publish an
article from the Winston-Salem Jour-
nal of Wednesday, giving an account
of the utrageo conduct of a negro
man toward a young lady of that city
and her brave defense of herself. This
negro did not act through any sudden
passion or on the spur of the moment,
but he deliberately and persistently
put himself in her path and logged
her steps for the purpose Of ~assaulting
her. He repeatedly accosted her with
insulting language. This Negroes con-
duet showed deliberate determination
to heap insult upon this young lady, if
not TO do her worse harm 1t showed
holiness in attempt to commit such
deed almost beyond belief. There has
been of late startling repetition Of the
crime of assault on white women by
negroes, but this was the boldest and
most rascally of which we have read.
1t showed a defiance of the white peo-
pie and of their oft repeated declara-
item Of determination to protect the
Hsmen of their race against such ne
gre brues and a reckless disregard of
the consequences experience has taught
will follow the capture Of the man
making such assault.
At this time when the whole coun-
try, and especially the south. is stirred
ND over the actions OF our chief execu-
tive in trying to force the negroes on
the white people as their equal socially
az worthy to hold the most impor-
tsRt Offices in the south, it is unfOrtun-
ate fer the negro race that this assault
should have occurred. With the ne
groes all over the south exercised to
the extent they are over the presi-
dnt's championship of their alleged pO-
IticaI and social rights it behOOves the
leaders of that race-not the political
leaders. but the real leaders, thOSe
who realize that their best interests lie
in living in friendship and amity with
the white people and in avoiding all
conflict with them-to urge upon their
fellow men to be especially careful in
their conduct; to obey the law and to
avoid all seeming desire to antagonize
the white people.
President Roosevelt has don the ne
STOeS OF the SOuIn ii great INJURY.
There is no denying the fact that the
white people of this section are APP
prehensiye of a renewal of the former
political strife existing between the
two races, which had been supplanted
during the Mckinley administration
by q friendly feeling heretofore never
known. There is danger of this strife
1910 &c :: - :.
will be the negro, of course, VINO will
suffer. Before Mr.. Roosevelt began
his idiotic championship of the negro
and established their social equalit.
at the White house with the whites
the two races at the south were get
ting along on the best of terms. Is
this to be changed and are we to go
back to the days of turmoil and strife
for lit supremacy? God forbid. Such
would be terrible: for, and we say it
in all seriousness and fully convinced
of the correctness of our belief. that
the white people were more lenient and
forbearing in those days than they
will ever again be under similar cir
c~umstances. The unfortunate affair in
III " VII ANONS IilOSI III, 1850 dS |
brought OF by an article in u negro
newspaper of such a nature as was
calculated to incite negroes to COM
init such deeds as that of the brute in
Winston last Tuesday. The DON the
better class of negroes take .actiVe
measures to put a stop to such con-
duct among members Of their race and
10 aid in hrin~inO RI inStiqa all who |
commit such deeds the better it will
be for all parties.
The negroes of the south must I'M
derstand that no matter how many
of their race the president may APP
point to hioh office. either in this sec
ton or at the north: no matter on
what terms negro men and women are
received at the White house by Mr..
Roosevelt. his wife and daughter; no
matter how many white women of
Boston ZACH year marry negro men.
the two races at the south are to re-
main separate and distinct; the white
people are going to dominate and are
going to protect their wives and daugh-
tiers against negro brutes and will
avenge inhuman assaults upon them.
We are not making any threats. We
are not attempting TO produce preju-
dice or raise any false alarms: but we
simply wish TO call attention to the
unfortunate conditions and suggest
how worse ones can be avoided. We
desire to warn the negroes against
bringing any direful disasters upon
themselves.
no DEEyU,aT rpUN,S .nNrIn