The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1903-08-28
FRIDAY, AUGUST 28.
GRAVITY OF THE NEGRO CUES
TION.

Nearly every day some one of our
exchanges cries out against discussion
of the race question. They say let the
negro problem alone. 1t will settle
itself. If let alone by the white peo-
PIE it will surely settle itself, but to
the sorrow and discontinue Of the
white people of the south. The issue
is before US and it has got to be met.
There is a crisis ahead and it is rapid
1y approaching. There is no use in at
tempting to ignore the fact that the
situation is very grave.
The inclination is daily growing
stronger among the negroes TO force
the question of social and political
equality upon the white people; and
what makes the situation more serious
is tina this movement is led by the
educated and better class of negroes
and not by the ignorant and u~nlearned
OF that race.
There is greater danger today of
conflict between the two races than
ever before. and it all grows out OF
the attitude of the president of the re-
public toward the negro and the man.
ner in which Booker Washington and
other negroes of his ilk have taken
advantage of the conduct of Mr..
Roosevelt.
While horrible crimes on the part
Of the lower class of negroes are great
ly on the increase. society is threaten
ed with a much more serious danger
from the aggressions of the educated
negro.
1t is the latter class who threaten
society more seriously. The negro
thief, burglar and rapist from the low
er order of that race can be easily
taken care of. but the danger which
We will find hard to avert will come
from the Booker Washington class.
Until the president by his conduct and
his speeches showed willingness TO
place these on terms of equality with
the white people these negroes were
no menace to our society: but all this
has been changed since Mr.. Roosevelt
became president. You may scout the
idea and ridicule the assertion. but it
remains a solemn. an appalling truth
that Mr.. Roosevelt. by his actions has
raised a menace to society at the south.
He has influenced the minds of the
better class of negroes with the idea
that thev are las good as the white
people" and are entitled to all the So
cial privileges of the latter.
Who but Mr.. Roosevelt is respon-
sible for HI occurred at Hamlet last
Sunday morning when ook Wash
1ngton a"7 twenty-seven other ne
groes, includino several women. took
possession of the hotel dining room
to the exclusion Of the white people
who wished breakfast. These were
not ignorant negroes of the lower class.
but representatives of what is called
the best class of negroes. A party OF
negroes of the former class would not
have been so bold in pushing them
selves forward before the white people.
And it is from this Booker Washing
ton class that the trouble to the White
people of the south is to come.
Three years ago Booker Washington
and his crowd of we'll educated negro
men and women would not have dared
10 push themselves into that min
room as they did on last Sunday. Their
conduct shows what social recognition
by the head of the government and
taxation of themselves by the white
people of the south for higher educa-
ton of the negro Will bring about.
OF this affair IT Hamlet we give
the following account from the Raleigh
News and Observer.
The Hamlet episode. in which Booker
Washington. the TuSkegee negro edu-
Gator, and a negro party returning
from a negro meetin~ at Knoxville,
were served with a meal in the regu-
lar dining room of the hotel on sun
day has created great Indignation.
The first reports sent out were that
the trail was a special one. and that
there We're no white people to be served
while the train stopped for the morn
ing meal at Hamlet. The report is
vigorously denied and the latest ac-
counts say that white people. regular
passengers on SS, were offered an inn
provished dining room TO take their
meal in.
The train on which Washington and
the other negroes reached Hamlet
came from Atlanta and was about four
hours late. Passengers on the train
say that Booker wired ahead for
breakfast for twenty-seven. his being
the number of NEGROES who wanted
breakfast. Arriving in Hamlet it was
found that for the white passengers on
the train the little writing room had
been fixed up and that the main dining
room. lately vacated by white ladies
and gentlemen. was prepared for the
negroes.
AT Hamlet Booker and thirty-seven
other negroes. including -four or five
negro wOmen marched through the
hotel office into ne main dining room.
being ushered there, while the whites
VINO came On the same train were
piioted to the writing room for their
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