The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1903-09-17
REV, Mr.. MASSEE'S CARD.
An Exclamation That Does Not Ex-
plan, or a Distinction Without
Difference.

Wilmington Messenger.
Rev. J. c. Massee, pastor OF the
Baptist Tabernacle Of Raleigh, pub
fishes u lengthy card in the Times, OF
that city, in answer to the newspa-
per criticisms of his language regard
ing the treatment of the negro. He
does not deny having used the Ian
guage attributed to him, but says:
81 am fully aware that public speak
er is always responsible for his public ut
terances, and am perfectly willing to
abide by any and all of mine, when prop
erly quoted and rightly interpreted. But
nv work surely should not be required
to suffer for a wrong Interpretation OF
the things said and a wrong represen-
tatiOn of the intent with which they
were said. | have been both misinter-
preted and misrepresented in the sensa-
tiOnal manner in which the matter has
been presented to the public"
We do not see how there could be
any misinterpretatiOn OF his Ian
guage AS to Misrepresentation OF
his intent, we have not heard OF any
one charging him with intent by his
words to arouse the negroes against
the white people though all must
admit that, no matter what the in
tent, the results are calculated to be
very bad.
A man who occupies the RESPONSE
BILE position that Mr.. Massee does
should weigh we'll his words on such
a subject as the one he discussed last
Thursday night. He has no right to
''go off half-cocked' and then claim
that his intentions were misunder-
stood or misrepresented. He must
abide by the natural and usually ac-
copied meaning of the words and eX-
pressiOns used by him.
AS for his claim that there we're
none present except white people and
whatever harm conld result from his
language must be by reason of the
newspapers giving greater publicity
to it is all folly. The mischief was
done when he uttered the words, and
the matter being SO promptly taken
up by the press and the speaker Sc
| verely criticised for them will, if it
has any effect, help to nullify any
evil results that might follow from
the example set by this preacher in
handling in the pulpit so dangerous
a topic in such a manner.
| Mr.. Massee further says:
II do not approve of the torch in the
| hand OF the negro nor OF any other deeds
| of lawless resistance to white supremacy
| and my remarks could not properly be
SO interpreted. do most heartily con-
denim anything that approaches that
| spirit"
No one has charged that he does
and no one believes that he does.
Yet his language was calculated to
encourage evil thoughts in the minds
| of wicked men and to create the I'M
preston among the colored people
that he thought as rule they were
outrageously treated by the white
people. He says his ''prophecy of
| dire calamities' was simply a state
ment of his apprehensions of the
| danger OF a conflict in which lawless
negroes would resort to the shedding
of blood and acts of incendiarism.
This prophecy was based upon what
he declared to be the unjust treat
ment OF the negro. In other words
| he declared and reiterates in his card
that the treatment IF the negro is
such that in his opinion it will be
avenged in murder and arson to an
appalling extent.
Taking into consideration the fact
that no one has accused Mr.. Massee
of any intent to incite lawlessness,
and he was therefore not called upon
to defend himself against such a
charge, we cannot see that he at all
bettered his case by his card.
This is an unfortunate affair and
we are sorry that such language
should have been used. Intentionally
or unintentionally from a pulpit il
this State.