The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1903-02-08

thing you could give him. Jim Hayes
is not dreaming of any social equality
the kind OF social equality which you al!
fear, and every man In Virginia who
knows Jim Hayes. knows this to be a
iact; and those who know him. know
that he Is not trying to incite the ne
groes to violence. and even II he were
trying to do 1t the negroes In the South
who believe in him have too much sense
and toe much love for the South and
Southern people to do anything OF the
kind. know some OF you don't believe
that we like the Southern folks because
we have to abuse them sometimes, but
we do. and God Knows it.
Now no sensible negroes are going TO
call any meetings to condemn Jim Hayes,
because the soul of what he is trying to
do is right. He is doing just what you
would do were you in his place. doug
what any manly man ought to do He,
may say some things from time to time
that he ought not to say, just as any
public man will do, but we are not going
to cruelty him for It, and our friends
in the South ought not to ask us to do
it.
1 have not heard of any pubic meet
lngs being called to condemn Senator
Tillman and Mr.. Dixon, although the
whole South admits that they have gone
too far Jim Hayes is not In their
class.
You all ought not to expect ten mil
lions OF us to do everything you tell
u.s.
Nc matter who You are. Northern or
Southern white folks. friends or foes, you
are not always right any more than we
are. In some things we are going tC
follow our deeper instincts. the prompt
Ing of higher power than man. l want
to thank you for putting in that letter
of explanation from Jim Hayes. boz
lleve If the Southern people would hear
our side of the question patiently, as
expressed by the leading negroes, ba
they right or wrong, it would enable
them to do a great deal more toward
bringing about better feeling between
the races and enable the white people
of the South to help rctify the wrong
ideas which we are said to entertain
1t does not help the situation for aris-
tocratic Southern organizations like the.
Coliseum Club Of New Orleans to publish
threats whenever negro may say some
thing which they do not like; negro
ought to be just as free in the South
as anywhere on Gods earth. and our
Southern newspapers ought to help to
make 1t SO. The South will mover be
able to do Its best with US until It ceases
attempting to nag and intimidatc US.
The negroes everywhere are beginning
to realize that they have to work this
thing out with the Southern white folks
and it is no use for us to play the hypo-
critic and pretend that we like u thing
when we dc not like It. And you all
ought to hear us and stop placing wrong
constructions on our motives. i
If we are wrong, we certainly mean
right. And if you hear us patiently and
nont out to us our wrongs in the proper
spirit, we will gladly accept your ad-
vice.
| say in the proper spirit because 1t
Is mighty hard for us to think you mean
we'll when you continually state your
case In such manner as to show US
that you have nc respect for our side
of the South TO help rectify tho wrong
prompts us to take that side.
J We arc willing to stand by the right
thing. We arc not going to accept every
thing which people say Is right.
The major portion of the negroes OF
Virginia are with Jim Hayes In his ef-
fort to test the Constitution. II he wins
out we rejoice; If ruled out, we'll make
the most OF It, We are not excited nor
discouraged; we are not going to burn
any barns nor kill any white folks. we
nra going to keep on singing, treating
white folks right, and trying to vote and
hold all the government Offices we cen
get
Stnynfon Vn TVah,,,n,, ~