The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1903-01-23

uously opposed, to our wards, but
one generation removed from bond
age, and with the masses little, if at
all, improved in morals, being given
the same rating with us in the Nation
al Governments books.
Because one negro or ten negroes
in this State may have the capacity
to fill certain Offices of the Govern
ment we cannot realize that the
President has the moral right to
choose one of those negroes as our
business representative; to put him
in an Office the revenues of which are
derived entirely..from the whites; to
him over the protests Olive
sixths of the qualified voters Of the
State and the solid delegation in
Congress.
eve may be prejudiced against the
negro, prejudiced against his holding
Office in the South when all the bust
ness must be transacted with whites,
but have we not just cause for that
prejudice-far better cause than have
the Northerners who support the
Presidents policy for their prejudice
against the whites of the South? We
bought the negro in legal sale and we
paid for him. That the purchase
price went north of Mason and
Dixon's line does not now Offset our
case. In our battle for States rights
we lost and our slaves were turned
loose, ignorant and dependent, but
friendly.
"By an act which now causes many
Northern men to blush, the ballot
was put into the hands of these SIM
pie people, utterly ignorant of their
responsibilities, and carpet-baggers
came down to manipulate them and
breed hatred in their hearts for their
best friends. The carpet-baggers
were successful and a reign of politi-
cal debauchery succeeded. The whites
in time, regained supremacy, but the
negro had been effectually turned
against his neighbors of the other
race, and for political purposes his
antagonism has been nourished from
the North by those prejudiced against
the South.
"In view of all the circumstances
where such an appointment is made
as that of DR.. Crum we are forced to
ask ourselves whether the President
is sincere in a desire to uplift the
negro by this method, or is, perhaps,
unconsciously influenced by a pre-
vailing Northern antagonism to the
South-an antagonism unmodifed
even when the conquered South, de-
vastated, was preyed upon by the
alien and the benighted
black.
care our wishes opposed, our feel
ings disregarded, our prejudices
ignored because we fought and were
fought by the Presidents party 40
years ago?
When will our opponents let the
war end? We will never accept
their view of the negro from a dis
tance; nor can we be so hard upon
the negro as is the man from Massa-
Ohio or Maine when he
to live in the South. We are
not opposed to the negro holding
ofice-in communities where he repre-
sents the people. the people who
vote, who do business, who pay
taxes. fit is good to encourage the
negro, to give him ambition by put
ting him in high official places let
those who think so make room for
him. Give him a chance in Indianapo-
lis, Boston and Pittsburg.
eve of the South know that a
negro would not be appointed to such
an office in Northern State against
the protests of thepeople. Weknow
that, despite the large negro popula-
ton of Cuba, with negroes of a high
er degree of intelligence and higher
standing than the negroes of this
country, a negro consul-general
would not be sent there. Why? The
Cuban whites would object, and
while they have none of our strong
reasons for prejudice their views are
For the same reason
negroes are not sent in diplomatic or
capacities to Central or
South American Governments.
"The South and Liberia seem to be
the only fields which the Administra-
ton considers open to negro Office
holders. The South is doubtless the
only spot on earth where business
representatives of business Govern
ment are forced on the people who
pay the piper against their protests.
Is it wise? Is it just? Is it friendly?
Is it good business?