The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1904-09-20
What Capt. Wimberly Really Said.

What Capt. Wimberly Really Said.
We are in receipt of a communication
from Capt. A. T. Wimberly. of New
Orleans called our attention to certain
errors in a certain dispatch TO The
Post referring to him and the address
issued by him some days ago Capt.
Wimberly denies having said anything
about the wholesale purchase Of ne
gro votes at every election, or having
asserted that 1.-The buying and selling
of negroes is all above Mason and Dix
on's line" Incidentally. he furnishes
us with a copy Of his pamphlet. from
which We quote the utterance that no
doubt led to the alleged errors above
mentioned:
when 1 think of the small sums Of
money SO begrudingly spent in The
south, contrast it with the vast sums
expended in the north during a cam
paign, / naturally conclude that the
buying and selling is all north of Ma
son and Dixon's line, else what be-
comes of the millions of dollars used
in New York? OF the hundreds OF
thousands spent in Cincinnati, Chicago
and other large cities in order to car
ry an election? / " said. time after
time, to the party managers during
the past years, give US the money thai
is spent in Cincinnati to carry an cleo
ton, and We will carry Louisiana n
not buy a vote. Give us the money
you spend jim New York n we will
carry two southern states and not buy
a vote. They have never given US
either mOrN or financial support in
the south. Why? Because they don't
want the solid south disturbed, in or
6a. that tn north nav ramain Snfi6
A division in the south would mean
a division in the north That would
mean, also. hat many of the southern
states today would be in the repu5li-
can column, while many of the north
ern states would be firmly democratic
which are now either republican or
doubtful"
We reproduce Capt. Wimberly's re-
marks with pleasure, though it seems
clear to US that our special c~orrespon-
dent in New Orleans drew, from a u
ried examination of the context, the
very natural conclusion that in referr-
ing to the buying and selling" Of
votes he had in mind the colored man
n brother.
Capt. Wimberly's brochure. however,
is exceedingly interesting in various
other respects. For example, what he
says about the relations between the
races-that is, the former slaves and
the slave-holding class-will find an
echo in the heart of every one who
has had knowledge and experience of
the facts:
THE older class of our people who
lived before the civil war, who owned
slaves, as their fathers did before
them. had naught but kindly feelings
for them. They were our playnlates
when children-our childish griefs were
hushed Dor the breasts of cur color
ed mammies-our last glimpse at night
was into a loving dusky face-the SAME
was by US when we awakened. They
guarded our women and children
~whileShe men Of the south were ava
fighting battles to continue them i'll
slavery-their labor clothed and fed
us. Our 'old uncles' followed the young
masters to camp, nursed the wounded,
closed the eyes Of the dying, time and
time again bringing the dead boys
back to their mothers for burial. With
this feeling stamped Os indelibly on
every southern heart. nothing but q
coercion into what these high-born
southern men believed to nave been a
humiliation could have engendered un-
kind feelings against this race who had
served us for a century,"
In the now burning question of the
race problem, Capt. Wimberly is at
once with the most enlightened think
ers of this section. He insists that If
IL Ildu DSch lClI ~ lIc Soulh, IISC
from outside, ignorant interference"
the whites and lacks would long ago
have reached a friendly understanding
and prosperity n peace would have
Set in thirty years ago. Especially
does he deplore The various efforts By
republican fanatics at the north to en-
act laws. such as We Familiarity call
force bills" and, referring particU-
larly to the measure which subsequent
ly rejoiced in the Patronage and SOiici-
tude of the Hon. Henry Cabot Lodge.
even taking or having conferred upon
it his illustrious name, he quotes a let
ter from the late Senator Quay which
seems to US to possess great historic
interest:
Washington. Oct. IA, 1889.
Capt. A. T. Wimberly, Collector In
ternal Revenue, New Orleans, La.
My Dear Sir: 1 am doubtful of the
efficacy of the proposed national cleo
ton law. Will il not merely intensity
the present feeling on this race que5-
ton, and make the conditions of the
colOred man worse than it is now? Elk
press your opinion fully to me as TO
what you believe its effects would be.
Sincerely our NJ. 5. QUAY"
Altogether. Capt. Wimberly has writ
ten a very interesting pamphlet, which
We commend to the careful perusal OF
the amateurs and doctrinaires of The
north who are just now making tnem-
selves busy with the race question:
Washington Post.