The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1904-02-11
DRIVING THE LESSON, HOME.
The Race Problem as II Affects Phila-
deIphia-The ''Biack Plague" Serl-
GUS nenace to the Quaker City.
Norfolk Virginian-Pilot.

The people OF the North are, by the
gradual Northward drift OF the negro
population, learning somewhat of
the things with which the Southern
people have to contend. For the ne
gro at the North Is even more GRIM
inally disposed than at the South.
The Southern people have always
dealt with him with the strong hand
and subsection has restrained his
criminal tendencies. The following
remarkable letter to the Philadelphia
Public Ledger indicates the problem
the negro is coming to be in that
city, as we'll as others:
'1f there is anything self-evident in
Philadelphia at this time, it is that the
colored people are arrogating to them
selves all the privileges that flesh is heir
to- They fail to recognize rights in any
body else, are impudent to those whom
they meet and offensive in their manner
SO much-so that public opinion is fast
forming, which must result in some dras-
tic measures.
GAS servants in the household they are
simply intolerable, impudent, unclean
and unreliable, and in many cases abso-
lutely dishonest. As runners, they seem
to think that every night 'is their night
out As matter of fact, unless strict
account of the larder is kept, they surrep-
titiously help themselves to supply the
wants of their friends or family.
'The annals of crime in Philadelphia
are made up very largely from these col
ored people l am informed by a men,
Der OF the grand jury that nearly 70 per
cent. Of the offenders are colored people
All grades OF crime are chargeable to
them. One can hardly pick up a daily
newspaper but he will find insults to
| white people, pocketbook snatching from
| women, assault and battery upon the
weaker sex, and, what is worst OF all,
assaults upon young girls or even chill
| umns of the Public Ledger for the past
week: Monday, at Eighth and Locust
streets, bag wrenched from a woman 9
arm and she struck; Tuesday, woman at
| Fortieth and Locust streets thrown
down the cellar stairs and nearly killed;
Wednesday, Mrs. Mccormick assaulted
and left for dead; Thursday, two young
girls assaulted at night in sleigh, Fri
| day, robbery and assault at Thirteenth
and Master streets; Saturday, two girls
robbed and assaulted at Glenolden and
another at Bryn Mawr-all by cOlOred
rufians, and only one arrest! Such q
carnival OF crime is without parallel in
a law-abiding community.
''They do not seem to livein particular
localities in the city, but rather through
INSCRIPTIONS agents move into good and
prosperous neighborhoods for the pur-
pose Of being bought off. Tony personal
knowledge this has been done in seven OF
eight cases within q recent date. In one
instance they obtained control ola church
which had been financially embarrassed
That neighborhood before was q most
desirous and respectable one, but it il
now damaged so that it may never re.
cover. This brings loss to the city ol
Philadelphia in it's revenues, as in every
instance of the Board of Revision of Taxes
has been compelled to reduce the assess.
ment of surrounding properties.
| 'The crimes which are punishable by
death in the Southern States receive here
only imprisonment. Whether this know
ledge in the colored race makes them the
bOlder is one of inference.
| "Our earlier statesmen never cOntem-
plated when they gave the negro his new
privileges any such results as have fol-
lowed. What the remedy is for this
growing evil is a very important prob
lem, but something must be done to
check the>increasing misdeeds OF the col
ored people A little education absolute
ly units them for their position in life.
They not only think themselves 'as good
as the whites, but absolutely better.
''These are every day thoughts, but, un-
fortunately, too true, and whether the
near future will bring about q changed
condition is one OF the unsolved problems
of the day. II the situation is not changed
for the better. can see unfortunate fore
bodings for the colored race as a class F"
And this in the. city which, next to
Boston, was formerly most insistent
that a negro was about three degrees
better than a white mani
1t is, OF course, no pleasure to the
Southern people to know that the
troubles that afflict them are appear
ing in Northern communities, but
they may be pardoned for feeling that
there is something OF retributive JUS
tice in it. For nearly forty years the
Northern people have done all they
could to make heavier the South g
peculiar burden. Now the chickens
are coming home to roost.