The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1904-09-27
CURRENT COMMENT.

There are many farmers in South
| Carolina who see the cotton in their
| fields whitening and know they can-
| not get hands enough to pick IL IN time.
and yet some OF these farmers are
doubtless opposed to immigration
They still want negro labor although
| they know that the negro is not ( be
depended on, or that he il leaving or
that he will not work. Why the negro
refuses the chance now set before him
need not now be considered but il is
a fact that in certain sections of this
state negro cotton pickers cannot be
| hired in sufficient numbers to get in the
erop.-Columbia State.
One cargo shipped to South Africa
from New York in April last cost the
South African buyers s212, 5S4. III
same cargo at domestic prices would
| have cost buyers in New York s246,-
G45. The South Africans would not
have bought the goods here IL they
| could have got them cheaper in Eu>
| rope, and no one believes that Amer.
| can manufacturers sell abroad at a
loss. The tariff is not needed to pro-
| tect our manufacturers from foreign
act higher prices from Americans than
they are willing to accept from foreign
ers.-Philadelphia Record.
/ FdlucT SCutiI, VI 11OiilcEp NoD-, hdo
told the interior department that a
gang Of sharpers is fleeing the Win
nebago Indians out of all the money
| being paid to the tribe by the govern
ment. At the same time the gang is
violating he liquor laws Of the United
| States. Father Schell adds he can prove
what he says. The frauds are open,
patent and shameless. Still, the au-
thorities say that they are powerless TO
prevent it. Why powerless? Has not
the United States a department of JUS
tice? Has it not sheriffs, courts, juries,
| jails, soldiers? Why should it permit
| the robbery Of it's wards? The Indian
since the Mayflower times has been n
pretty safe victim for the white man.
Possibly, some of the sympathy given
| MIN has been wasted. But when pub
lie money is appropriated for Lo, it is
the business of the United States Off
GERS to see hat he gets it. No excuse is
worth listening to.-Baltimore News.
The chief features Of the presidential
campaign as they are seen in New
York. are, say some observers who
nave just returned from that city,
lack of interest and the difficulty in get
| ting campaign funds. The people do
not seem to be interested in political
questions, and the rich men and the
corporations are contributing but SPAR
ingly to the treasures of the two par
| ties. 1t is easy to see why there is a
lack of interest. There Is no great issue
requiring immediate settlement. The
tariff is of course a great issue, but it
| is older n the parties. The Philip
| pine question is comparatively new,
but it presents nothing that seems to
threaten immediate danger to our In
| terests Or our institutions. The money
question is settled, practically. S o that
| no apprehension is felt in regard to 1t.
L T. foot fharn &c M nllaSfinn that il
| appealing strongly to the people, and
hence. they are not paying much at
| tention to politics. In the hotels, res
taurants, public c~onveyances other
| public places men are not engaged in
| discussing the issues of the campaign.
| They are, as a rule. discussing business
matters.-Savannah News.
We hardly think it worth while to
attach Importance to the socalled race
riot a day or two g at organs
Landing, near Cairo. Ill. There is a
much too prevalent tendency to parade
every disturbance in which whites and
blacks happen to be engaged as a new
and tragic development of the negro
question. In this instance there was
clearly no race issue involved. 1t was
a case, simply, of a lot of white and
black hoodlums who had mingled on
terms of perfect equality for the pur-
pose of playing craps. and had subse-
ouently ouarreied over the plumber. The
white ruffians found the black ruffians
quite good enough to gamble with. The
clash came when the negroes proved
their superiority at the game we can
see no race war in all this. We see, in
fact, nothing more than a disgracefuI
%suuabble among degraded rowdies. IL
is a question whether in such circum-
stances it would not be better to leave
the hoodlums to their own devices,
Civilized society can spare a great dea
Of this kind of refuse, and be all ths
better for the process.-WaShingtor
Post.
The race question has a kind Of fas
cination for New England and Mr..
George Merriam is writing up there, a
series of essays upon slavery and It's
origin. He has just got well warmed
up to the subject and appears to be
a. candid historian. For instance, he
saws: New England had little use fol-
slaves at home, but for slave ships sne
had abundant use. With sterile soil
and with the sea at her doors swarm
ing with edible fish and reckoning tt
her sails. her hardy industry found rs
best field on the ocean,. The fisheries
were the foundation Of her commerce
The thrifty Yankee sold the best OF
his catch in Europe lhere again we FOL
low Weeden); the medium quality he
ate himself; and the worst he sent tC
the West Indies to be sold as food fol
slaves. With the proceeds the skipper
/, bought molasses. and carried it home
where it was turned into rum; the rum
: went to Africa and was exchanged fol
: slaves, the slaves were carried to The
West Indies, Virginia and the Caroli.
mas. Rum and slaves. two chief sta
t pies of New England a and source:
5 of its wealth; slave labor the founda.
ton of which was planted the aristoc
. racy of Virginia and the Carolinas-