Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1904-03-25
THE NEGRO QUESTION,
An Able Presentation Of this Living
Issue,


which be discusses the subject in
calm and impassioned way and offe
& plan by which the problem of tt
white mans burden" may be solve
and proposes remedy.
The paper is published in the Roar
oke Times from which we copy it an
q will be read with much interest by th
many friends of DR.. Vaughan With
the bounds of Lexington Presbyter,
of which he is still member.
10 the People of Roanoke City:
Permit one Of yourselves to make ,
few suggestions on the present stat.
j OF affairs in the social life of the city
A crime which beggars all the re.
sourcesiof the English tongue was few
weeks ago committed in your midst.
Ihe righteous wrath of the entire
population was excited. Several de-
m0nstratlons were made, and while the
criminal did not succeed in battling the
! attempts to seize him-the silent rage
OF an outraged community still glows
under the surface, and represses the
symapthies which have hitherto con-
cealed the transgressor. So far, so
good-but now that be is caught and
brought to justice, what will be the
effect? After justice has done her
work, the high tide of public indigna-
tion will gradually flow down into it's |
ordinary channels. The wrath of the
whites will subside. The wholesome
terror of the blacks will pass away, the
same feelings which led to the audaci.
GUS crime and the escape of the crimf
nal, will assume their sway, only Der.
haps exasperated In secret by the stern
repression and the contemplated mea.
sures of security to our homes. The
Danger OF repetition of the crime or
similar ones, will not be abated to the
degree of certain safety. The uneasi.
ness OF our families, especially of our 1.
mothers, wives, and daughters will
not cease to Oppress them for many a
long day. The questions 1 wish to
ask, are two: first, is this condition of
things to be permitted to continue in.
definitely; and second, If not, how can
the evil be remedied? Are the people u
OF Roanoke going to permit it to abide v
in their beautiful city1 If they sue.
ceed in protecting themselves, are they u
wanting in sympathy for the wide n
districts of our whole beautiful south
Is it not time for the whole south TO a.
come to cool and resolute determiua. -
tlon that these and allied outrages of i"
the negroes shall come to a close Or "
have the people become so demOralized r.
by long years Of repression, that thev ~
have become incapable of a manly and q
settled resolution? You have reached oe
q point, my cOuntrymen, when the no
general submission to inevitable evils GA
needs to be checked. The time is Cd
favorable. The people of the north are ID
beginning to open their eyes. Their oo
consent to the disfranchisement of the ~"
negroes is evidence that their san SUI
'ulne expectations, touching the suit. qu
sbllity of such mass of ignorance and me
7ice to bear the high responsibilities of 1io
citizenship, have been disappointed. 'ue
me enormous crimes perpetrated by Ine
negroes, and the growing prevalence o"'
1 such lniquitles, has shocked them. orc
8 1t has done the cilivilized world gal
hey see clearly that their great scheme par
I benevolence in the emancipation of oru
he blacks has come tn rr;oe and
is likely. that the history of st. GIGS
Domingo will be reneated in tb.so,.h tior
rn part OF the country which they 'rae
laimlas their own. They know that ordl
hey are profoundly responsible for our
hatever result springs out of the maj
movement. They know pro-
1at they cannot claim all the o,orv of ly fl
lat enterprise before the civilized secu
orld. as they do, and YET shirk all re d sl
for the evils which it has Ia"
'ought in its train. They know that moo
} who plants the tree ia resnonsib,o just
# the fruit, be it good or bad. They was
e fast b. coming aware that right uiat
no means carries a claim to use. CIVIL
ithout personal fitness to do So iaoo
hey might have lono apo ,aarnad fron, to G.
~SJ A3SAo h~sS iOb6 nSO IodTucu lTOm
e case of minor heirs to an estate, TO u
at the wise laws of the land will ,ot thei
ffer such owners to come into the CON
,tual use and management of the lnnu
operty which ia theirs nnt1 r 10 on t
fe for them to undertake if. Tbav misc
We learned from their experience in writ
philippines that human beings in oeen
hom the abstract rights of a man the
here, may and must be restrained sity
om the use of them until they are fl ing
use if, with safety to themselves and peop
fety TO the state. Our northern Ibis
low citizens, who have cast in their conv
with us are as much anno,ed hn take
Q incompetent domestic and socio, the
vice of the negroes as we are, and orde
ey feel as insecure in their homes as whlc
do. They have kept their friends at satet
2 north advised of the troubles oe an OF
T present social state Eron, ~. cont
se causes it is safe Tn infer tb.t dicio
from merely falling baok -, 49, zatio
gh distractions of freado, 90 crate
ality, they are fast becoming ready tlma
take a common sense and h,a;n OF tt
W of conditions here and instead of Will
lmldatlng the southern people into aoie
apathetic endurance of oil 49, black
'rt comings and barbarous crimes make
the emapc1pated bIacks +ho,, III, det
d all the aid needful to lessen tho safet
schief OF their own policy, and do tne
nething to QUALITY tbeir oun pecia
for the evils as we'll as the The
,efits of their misguided philan. of the
opy. They understand that the pre-. be mi
t race of negroes is mainly made norar
OF the children of the slaves who the W
'e trained to good heho vior IN A. l-too