The Marlboro democrat. [volume] (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1882-1908, 1904-09-16

ments, but j am trying specially to
tell the truth ON this Southern negro
question to ears long Injured to un.
truth on this theme. S3
AS to social equality, to which you
allude ina manner which greatly
regret, let me say that II you regard
1t as q mere bogey. of the whites OF
the South, do not. 1t Is q real dan
ger, or q reality, il you like the word
better. l have seen two Republican
Governors entertaining negroes, male
and female, at their houses, In draw
ing rooms and at tables. That is
what I call social equality. WHAT do
you call it? 1t will happen again, too,
If the negroes ever return to power.
l say nothirg now Of the right or
wrong Of It, but since you treat 1t as
a mere chimera, l take leave to in
form you that it is a very hard fact.
To my views on lynching you give
an entire editorial article. You call
my attitude "apologetic," q gross in
justice to me for which you have no
excuse. 1 wrote the Bryce letter
principally to say what did about
lynching. will not traverse In de-
tail what you say in reply, farther
than to reiterate all there said, and
to add, In no disrespectful spirit, that
the trouble with you, especially on
this point, is that you have only, In
the words Of The News and Courier,
"a plentiful lack of knowledge" of the
subject on which you preach and dog
matize.
Now will you allow me to say a
word here in response to the note Of
Mr.. Moorfeld Storey in your issue of
the 10th inst? Mr.. Storey knows al
ready, / hope, that l hold him in the
highest regard. For his character,
his opinions and his conduct L have
as much respect as for those OF any
man l know anywhere.
Mr.. Storey puts to me what am
bound to suppose he regards as per-
tinent question--why, If the negro is
hopeleSSly inferior, do the whites fear
the effect of education? Why do they
struggle, he asks, against his progress
upward. My answer is double one
first, the whites Of the South do not
struggle TO hinder the negro's progress
upward; they do just the opposite;
second, the whites Of the South be-
lieve, as much as does MIR. Storey or
as do you, in education for the negro.
They do not believe, nor do | in the
sort OF education New England for the
most part has given him, as seen no.
tably at Beaufort and lIilton Head,
S. 9. today the mCSt non-p progressive
spots In the South, so far as the ne
groes are concerned, but the spots
where education of the kind which l
suppose MIR. Storey believes in has
been uninterruptedly applied by
Northern teachers for full forty-two
years. Let him go there with me
and l will show him how little he
knows Of the point OH which he calls
me and the SG:.th 20 account. Man
of man, do not see how we Of the
NorGh, or particularly Of New Eng
land-Such men as you and MIR. Storey
and I-are better than the people OF
South Ca olind or Alabama. They
worship the same GCd, read the same
Bible, repeat the same prayers, keep
if these be your tests. They have, in
fact, one great quality which think
puts them higher than most of us. l
mean the high, almost higest, great
quality -fUrtitude-the quality which
Burke hao in mind when he wrote
this memorable e sentences: They on.
ly can aspire to act greatly who are CT
force greatly to suffer- or this force
the Southern people have given the
last full proofs. With our slight, per.
haps no, knowledge Of the peculiar
problem put upon such a people, must
we go on foever distrusting, denounc.
ing, criticising unkindly, If not cruel.
ly, such people? They have their
faults, no debut; but, for my part,
am proud OF them for countrymen,
and am ready to trust them with
any problem they may meet. And
when | say let them alone, l do not
mean let them alone to do wrong OF
cruelty to the negro, but lct them
alone to do the best that, In their bet
ter Judgment, can he done for him =
far more and better than we can do, a
thousand or two miles Off.
This, suppose, will entitle me tc
be called again extraordinary, at
least by Mr.. Storey and the Springfield
Republican.
endorse every word OF Mr.. Storey
when he asserts that 1T is clear that
the South should give the negro the
best education possible" Up to the
full limit OF its ability, the South is
doing it to-day. Mr.. Storey, give us
your bill OF particulars; make your
implied and express charges more de-
iinlte and certain, in the phrase of
our profession. Till you do s., | can
only put in my general denial and ask
Judgment Oh the insunicency Of your
complaint.
When MIR. Storey allies me with the
men Of the South who insist that
the negro is incapable OF being raised
by any education 10 an equality with
the white man" he does me an injus-
tice. | hope the negro can be raised
to respectable degree of good sense,
good capacity for work and service for
the white man us well as for himself.
His lot is and will he to serve, in no
degraded conditions, hut for full com
penSatiOn and with fair treatment,
the superior race, expect no more.
This assertion will, l fear, give new
appropriateness in MIR. Storey's mind
as well as the minds Of others, to the
epithct extraordinary" applied to
my Bryce letter All epthet which
seems favOritc one with many Of
my critics, but one OF which | do not
complain. Once | did not think so;