The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1904-01-14

such thing as social equality. NO intellI-
gent person anywhere believes otherwise.
Il is a bug-bear. 1t is a scare crow. 1t is
used to emphasize a situation ana unity
the whites.
This is an open and an honest state
ment of my views as to the relations oil
the two races. They are the same which
have persistently expressed publicly
and privately for thirty years. In 1874
went to South Carolina as a correspond
-ent TO investigate political conditions
there. In my correspondence to several
papers 1 spoke then as | speak now. J
interviewed General Elliott, the colored
chairman of the Republican State Execu-
tive Committee and l warned him that
the race and the party were treading upon
the brink OF utter ruin. In 1858 in an
article 10 the Quarterly Review OF Phil
adelphia, on Some of the Evils OF RE
construction" which was widely read
throughout the North and commented on
by a number of leading papers, l used
these words:
Before the people of any Northern
State would have submitted to such gov
ernments as existed in the Southern
States from 1868 to 1874, they would have
risen up in a body. regardless of law
and form, and would have suppressed them
.irstanter The people of Massachusetts,
would have endured with much less pa
thence the administrations Of Scott, Moses,
Bullock, and Holden than they did The
oppressive exaetions of British tyranny"
at was under the tutelage of the men
OF these times that the negro took his
first lessons as civil functionary. The
pernicious effects of those first lessons
upon the race have been clearly, but
sadly, illustrated in the career Of our
cclored politicians. AS class they nave
done the race infinite harm. Like their
office-seeking white brethren, they learned
most aptly the art of subordinating every
thing to self and pelf. And today, these
men, the pestiferous remains of the Re
construction period, embody no sentiment
of devotion to any great principle They
are a commodity in the political market
that may be had by any bidder for the
price demanded, which is usually small"
''The prosperity and power of the negro
| il to be reached outside OF official sta
ton. Our cause will not be advanced By
/ a blind needless scramble for office.
am quite certain that we would have
been much nearer independence as r,en
and as citizens had We given to the ac-
emulation Of material wealth. the cult
walton OF high moral character, thorough
mental training, and excellence IN the IN
dustrial trades, the time, the attention,
the activity the devotion which we have
worse than wasted in pursuit of civil Of
fees for which we were not fitted.
Such have been my views from the { me
first exercised the RICH: of franchise
until now. They have caused me some
Inconvenience and even hardship. When
the above article was published Bishop
Turner administered to me very servere
catgation, denouncing me through the
Ipublic press as defamer of the grand
est men the race had produced. But let
us return to Governor Rssells interview
/ have expressed the conviction that the
! Governor does his own race 4 fearful
wrong. My own personal experience, and
the personal experiences of thous
ards of negroes all over North Carolina
constitute an overwhelming refutatIon CT
the assumption of a steady, united, i'm
i placable hatred of the negro by the
whites because he is negro, and of the
determined purpose of that race to op-
pose and thwart our moral, intellectual
and material progress. / do know, and
here assert, that, the best friends / have
anywhere on earth outside of my lmme
date family, are the white people who
know me. / belonged to one. Of the
wealthiest and most influential families oil
the South. Almost from infancy my
brother and myself were raised at THEN
fireside. 1 loved them during the days oil
slavery When freedom came it did not
disrupt that affection. The first vote
ever cast was for my former master
That was during the days when it tried
1.-THE negro's soul to vote for any one
who was not "of the faith" They (my
former owners) have been with me in
every effort looking to my prosperity
where they could be of service to NE
There is nothing that l could do for Gre
OF them that l would not do should they
need me- / do not believe they could
ever be induced to do me a wrong OF
withhold from me any neaded help.
could add to the names of that family hun
dreds of others in this community, ana
in other communities. Wherever / nave
{ lived have found my best friends amen,
the white people. They have aided nj
by their private and official influence
by their money, and by their persona
sympathy. Whatever l am today, what
ever may be my prospect in life, | ow'
to them. do not believe they are mean
Two of the best friends of the coloIeC
people that ever occupied the chair o
Governor of North Carolina were mi
there by the white people. / refer K
Governor Jarvis and Governor Aycock
l believe they are honest, courageous, sin
cere, patriotic, wisee. I believe they arr
the expression of the best sentiments o
the best white people of North Caro-
lima.
But there are hundreds of prcsperou
colored men and women all over th'
State whose experiences negative Cover
nor Russell. R. B. Fitzgerald, of Durham
is one of the wealthiest negroes IN tin
State. He is most highly respected b.
the white people of Durham county.
have often heard them speak in highes
commentator of him. l might add tn
names Of Coleman, of Concord Berrt
lOKelly, of Wake; E. A. Johnson. c
Wake: Jas. Baker of Wake; w. H. Mat