Jackson advocate. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1939-current, 1963-02-02
The Mississippi Negro Their Civil
Rights And The Twentieth
Century Carpetbaggers

The news of a few days ago about white man
from up north in Ohio who recently came here and
took over the editorship of local Negro News
paper, The Free Press, originally backed principal
ly by local group of Negro business and profess
sional men, which subsequently ran into financial
difficulties that caused it to suspend publication,
having gone up north to Chicago and other places
where he was given assurance of enough financial
aid to resume publication of the paper which is
dedicated to the more militant approach the cause
of Negro civil rights; the continuing news about
groups OF whites and Negroes from outside the
south, principally from New York and Chicago
coming into Mississippi to work for Negro civil
rights; the advent into Mississippi, last week, of
Dick Gregory, the Negro comic to talk to James
Meredith on the eve of his probable discontnuance
student at the University of Mississippi leads
to the consideration of this subject: The Msss-
sippi Negro, his civil rights and the Twentieth
Century Carpetbaggers.
Webster's big international Dictionary defines
the word "Carpetbagger' as term of contempt; es-
peclally for northern men who came to the south
after the Civil War to live; especially to seek pri-
vate gain under the often corrupt reconstruction
governments; and further, rowing adventures
or other persons meddling in the politics of place
where they have no true interest.
We say of these Twentieth Century Car
petbaggers, they being defend, that they,
and their efforts behalf of civil rights for Ne
groes in Mississippi, are being met with growing
contempt that already equals that of the Recon-
struction; and rapidly leading to results den-
teal with those of the Post Reconstruction.
According to the most able and unbiased writ
ers and students of southern history it was the
carpetbaggers who came into the south at the end
of the Civil War, and the beginning of southern
reconstruction, who took over the state and local
governments and the leadership of the newly freed
Negro slaves with the backing of federal troops
then in the south to back Negro civil rights whose
soon led to the withdrawal of the federal
troops the overthrow of the Carpetbagger gov
ernments, and left the Negro at the mercy of the
native white Southerners and the victim of the hat
red and vengeance of MISREPRESENTATION, which
distinguished historian of the South refers to as
the Tragic Era; and for Negroes some of the
worst tragedies of the Era took place right here in
Mississippi
The one fact more than anything else that was
responsible for the condition of Negroes during the
Reconstruction Era, the fact that the en-
tire scheme of the Civil War Carptebaggers cult
waited and played upon hatred, anomosity, suspic-
ion and iH-will Of Negroes directed toward native
white people, which is exactly the pattern being fol-
lowed by the twentieth century carpetbaggers.
We say here that Ultimately, and in due season,
a that is being deferred by the interference
of these twentieth century carpetbaggers, that
civil rights for Negroes in Mississippi will be OBJ
tanned through the cooperation and goodwill of re-
sponsible white and Negro leaders, natives of the
state, working toward that end.
It can be readily seen, in the light of the least
understanding Of the history Of Mississippi, and
of the rest Of the SOUTH that Negroes of this state
do not need, and can best do without the help OF
the twentieth century carpetbaggers.