Jackson advocate., 1963-11-09
The Emancipation Proclamation
Centennial And The 10th Century
Carpet-Baggers

In this year of the observance of the Emanci-
patton Proclamation Centennial marking one hun
dred years of Negro freedom, one of the easily
visible facts of contemporary Mississippi history is
the fact that the state has again been invaded by
the carpet-baggers.
In Websters New international Dictionary the
definition of the word carpet-bagger will be found
to contain these words-A word of contempt orig
lnally for wildcat bankers of the west who de-
frauded the people of place and decamped, but
especially for northern men who went to the south
after the civil war to live especially to seek pr-
vate gain under the often corrupt reconstruction
governments
This time as was the case during reconstruction
the Carpet-baggers have brought along their Ne
gro stooges to serve the same purpose as that of
the Negroes who came to the south with them fol-
lowing the Civil war, that purpose being to better
enable them to influence and begue the poorly in
formed and poorly educated but highly emotional
Negro masses.
According to every writer of southern history
the carpet baggers accomplished their aims and
purpose by playing upon the suspicious and fears
of Negroes in regard to whites while displaying no
efforts to heal the wounds of slavery and the civil
war. 1t was this conduct of the carpet-baggers
which southern historians point out that brought
about the Post-reconstruction period The worst
time in the south including Mississippi for the
Negro in all of southern and Mississippi history.
The Twentieth Century Carpet-Baggers now
moving about the state seeking to influence and
beguile Negroes following the exact pattern
of their post-civil fore-runners. That this is
rights agitation has taken in the state including
Aaron Henry's candidacy for governor.
In regard to Aaron Henrys candidacy for gov
ernor any Negro with an ounce of sense ought to be
able to see that Henrys announcement as a can
didate for governor justified the statements of all
those who are strenousy opposing the Negro right
to vote and political participation in the state and
that therefore his candidacy has done the cause
of Negro voting and political participation in the
state thousand times more harm than good
That the Henry gubernatorial candidacy was an
invention of the carpetbaggers, and totally illogical
impractical and unrealistic may be in the fact
that the State Convention of the NAACP last week
Wilkins the chief speaker failed to publicly en-
dorse his candidacy.
The outstanding fact of Negro history, ack-
nowledged by scholars and observers throughout
the world is that the American Negro including
those here in Mississippi, has made the greatest
progress in betterment of their condition of any
racial group similarly situated in all history This
progress, identified and established before the Ne
gro started migrating to the north during the per-
iod of the first world war, was made by Negroes
in the south, including Mississippi, after the de-
parture of the carpet-baggers, and with the help
and cooperation of southern white people.
The Negro leaders, and would be leaders, who
guiled by the twentieth century carpet-baggers
and their imported Negro stooges are making
themselves the willing agents of those seeking to
prolong the issue between Negro and white people
in the state to better serve their aim and purpose.
In this year of the observance of the Emanci-
patton Proclamation Centennial and one hundred
years of Negro progress, to rid ourselves of the
twentieth century carpet-baggers and to seek by
every honorable means the cooperation and good
will of the white people of the state in pursuit
Of frstclass citizenship, is greatest challenge
for future progress.