WHITES AND BLACKS OR THE QUESTION SETTLED 48

CHAPTER VII. OUR CHRISTIAN DUTY

Give to the colored man in this country the justice which you would like to have if you were in Africa, and which I would contend you should have, did I reside there, during your stay.

Shall the Negro be more just than the white man? Shall he be more polite? Decide that, as far as practicable, the colored race shall have the right of conducting and controlling their own affairs.

Encourage them to be self-reliant, teaching them always that lengthened dependence emasculates. Decide that the best colored citizens shall be treated in keeping with their conduct, and not subjected to the coarse treatment dished out to those who would

fail to appreciate treatment of another sort.

Lift the black man up, make him morally, intellectually and in-

dustrially whatever he is susceptible of being made: he is the best friend you have, and will always be, if you will let him.

His desire for office and prominence he learned from you. It is well understood that the variegated Negro race, in part educated, is different to the Negro race of antebellum days.

All this is a natural outgrowth of a changed condition, to some extent changed surroundings and changed association. No man thanks your race more than I for your past favors shown. Had you desired you could have made our road more rough.

I admit that fully forty per cent, of our progress in the last quarter of a century must be subtracted and added to your side of the column in payment for the copy which you daily place before us.

We imitate you in dress, language and acts, and we call your white God our God, and your heaven our abiding place.

I love this Southland; it is the climate congenial to my color.

I have seen sights in my imagination which scare me. I see the superintendent (a dream) of the U. S. census instructing his subordinates that in taking the census, not to count the colored people, but simply to count the white folks. (Since this was originally published, Pledger's convention said, dodge the census taker.)

I also see the succeeding Congress apportioning the representation in Congress on this new census, and in the same way the strength of the new Electoral College.

I go further, and see that while this practically disfranchises the colored race, it reduces the representation in the national Congress about one-half of what it now is from the South; the same affliction falling on the Electoral College.

I see as a result a farewell given to Democrats who are aspirants for the presidency;

I see both "houses" in Washington forever Republican;

I see fat appropriations going elsewhere for internal improvements than South; and one hundred and more fearful sights to this section, all on account of the imprudent conduct of a few men, who absolutely refuse to see how the many are injured by having to bear the sins of a few.