am concerned about the business
interests of this city; sit down, Colonel, sit down and hear me out.
Now, when we have driven out the Negro, whose to take his place? We have
tried the poor white."

"Why, encourage thrifty emigrants from the North." "Thrifty emigrants
from the North," echoed Mr. Gideon.

"Invite labor unions, strikes, incendiarism, anarchy into our midst.
Look at Illinois; can the South cope with such? The Negro we understand;
he has stood by us in all of our ups and downs, stood manfully by our
wives and children while we fought for his enslavement. After the war we
found no more faithful ally than the Negro has been; he has helped us to
build waste places and to bring order out of chaos. Now pray tell me
where do we get the right to drive him from his home where he has as
much right to dwell as we have?"

"Then you believe in Negro rule?"

"No!"

"Yes you do Gideon, or you'd not talk in that manner," replied the
Colonel, now beside himself with rage. "Now, by heaven, we are going to
put the Negro in his place. Look at our city government in the hands of
ignorant niggers and carpet baggers. God did not intend that his white
faced children were ever to be ruled by black demons," and the Colonel
rose again and began to pace the floor.

"Calm yourself, Colonel, calm yourself," said Mr. Gideon. "Now we ought
to be ashamed of ourselves to raise the cry of Negro rule in North
Carolina, when we so largely outnumber them. I admit that there are
objectionable Negroes in Wilmington, Negroes who would greatly benefit
the community by leaving it; but shall we slay the righteous with the
wicked? Must the innocent and guilty suffer alike? Ten righteous men
would have saved the cities of the plains."

"But they could nt be found," interrupted the Colonel.

"I warrant you they can be found here," calmly replied Mr. Gideon.

"We the white people of this community, have often given expression of
our love and even veneration for such characters as Alfred Howe, Henry
Taylor, John Norwood, George Ganse, John H. Howe, Thomas Revera, Joe
Sampson, Henry Sampson, Isham Quick, and scores of others whom we must,
if we do the right thing, acknowledge as the black fathers of this city.
Thrifty and industrious Negroes have always been the objects of the envy
of poor whites who will eagerly grasp the opportunity when given, to
destroy the property of these people. While it is your object, Colonel,
to carry the election, an