Race Prejudice and Southern Prosperity

The Planet urges people to set aside their race differences in the goal to achieve social and economic prosperity in the South.

A better day will yet dawn for the South. The open bitter antagonisms between the races are rapidly dying out and all masses are disposed to work for the betterment of affairs in the Southland.
Occasionally, the demagogue, who hopes for the political ascendancy thereby makes an appeal to the worse prejudices and attempts to array one race against the other, but the response to sich efforts is not at all gratifying and the expectant Negro hater and prejudice breeder relapses into silence, having only ascertained that he struck the wrong chord, from which he could not secure the proper music.
There are liberal minded white men of the South Democratic proclivities, who have become sickened by the appeals if the avaricious politicians, and who refuse to allow the friendship between them and their colored friends to the severed by claptrap nonsense of appeals with reference to visions of conditions which do not now, and never can exist.
We are about to deal with economic questions upon a broad basis, without being hedged in or annoyed by embarrassing issues which mischievous and unprincipled hirelings would force upon us.
The prosperity of the South must necessarily mean the betterment of the condition, to a greater or lesser extent of all the people living within its borders.
When either party injured the material prosperity of Virginia, it should be our duty regardless of our race or color to enter our protest.
Any other course is not only unpatriotic to the section in which we live, but directly injurious to ourselves and those dependent upon us for support.

“Race Prejudice and Southern Prosperity,” Black Virginia: The Richmond Planet, 1894-1909, accessed February 15, 2026, https://blackvirginia.richmond.edu/items/show/1488.