Smyrna times., 1874-08-26


A SAD SEQUEL.-Some of the newspapers
of this State, as elsewhere, published solely in
the interests of the Democratic party, seem to
be pleased at the troubles between the whites
and negroes of the South and hAunt every
trivial circumstance of this character as war
of races" and as a winning political card. Every
negro who is lynched for shooting a white man
is set forth in big head lines and with infinite
satisfaction, because it is so much stock added
to their party capital, they seem to think
So it was in the days of slavery. Every
slave who attempted to gain his freedom and
was intercepted in the act in one of the I" free"
States was paraded in just the same style as
these present outrages-as so much political
capital. But what they hailed as political
capital was the very thing that showed up the
sin of the peculiar institution and urged
on its overthrow, with the party that sustain
ed it.
Already some Of the journals of the South
are learning that TOO much lOoseness is being
allowed to these cases Of lawlessness, and that
there is not the political hope arising from
them that may seem on the surface. The
LSuH Is CUuluB W lulS OplulOus IL
refers to the two cases of lynching that occur.
red last week, one in Augusta, Ca, and the
other in Martinsburg, w. Va. In both o.
these cases negroes, upon prOvocations, killed
white men and were lynched. 1t was no " wal
of races" but pure prejudice that lead to the
affair in both cases. The Sun comes to th,
following conclusion in the matter, and we copy
l. O.. Al
cannot be doubted. 1t says:
Both cases occurred in old and long settled
communities, where all the agencies aud ma
chlnery OF criminal justice were in full opera
ton, and where there was no pretense that tn
constituted authorities were either unable o
unwilling to administer justice and execute tn
law. lO both instances the unhappy victim
OF mob violence were negroes, in cOmmuni
ties were the whites we're largely in the ma
jOrity, and where none OF the terrOrs and con
sequent provOcation to take the law into thei
own hands existed, which are found in som
of the exposed districts of the South, wher
The white population is largely outnumbereC
and where the administration Of the law
the hands OF ignorant blacks affords no SECT
rity for either life or property. Mo
violence was resOrtcl - not because the "lyncl
ers' feared the law 9,l' not have due cOurs
but because they unwilling that it shou
nave due course. Inc TACT that Il
victims mentioned in both cases we hear
were negroes, is also unfortunate, in view
the example which the white race in the Sou
especially owes to the colored, OF patient su
mission to the law and confidence in its deere
and forms of procedure.
That is the way a conscientious Southe
paper talks about two Of the cases over viii
our Democratic papers have set up such
howl about war of races" There are II
other of these cases, viz the one in Tennesse
where drunken white man rode up to a EeR
and shot him down for no reason than that t
white man was drunk, and the exaggerated CT
at Austin, Miss, in which il has been herald
abroad that the negroes wero arming to 81
the white people. The Sun says this lat
case was an exaggeration and need not have
CURED. The negroes thought that VIII
man, d.. Smith, purposely killed mel
child and was not going to be tried. III
raised complaint and the whites armed the
selves. Many of the negroes then left
town, "to get reinforcements" it was te
grsphed, but their real object was to keep Fl
being shot by the whites, as it has since ira
pired. There was no war of races" in
OF these affairs. They oil resulted from Ia
administration Of government or through
intrigues of politicians We find all the
partial Journals that come under our notice