Huntsville gazette., 1885-06-20
Injustice Done the Negro by the
Public Press.

work of making the colored people as
odious to the world as possible by
publishing all the dark sides of their
characters and ignoring all else
Generally we say, which leaves room
for exceptions. where an exception
now and then breaks in like ray Of
sunshine through cloudy sky.
With what seeming relish and avid
ity they seize upon his crimes, OF all
grades, from murder to the smallest
theft, upon his eccentricities, his mis-
fortunes-parading them under at
tractive and blazing head lines
How mute are they, how silent as
the grave upon his meritorious en-
deavors, his acts of benevolence, his
virtues, his every day patient, perse-
vering struggle in life's battle for a
better footing, higher civilization |!
A thousand Negroes may month
after month be adding to the wealth
and comfort of the woild by their
labor in different vocations, a MAORI
ty raising cotton and corn-siiling
fields and gardens, others mechanics.
building houses or making useful i'm
plements, others winning success iii
the professions-in I'm unfortunate
moment one may 60 astray, fall, com
nit a crime.
Behold the result ! What happens
in the columns oftbese papers which
have never had space to mention the
"big pumpkins, mammoth cabbage
heads premium cotton bales, !"
substantial and handsome work OF
architecture" or the brave youthful
graduate who has conquered poverty,
or the many praiseworthy acts Of the
nine hundred and ninety nine honest
black toilers year in and year out
With a newly acquired energy and
spirit they portray this Negro Tiend,
or Brute, or Wretch" through all
the gradations of crime. as the case
may be, with terrible emphasis. The
Associated Press joins in the chorus
and the echo Of the guilty act Of one
poor Negro criminal travels from
shore to shore in free America, while
the good deeds of the thousands are
buried with them in their humble
graves,
Yet why should we complain
1T is human to err,
Divine to forgive
And we must acknowledge that
there has been great progress toward
the right in the manner of the treat
ment of the colored man in the press
Of to day as contrasted with its spirit
and tone towards him a decade or
more ago. Burlesque and ridcule
and denunciation are becoming more
and more obsolete, giving way to a
i kindlier feeling if expressed (?) only
in silence. Indeed if we may take
the expression Of some of the more
liberal journals as an index of the
advanced sentiment we find it in open
warfare upon the old methods. But
the other day Mr.. Bob Toombs, Of
distinguished career, venerable rel
ic Of the past, blind, and not far
removed from ''the other shore"
paused to pour out some very
bitter denunciations of the colored
people, ,-"the scrub race" as he
called them, "inferior and destined to
die OUT. Thanks to the progressive
age Southern Journal-Democratic
too, feels called upon to call Gen.
Toomhs to task. Commenting upon it
the Chattanooga Times says:
"Nlr. Bob Toombs seems to be ia
miliar with Gods intention and rea-
son for making the Negro. Bob pro-
fesses belief in the religion and history
of the Bible. Why don't some sinner
ask the cranky old man if be accepts
the Mosaic account of creation? Ii he
answers "yes' then he should be
asked How can one race be superior
to another when ali descended from a
common parent?
! Our notion is that from a really
Christian standpoint, General Toombs
postulates that God meant this or that
concerning this or that race Of His
human creatures, is impious, bias
phemous-at least would be in the
! ~ ~