The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1889-08-31
THE ATLANTA MIDDLE.
An Embryo Riot for Which the Reput-
Iicnn Party Is RespOnsIbln.


lican Party Is Responsible.
Hon. John Il. Gordon, Governor of
Georgia. is u man OF brains, and to
these brains of his the city of Atlanta
owes its escape from what threatened
to be as ugly riot as that which dis
graced Cincinnati several years ago.
4 The mob that had collected on Broad
fstreet, Atlanta, the other night was
in state of great excitement, but un-
der the effect of few hard and forci-
Bile sentences from the Governor,
speaking to them us man in his right
mind and in full control of himself,
they Immediately returned to reason
and good citizenship
The excitement was caused by the
crude method adopted by number of
people to express very proper disap-
proval of the conduct OF Mr. Harrison's
postmaster, General Lewis, in putting
negro to work in the same room with
young white ladies employed as clerks
in the Atlanta Office. Mr.. Harrison
had set the example by appointing an
Indiana negro to superintend u number
of young white women employed as
clerks in one of the departments at
Washington. Improper as this was,
it was still more improper to attempt
to extend the operations of this mis-
taken idea to Southern cities That
the idea is mistaken there is no room
to doubt. The negro can not be ele-
waited by Governmental action, forcing
his association on terms of forced
equality or superiority with white
women. Nothing can come of such at
tempts but the highest and most dam
gerous exasperation. If Mr.. Harrison
persists in his unwise course, he will
be responsible for much wrong-doing
and bloodshed.
In the Atlanta case, the Administra-
tion policy would have forced riot
but for the GOODNESS of the Governor.
The threat of the negroes to retaliate
by burning in effigy Miss Lyons, the
young white lady who left the post
office, added to the excitement caused
by the attempt to mob policeman
who had shot negro resisting arrest.
The streets were in possession OF an
armed mob, challenging u quarrel and
ready to pursue it to cXtremities, when
Governor Gordon was called on by
committee of negroes and asked to use
his authority to avert trouble.
The action of the mob in at once dis
persing under the Governors orders is
IL cause of congratulation, but the ac-
ton of the negroes in going at once to
the Governor to stand between them
and trouble invited by threats and
overt acts of members OF their own
race is even more encouraging. 1T in
dicates that the more intelligent ne
groes are beginning to realize that
they are citizens of the State in which
they reside. They have caused much
trouble for themselves and for others
by their idea that they are dependents
and wards of the Federal Government,
foreigners in the State of their resi-
dence. The Georgia negroes who ap-
pealed to Governor Gordon appealed |
as citizens of Georgia, and he acted on
their appeal at once. So localized |
there is only local Inconvenience to
be anticipated from the residence of |
different races in the same territory, |
unless the National Government delib-
erately attempts to force trouble by |
forcing a National issue. st. Louis
Republic.