The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1892-08-21

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tho Inherent OF tho mob, and that correct
reports OF race collisions never reach the
nosth and vast. When saksd how y VA
Was thai. the Indian was AlwAys
killed ID the dime novel Lo gruatsd and
replied: .W'ito man write Tho dime novslss
wife man rea 'em." 80 with aouthorn
press dispatches.
Again. not fve white men have been
hanasd Id Ill The south since the war for
numbering black men! IL 10 considered no
more Of 4 crime than TO shoot a rabbit.
Hitch and poor, ignorant and intelligent II.
dulpe alike in the horrible paatiMe. Did
not senator M. G. Butler, Of South Caro-
lima, lead the bloody mob in the mnsaacFes
OF Hamburg? Has not Cassius M. Clay, OF
Kentucky, q consistent friend Of the Afro
American, winged his black man? Was
not the brother of Gen. Powell Clayton, of
Arkonsas. shot down like 4 dog for pre-
summing to stand for tho Flfty-frst congress-
against Congressman Il. G. Breckinrldgef
HIS anybody been even tried for these
high crimesp
The bare contemplation Of such dspravity
is sickening. Ten thousand graves made
since the war, 80 per cent of them black
mems graves, have these words inscribed
upon the headstones: died ny tue
Of parties to the jury unknown.' what an
indictment OF home rule and white su-
pretnacy!w
With the legal machinery OF the town.
the county and the state in league with and
often constituting the mob. 10 II to % mar
veled at that men who rushed int the JAWS
OF death with the courage OF the Light
Brigade at Port Hudson. at Battery WAGNER
glory to die for the union II to strike one
blow At slavery. should loss their nerve
and appear to the country as cow
ards! One might just as reasonably
expect the Homestead rioters TO
rush upon the %bayonets Of the soldlers OF
~ r---I-- .% ~ hn o ND
the dignity of Pennsylvania. Certain
death OF life imprisonment would be- this
~onsequenc Organized eovss nments arc
only overturned by a handfu OF desperate
men in the South American states AND the
West Indies. As mattera now stand, II
these Afro-Americans should turn upon the
mob and seek to protect theiF lives md
property they would at once be treated a.
rioters or revolutionists. The local au-
thorities could appeal to the state authorl-
ties, and the governor could appeal to tho
federal authorities for assistance TO put
down the disturbance, and the assistance
would be given. Ihe governor of Penn
svlvania did not refuse it in the Homestead
strike and the president did not refuse Is IN
the Cueur d'Alens strikes and it would not
be refused to suppress a black uprising.
Afro-Americnns OF the south know this.
They know that they are heInmed IN BY q
Gordon Of fire, and that whom they attempt
10 8BC8U8 tAty WILL W 3AOV AS"A AAAV ~SNSs
Home rule'' must BE- maintained and
white supremacy" represented IN the
power of the state. and the unrsstrained
fury Of the mob, ~ matters now stand, Will
see that they are. These nen are not cow
ards. They are brave mon. In every hour
Of the nations peril they have proved their
metal to be A. true a. refined gold. But
they cannot oppose the whole rower of tbs
republic. They should not b expscted to
do it. The strong arms of tho government,
state and federal, should do that.
The entire system of home rule" and
white supremacy" is . msnaos to the ma
tional peace. predicted upon a contradic-
ton of the constitution and tbs spirit of
republican institutions, in which color is
neither a test Of citizsnship no: of protec.
ton to life and property. 1t is the nations
concern. When q great mob broke into the
Jail at New Orleans in March. 1891, and
took from it eleven Italians and murdered
Mortified. Three Of these mon were sub
jects of Italy and protected by solemn
treaty stipulations. and yet the New
Orleans authorities failed to apprs-
bend one Of the murdersrs. death at
tho hands of parties unknown to the
jury" And whom the federal au-
thorities sought to secure some aatisfaction
for the Italian government the governor of
Louisiana, with the insolenoe Of a sovsr-
eign, told them to attend to their W. af-
fairs. Would te have lone this il the Ital-
ian government had sent a man-of-war
into the port Of New Orlsans7 The New
Orleans mob committed the outrage and
the state of Louisiana refused to give any
satisfactory reasons whatever, and 30 the
taxpayers Of the republic had to pay m in
demnity in order that good relations"
might be resumed between Italy and the
United States. Home rule indeed!
A year later, in March, 1892, q mob at
H~-.-1s T~~- h~1Io toto kLN --Ll;~ ..:j
and took from it three reputable AT O.
Americans and lynchsd them. They were
men Of character and property. They
conducted a grocery store III the suburbs
and curtailed the profits of a rival grocer.
Who threatened to "smoks them OUT
When he undertook to do it. late at night,
he had a posse Of deputy sherifs, in citi-
zens' clothes, with him. They wore fred
into and some of them wounded. The
lyuohing followed. A few days ago three
more OF the A~fro-Americang concerned in
this so-called 'Culve Riots," were sen
fenced to terms in tho penitentiary ranging
from five to fifteen years.
Following close upon this diabolism an
Afro-AmeIican charged with rape at Tex
arkana, Ark. was strapped to n tree. the
skin was clipped from his body. faggots
were piled about him and the woman who
accused him Of outraging her applied the
match and he was cremated. Horrible!
Auo hume EuAeEh ysll6u tnembelVo8 40Ara0
with delight.
Blu these are only isolated cases, cited
because of their exceptional Nervousness.
Hardly a day passes but that this daily news-
papers publish the bare announcement Of
one or more lynohings in some of the south
orn states. Those who do tina lynchinQs
also write the reports for tho local papers
and for the Associated preRs service OF the
country. The agents OF the usws asso-
Citations are with the mob and of it. As
in the days OF the Genius OF Universal
Emancipation "A Of the Llbera-
tor, freedom Ct speech and discussion are
not permitted in the southern states. Won
must think and speak AZ the home ruler."
dictate, or you will be promptly mobbed.
4 few years ago a Cincinnati newspaper,
the Ti1nes-5tar, / think, sent "a correspon-
dent to NJ Mississippi, and whsn his matter
began to appear no was iEnominious.y
stoned and thrown into a dungeon. 1t was
only a few days ago that the Memphis ,es
Speech was suppressed for talking back"
and Ida b. Wells. the woman editor. and
her publisher weie driven into exile. A
mob Of the best citizens met in the Cotton
Exchange building and issued the infamous
decree,
Will there be a race war? Why, there 10
race war to the knife now, but tho homo
rulers' are doing mCst of tho butoherv.
There ID a point at which patience cea ses
to be q virtue" md at which desperate
men. murdered and robbed. will drav tho
line and defend themselves. They arc
human, although treated as if thew wsIo
brutes.
1T is a condition and not a theory that
confronts u.s." 1t contains az many ele-
ments OF injustice and Of menace to the