New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-05-12
SOTTH CAEOLTNIS "BESr CITIZENS

SOTTH CIEOLININ BESI fIII/ENN'
II is 4 pretty duh week nowadays in south
Carolina when the best citizens of some town
10 the number of several hundred do not get
together and kill niger" One "llnchng
bee a week Of th, sort j. the present average.
They are much more frequent than before the
war. for the simple reason that then the :" me-
Ger had money value aS property and could
BE- slain only at a sacrifice 1t cost, nothing now
EXCEPT in the mere matter OF human life. HUI
man lie Of that color, being in the opinion OF
the best citizens largely III excess of the re-
uuircmcni> Of the political situation. goes cheap
81 first blush il might seem to persons ut Il
di.tIrcc that the " best citizens OF south Caro-
lima were animated by a certain icrocIty OF
nature and bloodthrSincSs of disposition not
entirely compatible with the prcccptS of Chris
tilnity or the standards Of modern civilization.
This would be n hasty inference. If openly
expressed in the presence OF any OF the best
citizens by a person unfamiliar with the Use
If firearms il would be liable 10 provoke re-
sentiment Lvcn when INDUCED in by persons
known 10 he handy with a gum 1t would be
very likely to lead TO protractcd negotiations
and extensive publicity The truth is that the
d" best ci'izons" are generous and varm-heartcd
and by consequence spontaneous and impul>lyc.
They arc also proud of their color, and cN-
ccodngly sensitive to anything looking to an
ntcrmixturc of races, except by the process of
improving the negro, which has been going on
for many generations. They are ChlvalrouS
rather than bloodthirSty; not brutal, but proud
In the extremely rarcted atmospheric con
dtions which attend upon such high cviIiza-
ton the greatest allowance must be made for
acts committed upon chvalrous impulse. Due
consideration should be given also to the liability
to mistakes a., for instance, when the " best
citizens of town, rising up in indignation al
the commission Of a crime by some one I'M
known. resolve that somebody has TO dc and
proceed thcrcupon to hang by the neck and
shoot full Of bullets an innocent person of " the
same Color This was what happened a week
or two ago when John Peterson, charged with
an assault upon young white woman, was
surrendered by the Governor, T. whom he had
protested his innocence and appealed for pro
tcc/on, to five hundred of the best citizens
Of Denmark, s. c. As the young woman who
had been assaulted said upon being confronted
with John Peterson that he was not tho man
who assaulted her, the action of the :" best cti-
zcns' would seem to persons at distance haSty
and inconS;dcratc. IL might be supposed that
upon reflection the "bcSt citizens" themselves
would admit that they had acted hastily and
express some sorrow, even though they had the
justification for it that John Peterson was of
1.-The same color with the man who did com
nit the crime. But herein, too, they must not
be Judged harshly. 1t is to be borne in mind
oh
anco or sorrow means loss of caste and for
fixture of social position. Nothing is more
mcan-spiritcd than TO be sorry The 'bcst
citizcnJ' of Denmark, S. c., arc nothing if not
highspiritcd.
The latest "ynching bcc'' up to date oc-
Cured near Laurcns, 5. C., on May TO- when
a negro who was charged with the same of
fonec-asSauting white girl-and who, ac-
cording to the reports confessed his guilt was
taken by a crowd numbering 600 and put
TO death The crowd, says the Geographic
account, "was thoroughly representative. and
included many of the best citizens of Laurcns."
In all cases it is the best citizens who en-
gage in these affairs. Strictly speaking, this
was "A violation Of law. The best citizens
were not court of law or justice nor if they
had ben, was the offence with which the vic
Tim was charged punishable with DEATH Still,
if the exigcmcy required the violation of law
and somebody had to die, how much better
that IT should be done by the " best citizens"
than by the worst. For it is the chest cit-
zens' who make the laws and il is for them to
say whether or not they win be governed by
them and wait for their operation. 1t is cheer
ing to know that United States Senator Irby,
who was spectator, addressed some remarks
TO the crowd, urging them to be temperate and
ord rly, and MT TO fire into the body" 1t was
very thoughtful OH his part to make the sug
gtstion For no doubt it occurred to him that,
although il would pass in south Carolina for
an ordinary manifestation of interest in the
proceedings or a natural desire to participate
in the exercises. outside the State the prac-
tce OF filing mans body full OF bullets after