The People's friend., 1894-08-17
TAKES ISSUE WITH MSS WELLS.
A Negro Democrat Who Regdrds the
Formers crusade as fdll0cy.

Formers crusade as fdilocy.
Washington, j.. c., Aug. l2.-Miss
Ida B. Wells, the colored woman who
has been stirring up the sympathles OF the
English people by her views Oh the
lYnchinys Of the men OF her race, is not
sustained by all colored people. Z. =.
Astwood, who was Consul General to
San Domingo, and more recently nomin-
ated no be Consul to Calais. France. but
not confirmed by the Senate, takes very
decided issue with the statements of Miss
Wells.
II want to assert honestly and boldly, "
he said to-day. "as a colored man, that
deprecate lynching as do the good white
people of the South. bnt | am not pre-
pared to believe, with Miss Wells and
/ others, that the decent cOlored people
| of the South wi assume the diabolical
and outrageous actions OF the depraved
element OF our people, who prey upon
the virtue Of women and commit covert
acts which bring upon them the lawless
|
ly lyhchings."
MIR. Astwoyd then stated with empha-
sis that he did not believe the lawabiding
coloreG citizens OF the South, moral and
upright in their habits, were lyncned at
all.
"Christian men and women are as a0-
solutelY safe as they are in the North.
he declared. he denied that decent col
ored women were outraged Of their vlr-
the by white men. as stated by MISS
Wells. This, he said. seems to be true uE
North, put the best specimens OF Negro
wumanhooi seem TO come from the SOuti
and am sure if we could remove tht
cause Of lynchings there would be none
Mr.. Astwood thinks that the way tt
remedy the evil of lynching is to remove
the cause, which he believes TO be ignor
arce, and to do this he suggests that MIS-
Wells and her supporters would do better
to 90 down South, occupy the pulpit, TN
stump and the schoolhouse and appeal t'
the sentiment of the colOred men by ask
inv them 10 dcsist from crimes that brins
dire vengeance upon themselves ana
blot upon the race. lie thinks that thu
white people Of the Sonth would wei
come such efforts, which he believe
would do more good than thousaht
wears crusading. He claims that he
demonstrations only emDOldeh TN
wrondoer and intensity the rage OF out
ragged husbands and fathers, while |
places the whole colored race in the po
: sition of defending hYenas in human
| form because they are black, and estaD
} fishes the principle that white womei
: have no rights thata black brute is boun'
t to respect, and that his friends OF tn
South say so.
Mr. AstwOod sustains his position b.
declaring that if the condition of til
Negroes in the South was as bad as rep
resented to be there are good white me-
and women there who would champion
their rights and appeal for better con
dtion of things, He replies to the state
ment that there are molattoes IN tn
South who are proof OF the deeds 9
white men upon colored women that
was the result Of contact between slaV
] and master and has no place in this geI
. Grafton. The patriotic colored man, h
g saws is not concerned about the miscegt
5 nation laws, against which some murmu
: but prefer to marry within his own ranks
: also that none but an extraordinary on
, will do otherwise. The growing, respet
table homes Of colored people all owe
! the country, he contends, are evidence
of their rapidly increasing social cultur
and refinement, and such ought, he say:
TO repudiate the association with de
: bauched women and look upon Mis-
Wells crusade with disgust,
Mr.. Astwood is a prominent Ncgr
i Democrat who came to Louisiana tr0l
! the West Indies soon after the war an
!, has engaged extensively in the game
politics in the Southern states.