Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1894-09-11
m. Coming Of the crusedsrs.

The Coming OF the Crus eoets'
Governor o'Ferrairs letter to the New
York World on the subject OF ynchlns'
Ia short, sharp and decisive.
Our English friends would better stay
at home and attend to their own Affairs
than come here to NEEDLE with ours. But
we do not believe that these dcluded dis
ciples of ida Wells represent any large
portion of the intelligent British public
There are many people OF many minds
IN the United Kingdom, and some OF
them are en- otionai and easily aroused
M Indignation at the recital OF alleged
wrongs done negroes and others In lar
away lands.
II is an undoubted fact. as the Governor
tntinates. that these missionaries could
more wisely employ their time ana money
I'm righting wrongs and relieving AIS
tress in their own country: but since they
prefer to impose their presence and ad-
vice upon us, we cannot do anything
better than give them the southern YER
sion of the lynching question.
IL they will come South and mingle with
the whites and listen 10 the truth, they
will learn that II one crime be put Gown
a crime which is the crime or the freed
man. and was not. the crime OF the
slaye-there will be no difficulty In sup
pressing lynching In all OF It's forms.
Resort TO lynch law has been counte-
nanced because white girls and women
living in sparsely-settled country districts
are continually being assaulted by black
men. The penalty for this crime Is death.
Our country people consider 1t monstrous
that their wives and daughters, after
having been assaulted. should be com
pelled to 20 into courts, there TO be
cross-examined and made 10 undergo
again the agonies OF the crime OF which
they have been the victims. To save
these victims from further suffering; to
make sure that no loop-holes In the law
shall avail the culprit. lynch.nSs have
come in yogue-have been almost legalizs n
in some localities. we might say.
Now that the Ida Wells Committee OF
Englishmen desire to inform themselves
I'm the matter. we hope that they Will
come South and hear what the white
people in the black districts have to say.
And we promise them that II they will
undertake to put stop TO the crime
Of which we complain, they VIII accom-
plish their great desire, and we tell them
candidly that In no other way can lynch
ings be suppressed.
Our English friends. indeed, owe us a
good turn in this respect. The English
fastened slavery upon the American Con
tinent. Abolition was not seriously thought
Of while the mother country held do
mlnion here. In vain did Virginia plead
and protest against EnglaIds allowing
slaves 10 be sent into this colony. Nothing
that Virginia could say would avail. Sc,
having had so much to do with bringing
these black people TO our shores-having
had so much TO do with the abolition OF
slavery-our English friends should take
peculiar pleasure in looking after the
morals of the freedman. All that these
crusaders hope for, all that they are
clamoring for. can be accomplished If
they can only persuade black men to
keep their hands off white women. Tn
less the Ida Wells missionaries are com
ing here to work a reform in this line,
they are coming in vain; indeed, their
coming will only make bad worse
When there is no excuse for lynchlngs
for crimes against Womanhood lynchings
for all other crimes will soon cease.