Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1894-06-09
GOV. TILLMAN's EXPLANATION.

MISS IDA B. WELLS Is doing a
grand work for our people.
The portrayal OF tne inhuman
outrages now being per strated.up-
on us throughout tt Southland
cannot do otherwise Il n result In
arousing the entire CHI tian world
TO the enormity OF the lenses, and
causes concerted mo, nent to be
inaugurated for the ar ts5ration oil
our pitiable condition.
MISS WELLS mission.o England
has borne fruit and the bowls
mingled With falsehos s of the
bourbon press of the So b shows to
the most casual obser er that her
clear-cut, truthful ASSERTIONS have
cut to the quick the element that has
been forward In counter ncing these
outrages.
AS to inducing immig ants to 10.
cate In the South, the sy for cir
culars and pamphlets at as well
be thrown In the deptl II the sea
so far as the good tbs viii do il
concerned, after MISS ELLs thrill
ling declarations OF fact
Gov. B. II. TILLMAN, t . demagog.
ic Chief Executive of s. :. Caroline
was requested by RRy j. j. HALL
of Norfolk to write ltVter stating
his true position In or'ier that BIZ
might use it In the CHRIS IAN WoRLI
to refute the bold assert ons OF Miss
WELLS.
Our readers VIII be induced tt
smile regardless of the eolemnity o
the subject when they read Gov
TILLMAN's remarks which demon
strate conclusiveIy thathe is dem
agogue, devoid of principle ane
careless of the obligation Of his oatl
of Office. Here is what be says:
said in my canvass two years ago
and say now, Governor a. am. that
| would lead a mob to lynch any man
white or black, who had ravished an,
woman, white or black.
This comes from q man who ha.
sworn not TO do the Fery thing
which he shamelessly declares he
will do.
He would be no more Justified II
leading mob to hang q white mar
who had raped colored woman
than he would be to lead one to exc
cute colored man who had crimi
nally assaulted a white woman.
However, a man who would VIC
late his oath as brazenly rs this one
declares he would do can hardly b;
relied upon TO tell the truth even
about this matter and fccordingly
his high sounding assertions go fol
naught.
This demagogue Go ernor pro,
ceeds further H
l send you u. IS. au1n-al
address, in which my vie@sSs s - NV
sacred obligations the white 1Se, ~ o.
the South are under are SET forth in
full. am on record as having asked
the Legislature to give me power to re-
move any sheriff who allowed q prisoner
to be lynched IN his custody.
BE asked for the autocratlc power
which was never given, and even If II
had been 1t would have been ptional
With him whether or not he used it,
The GEAR of Russia could not have
been given greater latitude along
any one line than that he asked for
himself. He says:
81 have promptly ordered out the mi.
Iitia to protect prisoners whenever call.
ed on by sheriffs. am opposed to lynch
law for anything but criminal assault. y
Who gave him the authority to
suspend the operation OF the law in
any case or for any Offsnse9 1t IL as
bad as Gov. McENERy's suspension
OF the law In Louisiana In order to
elect the Democratic nominees. And
again
''That is crime which, in my opinion
places any man beyond the pale of the
law, and puts him below the brutes.
But the law doesn't say so, and
you are solemnly sworn to maintain
and support the law whether it be In
accordance with your opinion OF
not.
Furthermore, how are you to ascer-
tain whether the man you hang il
the brute who committed the crime
or not until you have legally tried
him. An innocent man was hanged
at your instigation by Mokcourt
1t was afterwards proven d he
was not In the neighborhoo- wher
the crime was committed ana white
men joined in testifying to thu same
He says
"The southern people are not blame
less in dealing with the que3 on o
| lynching, but all our lynchings mo-
of Negroes, and but for the factf ev
cry outbreak of the kind is US -
text by Republican newspaper, q n
| der and misrepresent our peoph aey
would excite no more comment hl nc
than elsewhere in the United States
| think statistics will show that they oc
cur as often in western and northern
States as they do in the South"
4 IL