Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1895-03-06
the NEGRO SIDE.

In tho NEWS dispatches last even
ing March % WAS an account Of Mlss
Ida Wells being excluded rom a
Methodist meeting In San Francisco
because sho hal not proved that she
was member Of the Methodist church.
The woman who Is thus being glvo1
nolorlely IL negroes who formerly
livoi In the Southern States, and who
Ia entering into the To'ofm movement
| against the treatment 10 which negroes
are subjected there. Bho is an eloquent
speaker, AMI relates 100 graphic words
thcsiory q tho condition Of hor RAGS
iu tho South
In her Iiscu'slon, Miss Wells points
out many features which will be- In.
teresling 10 consider ~ the statement
coming f'om the negro side n tho
controversy Regarding the particular
occurrences which have led to the
movement In behalf Of tho cllofed
race-ihe lynching Of negroes for heIn-
Gus oGonsts against white women
Miss Wells recalls that when the
masters Of the slaves had gone TO bat
tie during the Rebellion, the negroes
we're ltil on the plantations TO protect
the women AMI children. There was
then no complaint Of these awful
crimes, which she claims arc the out
growth Of the later conduct Of the
white race, Ia It's nntagonism to the
black man. Bho states that coloted
women have sufTerod more from the
criminal assaults Of whites than ever
white women have from negroes. and
m every case the punishment melted
cut to the whites has been infinitely
lees than 10 the negroes. She further
alleges that the silence Of the North IL
largely responsible jr the lynohinga In
the South, Tor the suppression u which
her race asks the cooperation Of
moral and Christian people.
Miss Wells insists that one great
cause Of tho trouble IL that, although
the slaves were freed during the war,
NJ ~ close the s0uthorners believed
that they had the same rlgh, 10 rule
the negro ns before, anu Ia many caseo
resott5d TO massacre TO secure the de.
sired rsuls; laws were made to hu.
initiate and ustracize tho negro, and
tho principal social and temper.
ance societies OF the South
closed their doors 10 tho race,
consequently the coloted mon built
churches and ichoolh0uses Of their
own, established newspapers aud NOR
camille houses, ana made considerable
progress, which, however, would have
been much greater but for this way they
were held back. Regarding the state.
ment that Southern Wotkhouses aud
prisons hro filed with negroes, Miss
Wells says II Ia owing to tue fact tina,
Tor the commission OF the most trivial
tfIsnso negro IL often sentenced 10
years OF imprisonment, while the
penalty for a white man for n similar
crime would DO very light.
Doubtless there IL a great deal OF
truth In tho negro woman's claim that
white oppsesslon "a measurably TO.
sponslble for negro crime, aud that the
eolorsd people are the chief sufferer.
The bare fact that In the South there IL
a sentiment which Justiles rs n
necessity the hanging and burning
OF negroes without recourse to
legal methods indicates n dis.
regard OF justice and humanity
which lie deplogable, IL may
cause some improvement, therefore, TO
have the subject agllatoi, sitted, and
understood, giving both sides hear.
Ing, 40 that the sentiment complained
OF may be replaced by one Of more
enlightened character. Ia that view
the reform movement may not be
without good fruits, ntsurlng lees
hostile relationship bttwo0n the two
races than exists At present.