Evening star., 1896-12-11
INCITING TO MURDER
Comments on the Utterances at London
Shear Funeral,
Citizens Who Have Written to The
Star Expressing Their Feelings
at the Mfnisters' Words.

-oA'NSAh
the comments that were made upon the
event by the clergymen who oficiated at
the funeral of Shears. Mr.. A. NJ. Gange-
wer writes as follows:
Hate is a bad counselor and they who
permit their malevolence to control their
judgment are not wise. 1 have been aston
ished and grieved at the spirit manifested
by some of the reverend gentlemen who
spoke at the funeral services of London
Shears, who was shot by Policeman Curry.
ConcediEg that some of the police act in
brutal manner toward the colored people,
is the measure they propose to remedy the
evil the proper one? The command comes
sounding down the ages, Thou shalt 90
no murder Yet we see some of the pro-
fessed followers of the meek and lowly
Jesus, who said, Love your enemies,
Pray for those who despitefully use you
and persecute you, urging their hearers
to arm themselves with pistols to shoot the
police, and using infiammatory language
while doing so. These gentlemen nave mis-
taken their vocation. There Is too much
shooting in this town now, and their coun-
sci is bad and wrong. and would aggrdvate
the evil they complain Of Let them open
their churches and pray that the spirit OF
Christ may fill their hearts and influence
their lives. Let them not masquerade as
Christian teachers while they are doing the
work of the adversary. The religion OF
love has no place for hate. Let US have
peace"
Due to the Saloons.
One writer, after deprecating the aiiuslons
that have been made in some or the publ
cations to the colored people living in a
certain section of the city, says:
Gre Ater credit for fairness would have
been gained among the better class Of COL
ored citizens of that district had it drawn
the line of demarcation more clearly be-
tween the reckless and the law-abiding
classes.
ITO place indiscrimnately all the coored
residents of the eastern and southeastern
section under the head Of drunkards and
Sabbath breakers is as untrue as II is un-
just, and is no more applicable to the col
cred residents of these localities collective
!y than to the white residents of the same
section, collectively. Such a sweeping
charge is resented as an insult by the law
abiding citizens, who, while deploring the
existence in their midst of certain reckless
and immoral characters, feel keeniy the
injustice of being classed without excep-
tion as members of a lawless body.
If a person will take the trouble to ex-
anime the saloons in the sections referred
TO, he will find that in point of numbers
they are. far in excess of those found in
other localities in the city. These drinking
places are almost invariably kept by white
men. who not only supply freely the poorer
quality Of beer and liquors to their colored
CuStoneTS, out use every means III lnelr
power to draw them to their vile dens. 1t
is notorious fact. however, that should an
arrest occur and colored man falls into
the clutches Of the authorities for violating
the law, the saloon keeper is the first one
to appear against him. And 1t IS equally
true that colored prisoner is seldom Civ
en- the benefit of a doubt In his case, but
almost invariably the full penalty of the
law is imposed. This discrimination against
the colored race has naturally engendered
feeling of distrust against the whites, and
Will continue to exist as long as unfair
treatment is shown them.
L, with many others of my race do not
approve the incendiary advice recently Civ
en- to my fellows. as such injudicious ad-
vice cannot in the end but act as detri-
nent TO all who follow it, Nothing is ever
gained by arraigmng race against race. /
do think, however in all spirit of fairness.
that the press OF his city should not go
out OF Its way to cast slur upon members
OF an innocent class who are entirely
biameless of any acts of lawlessness which
certain reckless colored men NAV have
committed. If charity cannot be shown #
Is certainly not too much to ask that those
VINO comment on the colored people should
at least be just
Let Them BE Law Abiding,
One who signs himself Citizen saws.
In common with other citizens | was
both astonished and panied to read the
proceedings at the funeral of the colored
man Shears. Whether justly or uniustly
shot, the Idea of converting funeral into
such meeting as that was represented to
be, at which ministers of the Gospel should
advise their hearers to arm themselves and
commit murder whenever arrested or inter-
1ered with In any way. is shocking to the
feelings and sense of all aw-abiding and
decent citizens.
The bad results of such advice from sucb
a source to a body of coored people MANY
of whom are both ignorant and vicious
can readily be imagined. 1t is the tendency
of those people to go armed and to resort
10 violence, and especially their resistance
to arrest and their assaults upon the police
that makes all the trouble
AS a single illustration here We see one
colored boy out with revolver and chas-
ing another on 14th street, right in the
heart of the city. Fortunately he was ar
rested before killing any one, but he was
doing his best to commit murder. And so
1t goes, day and night all over the District
and especially in the alleys, where these
people mostly live and congregate And
they are all the more brutal and vicious
because usually intoxicated when the as
saults or affrays occur. At the slightest
disagreement, its out with a pistol or
knife. or up with brick and pitch in, re-
gardless of consequences!
1T is astounding that men posing as
ministers of the Gospel should do or say
anything to encourage this state of affairs.
On the contrary, they should do all in their
power TO prevent such conduct and to al
lay excitement on occasions like the pres
ent. Let them discuss and insist on investi-
cation in a legal and proper manner but
not advise arming and the use of weapons
They ought to know that by such a course
they lose the sympathy, confidence and
respect of these who are and have been
their best friends.
In answer to the suggestion of Perry
Carson that the Colored people have got
to do something to stop the killing of their
people by the police, l would say all they
need do is to behave, TO become peaceful
and law -aDidirg citizens, submit quietly to
arrest, knowing that if improperly arrested
they will he released on arrival at the sta
ton; quit assaultirg the police and others:
stop getting drunk and fighting, and there
will be no trouble. The better class of the
colored people have no trouble of the kind
and if the others do, 1t Is Simply their own
fault.
1T is the ever-present consciousness of
the police that whenever they attempt to
arrest one of these rutfianly negroes they
do 1t at the risk of their lives that induces
them to resort todhe pistol as a means of
protection. No one ever heard of one who
submitted quietly to arrest being either
shot dubbed, and therefore, l repeat, all
they have to do is to behave themselves
properly and they will have no trouble If
they won't do that, but will persist in their
present course Of violence and crime, they
must expect to reap the results and that
is the lesson their clergy ShouId imnress