The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-08-12

4
The extraordinary number Of assaults
upon women. ana subsequent lynchings,
which nave taken place OF late moves the
New York Evening Post 20 say: THE
growing prevalence of the crime is as note
worthy as the increase In the lawless pun
ishment o. it Certainly
there has never been time when so many
lyncn.ngs have occurred as during the
past six months. and vet as certainly there
has never been time when the crime has
been so frequently perpetrated in the very
states where vengeance has. been so terri
bly, executed"
Has ia ever occurred to our esteemed
contemporary, which possesses an ana
lytical mind, that politics may indirectly
have a good deal TO do with the increased
lawlessness which il notes and regrets?
The New Orleans Picayune touches rather
vaguely upon the point in.this extract from
one of its editorials of a day or two ago:
HAS anything happened to make the ne
groes more reckless and desperate in their
assaults on the whltes2 It has been noticed
that since President Mckinley has begun
70 appoint negroes to prominent official
posifdAs ia southern cities and towns the
crop 81 criminal assaults has largely in
creased. Perhaps the Presidents acts
have nothing to do with the violent irrup-
ton Of negro lust, and that there is no
connection beyond mere coincidence. The
facts, however, coexist"
Something has happened. a. republican
administration has come into power, and
the negro is basking in the sunlight Of its
favor. BY some occult process Of reasoning
the idea gets abroad among the black race
that when the republican party is in pow
er the negro's liberty-which to great
many Of them means Hcense-is enlarged
and that he can do pretty much as he may
please. At the best il is the fear of pun
shment rather than the moral sense of
right and wrong, which restrains him.
When the fear OF punishment is mitigated
by the belief that the government is his
great and good friend. so much the worse
for society. The average negro's concep-
ton of power is the national government,
and when his friend the republican party
is in control of the government he feels
that he is a law unto himself. He gives
freer reign to his impulses and appettes;
and gets into trouble. II is not, Of course,
intended to include all negroes IN the fore
going criticism. There are individual ex-
ceptions, and in a black population Of
something like 100000 the exceptions form
large number of reputable persons, de
serving OF respect and confidence But, un-
fortunately. the criticism is applicable to
the mass.
That party control of the national gov
eminent has considerable influence upon
the criminality of the negro race in the
particular line under discussion will APP
pear upon an examination Of the files of
the daily newspapers During each of Mr..
Clevelands administrations there was
decrease, as compared with the period of
the administration proceeding. When Gen.
Harrison was elected TO the presidency
there was a revival of the crime. and of
lynchings; but that revival was nothing
TO compare with the one now going on.
Now one can hardly pick up a copy of any
daily newspaper without finding in it two
or three accounts of criminal assaults and
probably as many lvnchings.