The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1897-08-27
THE DIVINE JUDGMENT,
From the Springfield Republican.

| From the Springfield Republican.
The problem of negro ravshment of
white women and lynch law proves too
| much for the Charleston News and
| Courier. 1t has carefully considered the
| question, and keenly realizes the public
| scandal of the brutal mob punishments
| meted out to rapists, but it can make no
| suggestion of remedy: "The trouble
| appears to us, however, to he that all the
| measures of reform that have been pro-
posed have regard to the results of an un-
| natural and wrong condition of things
| existing in our country, and ignore their
| cause which is in that condition itself.
We do Lot propose to go into the subject
| here at length. 1t is enough to say, in
| stead, that we believe that the practice
| of lynching for all crimes save one, could
| readily be eradicated and that 1t owes
| its continuance to that crime alone. And
| the prevalence of that crime is due to a
| condition of things that is peculiar 10
| this country, and that is itself asserted
| to be beyond remedy. 1t is the comming-
| ling of two absolutely unlike, unequal,
| and infusible races of men in the same
| territory, under circumstances that in
| sure an unceasing and unending con-
| fiict between them, the intensity OF which
| is modified only by the weakness and de-
pendence of the one. The laws OF nature
| require unlike peoples to dwell apart. We
cannot violate these laws and hope TO
escape their penalty"
| This feeling of hopelessness pervades
| the south, and naturally grows out of the
| immemorial attitude maintained by the
whites toward the blacks. If this condi-
| tion of negro subserviency is inevitable,
| and the price of peace and order, then
| there is small hope that the problem
should be solvable; for the negro cannot
| "a ipfarinr
with any softening effect on his brute
propensities. Terrible 20 have been the
| punishments visited upon the negro
rapist, they have been proved to have no
| restraining effect, and the extreme bar
barlties practiced by the whites in this
| connection have in all cases been fol-
| lowed by fresh offenses by the blacks.
We should suppose this fact would sug-
| gest TO the popular mind the possibility
| that other and more dignitied methods OF
| administering justice in such cases might
| have more deterrent effects.
One cannot listen to such cries of de-
spair, however, without thinking of that
wond erfully impressive passage in Lin
| coins second inaugural address: "rondly
| do we hope, fervently do we pray that
this mighty scourge of war may speedily
pass away. Yet, II God Wills that 1t
| continue until an the wealth piled by the
ponuHanS = IoO years oi uHrequqteu Toll
| shall be sunk, and until every drop OF
| blood drawn with the lash shall be paid
| by another drawn with the sword, as was
| said 5000 years ago, so still 1t must be
| said, The judgments of the Lord are
| true and righteous altogether But
| how far short even this comes of describ-
| ing the full measure OF the woe to fan
| unto many by generations upon those
| through whom this offense of negro i'm
portation and servitude came these later
events most forcibly demonstrate. There
was stfll left the problem which the most
intelligent and philanthroplc in the south
cannot face without shrinking Verify,
"Woe unto the world because OF Of
enses."