The Washington bee., 1898-10-15
A NATION OF LYNCHERS.

lecture before a London audience,
said that the American people were
a ''nation of lynchers." The
American press, at the South, went
wild with rage, and the young col
ored lady whose character and
ability they had lauded TO the
skies a few years before, was de-
scribed as loathsome wretch
totally devoid of morality, indi
vidual merit, and unworthy of
credence.
But Miss Wells had only to show
her newsper clippings, taken from
the American press, arranged IN
chronological order, and her case
was proved. We are a nation Of
lynchers pure and simple. We do
not lynch to punish crime. We
sim ply lynch to exhibit race hatred.
If we lynched to punish crime, we
would lynch white man who out
RACES or attempt to outrage col
ored woman. But We do not do
this. We are methodical about this
Iynching business. If a negro is
charged with having outraged a
white woman he must die without
, Judge, jury or benefit of clergy
But if the culpable party should
happen to be a white man and
. his victim colored woman the
case undergoes complete change
and white public opinion says that
= the white man must not be punish.
/ ed. This is usually accomplished
by smirching the character of the
colored woman.
There have been numerous in
: stances of outrages committed, IN
: this city. by white men, (some
: in high places) upon colored
s women and young girls In ouly
b one instance has there been a
conviction. Two months ago a
r white man attempted to commit
t an outrage upon little colored
e child by the name of Ardrill Pey-
: ton. living with her parents at
, 1420 E steet, northwest, and upon
| conviction, was sentenced to two
: months Imprisonment. Had he
been a negro and the girl white
the case would have gone to the
{ grand jury and the culprit
would have landed in the
penitentlary. Such is justice in
christian America.
The white press and pulpit, with
few exceptions, are as silent as
The grave on this important
subject. "Its only niger" they
say, and to them the "nigger" is a
small quantity in the equation of
human life since he cannot now be
put upon the auction block and
bartered like an OK. During the
days of slavery he was an impor-
tant parsonage. His life was a
precious thing i'll the hands of his
master-this master who sucked
from the breast of his mother and
who is now shooting him down on
the slightest provocation because,
forsooth, the slave Is now free and
is a competitor with him in the
race for wealth and honor.
The city is now filed with emi-
nent clergymen from all parts of
the United States. They represent
the great Episcopal Church. Of
all their number what one of them
will have the temerity to denounce
the unlawful killing of a colored
man at Annapolis Wednesday
morning? What influence has
the christian religion in the
United States, when a mob can
walk into capital of a common
wealth, enter its jail without op-
position, drag out State prisoner,
shoot him down in its streets and
retire unmolested +? And who be-
lieves any one will suffer for this
crime? 1t is only repetition of
thousands of others committed by
white men and it will 20 on and On
until white men having become
surfeited with negro blood will