The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-08-28

Our Duty Toward the Negroes Brought
Under Our flag by the Spnniah War.

A great many people who know OF IN
bravery displayed by the Afro-American sol
dlers In the War OF the Rebellion pretend no
to understand why these same people appea
to show so much cowardice in civil life wher
they are assailed by organized mobs OF whit
men. with law ana public opinion behind them
Some OF these people have expressed them
selves as being further confused on this point
by the heroism OF tho Afro-American soldier
OF the regular army before Santiago de Cuba
To these people. who are scattered all over the
North and West, and who may not see a dozen
Afro-Americans In the course OF a whole year
It seems beyond comprehension that men who
are brave to recklessness when clothed in the
! uniform Of the republic should become as timid
as children when wearing civilian clothes.
1t Is true. and It Is an everyday occurrence In
all parts OF the Southern States. and there is
nothing strange or unusual or cowardly about
1t on the part OF the Rssailed that one white
ruflan, perhaps the bully OF the neighborhood,
who promptly becomes "one OF the best citi-
zens" In the press dispatches. often puts ten
Afro-Americans to flight. sometimes. killing
one or more Of them but the assaults and the
murders chronicled in the newspapers every
day are oftenest committed by ten or more
white men, one OF whom has invariably fur
nfshed the provocation, on one black
man, usually an unarmed ono at that.
Indeed. 1t is a rare thing to hear OF one white
man " Jumping on " one black man: there are
generally ten or q hundred to one. It is a fair
conclusion. as I have observed It in the South.
that the indidua white man is afraid Of the
individual black man in a physical contest, and
will not assail him single handed unless forced
to II. There used to be q lot OF chivalry in the
Southern States, at least there was a lot of talk
about 1t. as there is now: but any unprecedented
witness will agree with me that at the
nrConnt Op,A- khn-n l. -.A1 ---- N
ism than chivalry in those States. 1t Is
necessary to call a spade a spade in this in
stance because the interests of the republic
call loudly for o stamping. out OF the ruflanism
law into its own hands whenever it wishes to
law or lynch law, but. in plain terms. It is ruiz
fanismi which Major-Gen. NJ. G. Butler was
f fSR% aSonaSc to Of fh tbe TSird y rs s1Gh R rsSentIy IN IL
eamps have had, to Dc, SO. qnG much Of t has
have sympathiZed with It and connived at it.
Three men and a.woman, suspected Of muir
uerlng q man at the instiHation OF his wife. who
committed suicide in Jail, were recently
lynched In an Arkansas town when. no interest
Whatever = : ono was served blythe rufianism. but one
!dered. and, all of them were deprived of life
without due process o law." And this is by
iI the South, upon the heels Of a, cessation
~ ucJMtGH DDdIu anu Cnt united |
The good name and reputation OF the
United states are damaged at home and abroad
States. the people of which are not a law unto
p TeoG}So Of 1.-THE the United t. States. and pledged in
government and an orderly administration
The war with Spain has furnished too many
illustrations q the. mobocratic rufflanism OF
Southern soldiers, in the camps In Virginia,
Tiers have frequently turned out to mob one
Tampa. where a detachment Of Georgia SOL
1ierS, WnS detailed to round up a lot Of bolster
ous black soldiers. and, instead OF doing it.
shot themdoyn in cold blood. An intimation Of
sions, but the facts were suppressed at the
by the military aqthQrities, but there is
suppress finally a full and explicit statement of
hat cold FLOODED and unnecessary butchery OF
3 4soIu fol snfdisrs on n a Lark ho WHOSE roundup by
which common sense, should have governed
A more recent case is that at San Francisco.
2 whole regiment OF Tennessee soldiers
he beta or Of a Tennessee private in a barroom
the Intentions of the moi. only being
, Illustrated 81 tb by cd tine S%SHlnes os7s and persistent
ountry that has come In contact with Southern
the part Of the latter to tell. I have taiked
many of them IN New York and in Vir-.
anu IHty al ldu UUH same STORY to tell
im 2 ss Of peace gould tell Il be would,
The masses OF the Southern white people.
ave steadily deteriorated since the war. and
re shall be unable to account for the exist
his fact is overlooked or improperly weighed.
tatement. but l had far less pleasure In secnre
nR by personal observation In many Southern
tates the experience upon which the fact is
There will be those who will point to the
lelPs Kitchen riot IN New York recently to
e should Siid remove emo The mote Il fro aat o8row a9 eve .b bet
IRE undertaking to pluck the beam out Of cur
position. because the police could
prevented the Hell,s Kitchen riot If they
ad done their rS duty and because they stamped
eace and order were menaced; but
lainly, because there was no Newspaper
ifchen rqfiAns. white or black. When they
ubbed into submission and locked y up W and
ned. In the South the blacks. would have
een c Hdo msS Sad o l9ske e HI up 3b and shot, and a
ers,, and the white, populace Would have
lap Ike God in niors hypocrisy that they were
all the rest Of the, humbuR behind which !
Ifianism, delights 70 hide and hug itself, I'M !
and undermined. and the crash I
mes. i
nero ID M newspaper press or public Opin- 4
N in New York. or in the States Of the North !
nd West behind, ruffianism 1t is only in the :
outhern States that that dangerous condition n
'evails. and the business Of stamping It out is |
ushed tbs. vile head of chattei slavery. and =
spirit Of arrogance and, insolence which i
IT and gave the slave his freedom 4
ID citizenship and the guaranty OF the protec- .
IN OF the laws state and Federal. The Wash \
9T NC Orleans rn e a. TINS y D%eo.oc,Gt have done :
n and to force him into the position Of inieri- =
tty and DEGRADATION in our citizenship during 4
g progress Of the Spanish war, and they hnye y
d some ne +S success cess, the force Of which was i
soldiers IN Cuba, whore thoy proved u
emselves as effective defenders OF the Stars Z
q Stripes as ever faced an enemy. y
But there Is a eountersentimentin the South. y
Americap sentimen which will yet be ex- 1
er their tongue or, race. wherever the flag n
on land or sea. IN the States. in the West I
dies, or the Pacific Ocean and the China seas. +
are about to incorrorate into our national {
rirltHry ana 1Spd Af f a9st or e people q Latin. 3
r destiny as an imperiaL force enIonn az ~