The San Francisco call., 1899-08-16
DISREGARD OF LAW.

G ERIOUSLY, if an American were isolated IN
another country and looking in perspective
~ upon his native land he would be hard pressed
for explanations that would make the current events
among lis consistent with our claim OF high civll-
cation.
Whether the country is responding in its own way
to Governor Roosevelt's call to more strenuous
life or whether the passions always let loose by war
are large, whatever may be the reason the past
year has been characterized by disregard for law
and its orderly administration to an extent heretofore
unknown in our history To say nothing OF the wage
troubles in which dynamite and missiles, the torch
and rifle have been appealed to in more than score
Of cases, the issue being between employer and en-
ployed there the inction OF the death penalty by
mobs, the issue being between one or a few indi-
viduals known or suspected have violated the law
and scores and hundreds OF citizens who violate the
law to punish its violation.
There have been in the United States within the
year one hundred lynchings The most OF them have
occurred in the South, and negroes have been the
victims In the majority OF cases the exciting cause
has been the commission OF an unspeakable crime
but in percentage OF them there was no proof that
the victim guilty. The sad truth seems to be
that the relations between whites and blacks in the
South have become so strained that the fires OF de-
vastating race war are smodering in more than hall
of those States. The whites falling into the habit
OF considering it their duty to kill negro when one
Of that commits crime, and one is killed with
out any nicely OF discrimination as to his identity
The mob habit being abroad, others than negroes
are its victims Within month fifty missionaries OF
the Mormon church have been mobbed in Georgia,
Tennessee and Kentucky Their churches have been
burned or torn down. and every right OF free speech
and religious federation has been denied to them.
Any one who knows the effect OF persecution upon
religious sect knows that these things will do more
to propagate Mormonism than preaching can do.
Therefore all who believe that sect to be perncious
must be appalled, when ignorant and mistaken men
put behind it the impetus OF martyrdom Mormonism
became formidable until after Joseph Smith was
shot by Illinois mob in Carthage Jail and his fol-
lowers were banished from Nauvoo When let alone
in their temple they harmless but when Illinois
politicians began to court their vote and get mad
when it the other party religious persecution
began and the future OF Mornonism was assured The
church is now rich and already that it will
spend million, il need be, to protect its missions
and its missionaries As a corporation it has just
issued $4,000 in church bonds, all of which were
taken by rich Mormons in Utah. Therefore one
need be troubled about the effect that strong
heocracy, which take OF itself The solici
tude of an impartial American to his country
heathen and we mob missionaries at home, because
their brand OF Christianity does suit us. The race
war has more serious features than the religious war
General Stephen D. Lee, very influential member
OF the Confederate Veterans, advises that the South
proceed to exterminate the negroes and it is appal
ing that this proposition is regarded reasonable
proper and feasible even iR border States like Nir
ginia Throughout the South if a citizen or news
paper deprecate the lynchng OF a negro instantly
comes back the accusation from the lynchers OF sym
pathy with the crime committed by the victim, Rea
son there not on that subject. We have doubt
that an attempt at universal massacre is: impending
A few more Simultaneous ynchings III several States
will start it If the negroes resist slaughter they will
be treated insurgents, and even the Federal troops
may then be called on by local authorities to Join
the hunt Once startedctis amazing how easily llrr*
Yersa slaughter OF the blacks becomes legal under or
duplex system OF government. the Southern States
being in the hands OF white neil: -
1t would seem that RAGE: WHICH Has produced
Booker T. Washington and Paul Lawrence Dunbar
might be led rather than slaughtered but its%exter
mination is one OF the great matters now most iflnf
nent in this republic: - !: :~:* .= ~ :
At recent meeting=of the State Agricultural So
ciety OF Georgia the president, Hon. Pope Brown in
his annual address, derounced the people OF the
North as haers Of the South; and said that in the
former slave States the whites, and negroes have
reached the parting. OF the ways He advocated the
peaceful deportation Of the negroes if possible: If
not their orcibe expulson: He advised consultation
with negro leaders and the assumption OF the cost
by the whites OF the forcibe eXng of about ten mil
lions of blacks Hon. Hoke Smith was present and
seems to have made the approval OF. the address
unanimous The issue in this form is serious. II is
just much violation of the constitutional rigits.oi
negro to forcbly exile him as to Kill him But the
feud seems to be irreconcilable Their deportation
into Northern States would demoraze the labor mar
ket in both sections unless there were an immediate
exchange OF places between them and an equal num-
Der of Northern white worlnen, who would &c
South. Against this stands the lower wage scale in
the South in the labor field now occupied by the
negroes At present this most distressing issue gen
Grated in slowly accumulated passion that cannot be
reasoned with is the great American problem.
At dinner given recentlv in his honor