The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1899-04-29

! to protect themselves than all the courts
and jurics in the state can do for Them.
To secure protection against lawless whites
they must show a disposition % project
the white people against lawless blacks.
~
Here we have the facts so ar
ranged in sequence that the areu-
ment becomes plain. People who do
not align themselves on the side of law
must be regarded as being against it,
This is as true in government as in hurch,
While 95 per cent OF the colored race, as
stated by Mr.. Inman, are law-abtdiug,
or perhaps neutral" would be better
word, their force and influence is not felt
in the prosecution of It, A white woman
is outraged. the negro 95 per cent makes
no appearance in the work of prosecution
1t fails to deliver up the criminal, aud
hence 1t fails TO divorce itself from bis
crime When Holt ran from the Crawford
mansion he was for ten days in the hands
OF members of his race. While the whites
were pursuing him, the blacks were fur
nishing him with food, aiding his passage
through obscure ways and keeping his
whereabouts secret Herein lies the weak
ness of the colored race and herein lies
the reason why their cries against certain
visitations 60 UNDECIDED and will con mue
to 20 unhepdod until they rise up to the
/ dignity OF placing their criminals under
the ban and delivering them zip % justice.
/ For ten days the State was horror stricken
| with the Crawford crime-the criminal was
abroad-not a religious or teaching body
| Of the negro race aligned itself with out
] M WI N
| evangelical association for the passage of
! resolutions--if the white men could catch
| the criminal they would be denounced for
| furnishing him--lynching would be de-
nounced if resorted to; Mrs, Cranford's
chastity would be cross-questicned II the
case was taken into court. Under no cir.
| cumstance would the wretch have been de-
| livered up to the non guilty 90 per cent
| but here the question arises: does not their
I Indifference render them censurabe after
/ the fact?
! How true it is. as stated by Governor
/ Gambler that the negroes lost the best OPP
portunty which they will ever have by
not having themselves delivered up the
/ criminal! For days the governor sits in
| his office and this % per cent is in evil
dence when calling on him by delegations
/ TO oner rewards for the lynchers; but
never once do they appeal to him for the
punishment of incendiaries or ravishers.
| ~
In this emergency the appeal must be
made directly to the colored 95 per cent?
What does 1t propose to do?
No one can answer this question so ef-
teotually as the people concerned, and II
they will study the record of the whits
race they will find the lesson which they
should take to heart II they would better
their condition.
The eolored 95 per cent, docile, averse
| to crime II left TO its own impulses, has
been swerved off from the arena of per-
sonal. political and domestic aggression
Take the aged colored man who grew up
under better conditions and he Is round
10 be as respectful of himself as ne is re-
spectful to others Such man never gets
into trouble. Take his self-assertlng and
insolent grandson, and what chlngel
suppose that in white settlement
such crime had happened with white
man the perpetrator? With one mind he
would have been delivered to justice. His
white blood would entitle him to neither
pity nor relief. AS we write. such a case
Is at hand, In the adjoining county OF
Fayette, man standing high in church
and property, with large family connec-
tions, was accused of crime. Instead of
pelhs spirited away and hidden out, 10
was promptly arrested, confined In Jail
anu must undergo vigorous trial. That
is the white method. That Is what the
negroes, all the way down from Palmetto
TO Marshallyille. should have done; but
unless they arouse themselves from the
false feeling OF comradeship for criminals
they must continue to bear the blame.
There are today in the city OF Atlanta
( scores OF black criminals, refugees from
other nlaCPS whose priunoe ard tso..i.
are known TO their fellows. They are re-
ceived and sheltered and taken care az
Let the colored 95 per cent begin It's work
OF good citizenship by giving these peonls
up Let the good men in the colored rsce
-snd there are good men In i,--draw
Sennl.e line between themselves and laws
breakers. Let them aid the law by ann.
ishinE the. guilty Per cent, ma ~,
pfsss' 10 the naest snsstual way. thar thsy