The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1899-05-24
punish, torture, and kill negroes without

punish, torture, and kill negroes without
giving the poor wre!ches even an
opportunity to clear themselves Of
alleged crimes, We ought not to expect
negroes to be too ready to e;a in 6ndipg
aad surreuding persons of their color
accused Of crime. Would white men
turn over white criminals to be tortured
aud killed by MODS :? The leaders of the
negro race are in favor of the punish
ment of criminals, and | am cou6deot
that if the white people Of the south
will allow all crimes to be punished by
legal methods they will 6od hearty
cooperation on the part Of intelligent
negroes throughout the ccuatry. But
50 long as lynching is resosted to, for
almost apy crime committed by colored
men. just so long will the negroes feel
that they are the victims OF race
prejudice and hatred 1t is this feeling
which doubtless causes many of them
to regard the victims of mobs as
martyrs
Booker T. Washington has we'll said
that the negroes are patient and long
suffering people. and t6as they can
better afford to be wrooged than the
white people can afford to wrong them
Is not that true 7 But they are. never
the less, human beings. with like hu
man nature as ourselves (a good deal
of Auglo- o-Saxon nature, too, by reason
of the mixed blood in their veias) and
we should be careful rot to give these
weaker people any excuse to commit
desperate and reveDgeful acts.
White men of the south, if We try
to imagine ourselves in the
place of the negroes, these questions
will assume different aspect to us.
Let us remember their patient submis-
sion iu the long years of slavery. their
fsithful.ess to the whites during the
war We waged to keep them 10 bondage,
their usually ready response to klcd
aud just treatment, their eageruess to
improve their condition by acquiring
education aud property. aud let US
resolve to do them simple justice aud
encourage them in their efforts to elevate
their race That they have in their
ignorance committed great blurders
should excite our pity that some of
them have been guilty of brutal crimes
does not justify Us iu oondemuing the
race but ne ought rather to ask our
selves whether juet such things were
not to be expected of people loog
held in slavery, suddenly euancipated,
and, With no preparsion for citizensbip,
suddenly enfranchised. Nor Gao we
remedy the evils of the fearful period
of reconstruction by violating human
and divine lave If we take this
cslmer and broader view of the situation
we shall be forced to the conclusion
that the Begro has claim on us. not
ouly for Justice, but also for patience
and forbesrance, while he is ploddiog
bis weary way through the wilderness
of trial and struggle to the promised
goal Of character, intelligence aud mao
hood. Through long centuries of toll
and strife our OVID race has reached its
present civilization, such as it is, and
By just as nuch as we are superior to
the negroes 10 this respect, by just sc
| much are re under greater obligations
to help the weaker and less favored
race 10 every worthy eudeavor for
moral. sociat and mrserial progress.
Where the need is greatest the call OF
duty is always loudest. Hence. ios'ead
of adopting policy Ct repression OF
suppression, BY Legislation or other
wise. our attitude toward the negro
should be one of sympathy, encourage.
men, and helpfu'oess-
julius D Dreher.
Roanoke College. Virginia.