The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-04-29
SOME OF THE SOLUTIONS.

lions of the black problem in the South.
Some of them have used very temperate
language in doing this, and others have
shown more temper than judgment in Civ
ing expressio, 20 their sentiments. All OF
them. howevc-, have overlooked the fact
that they have in their respective com
munities problems. the results of social
conditions, which are as depIorable as the
condition In the South which permits of
the lynching of negroes for assaultins
women. We do not say this for the pur-
pose Of excusing lynchng. We have al
ways condemned lynch law, and shall con-
tinue to dc. On no occasion have we at
tempted to condone violence of that kind.
When the spirit of mob law is abroad in
nocent as well as guilty are likely to be-
come victims of it, and, besides. its ef-
feet upon those responsible for such law is
brutalizing and demoralizing.
We wish 10 say, however, to the news
papers which insist that these lyuchings
in the South indicate that the Southern
people are less civilized than the people of
the North that they are not sincere-that
they know that they are not dealing frank
ly with their readers. One of the Western
papers-the Times Herald Of Chcago-is a
little more fair than some of its contem-
porarles in that section of the country. In
the course of an article on the Newman
lynchng it says I'VE who are outside the
trouble find it a simple matter to be vir-
tuons and law-abiding in our criticism,
but what should we do If we lived amid the
conditions which prevail in the South?
This would be a fair question for a South
erner to ask, and it must be confessed that
1t does not admit of a ready answer"
Yes, 1t does admit of a ready answer
but those outside of the South are not
willing to answer il readily and frankly.
Let crimes like those of which Sam Hose
was guilty be committed in any one of the
Northern states and the perpetrators Of
them would be lynched. and, in all prob
ability. tortured just as Hose was. Why
one day this week, according to a report
in New York paper a mob threatened
10 lynch and burn a negro in the state of
New York for simply stealing a pocket
book. 1t would be an easy matter to find
in the criminal annals of almost any one
of the states things as horrible and saw
age as was the affair at Newman.
We mention these things not to excuse
what occurred in this state, but TO bring
home to those who rashly criticise a whole
people for what was done by a few that
the communities they represent occupy no
higher plane of civilization than the peo-
pie they so freely criticise and condemn.
And it is interesting to notice the vari-
Gus suggestions offered by our Northern
critics for the solution of the black prob
lem. One favors one thing and another
another thing. Most of them, however,
adopt Booker Washington's suggestion.
namely, education. We have no doubt that
If all the negroes Were given a certain
amount of education there would be fewer
assaults on women by negroes, but the
race prejudice would not disappear. It
would. in fact. be accumulated. The more
education the negro is given the greater
his demands will be for political, and even
social, equality Education. therefore, in
stead of removing the causes of trouble
between the whites and blacks would only
increase them. We have said many times
that the race prejudice Is not confined to
the South. 1t is particularly noticeable
| in the South because negroes form so large
a part of the population. Is it not fact
| that the white members of the Common
| Council of Boston, couple of years ago.
| refused practically to occupy seats in the
| Council with a negro who had been elect
ed 10 that body? They made every posi-
20 .-i,l 0f l.
satisfied until they succeeded. Is it not a
fact that a great outcry was made in the
| aristocratic part of Brooklyn recently be-
cause one of the residents of that locality
| sold his house to a wealthy negro? These
| instances are mentioned simply to show
| that the prejudice against the negro is not
confined to the white people of the South
| If there were as many negroes in the
North in proportion 10 the population as
there are in the South there would be the
same black problem there as there is here
| And why would there be? Because the
white race will not submit to the domino
ton of an inferior race in any degree, and
it will not admit it to a political or social
! equality. And the black race is not content
to occupy an inferior position. We may
temporize with this black problem for a
good many years, but all efforts TO solve
it on the basis of political equality wiN be
only makeshifts. That this is true the
leaders of the party of emancipation is be-
ginning TO realize, and that is why they
| appeared to take so little interest in the
| political troubles which occurred in North
Carolina and South Carolina last fail
They understood that the problem was Ole
that could not be solved by the sort of leg
islation to which they had been resortine
for the last thirty years.
William E. Curtis, who is now out among