The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1899-05-19
THE NORTH AND THE SOUTH
Neither One Can thank God They
Are Better Than the Other,
When 1t Comes to IA Discussion of the
Sin of Mob Law-The Savage Days
of the Draft Riots Recalled.
From the Charleston, s. c., Courier

From the Charleston, S. c., Courier
The people of the South are no
better than they ought to be, and
they lack good deal of living al
ways up to the highest standards Of
citizenship and civilization. To this
frank confession regarding them,
however, it must be added that
there Are Others"
We have been so berated and
lectured very recently by Northern
speakers ard writer's on the score of
exhibitions of race prejudice in this
part of the country, and especially
because of the barbarous treatment
of certain negro criminals and al
legged criminals by some Of The more
violent men among US, that it is
reassuring to be reminded by one
thoughtful and honest Northern
paper that worse things have hap
pened in this generation in the
North itself-and that, bad as We
are, therefore, we are, at least, no
worse than our neighbors, who are
so devoid of the prejudice in question
and are generally so mucn more
civilized than we are. After strong
| ly condemning the Northern mob
for its work, the New York Journal
has this to say to the people of its
own section:
"Look into your own heart and your
own records before you pass judgment
finally upon the South and the character
of its citizens.
"What was your record during the
draft riots! Was your excuse as good
then as the excuse which the killers OF
| the South have to-day?
"Many NOrtherners who shudder at
Southern crimes may not rememb eI
what happened during the draft riots.
"The negro orphan asylum was be
sieged. The negro babies were thrown
from windows or their brains were
dashe out against the walls.
sin July, 1863 mob of Northern men
AND WOMEN hunted fleeing negro
through 18th street between 9th and It'll
avenues. They caught him as he was
endeavoring to escape through the real
of tenement. They stripped him max
ed, hanged Him to lamp post, cut oper
his breast and fastened to it an Infamous
placard. That was one of many similar
scenes in the North.
"And that negro was an innocent man
H e had harmed no one. His only crime
was the color of his skin.
compared to that crime OF the NORTH
the deeds of the South just recorded are
innocence itself.
Therefore, men of the North, yor
may condemn human nature, you may
deplore human savagery, but you neeC
3 not thank God that you are better thar
YOUR brethren of the South-yOu are no
better"
We need not add anything to this
deliverance of our honest contempt
I rary, beyond noting merely tina
l the scene of the slaughter of tn,
; negro babies" and of the exposure
mutilation and death of the unOf
Tending negro man, was not in al
, out-of the way-place, in swamp o
forest, but was in the centre of tn
| greatest city in the North, or on tn
) continent, and that the active par
Elephants in the savage demOnstra
: tons were numbered by the thousan
: and that there were many "simila
scenes in the North"
Mob crimes in the North, of cOurs
do not excuse or palliate in the leas
degree, mob crimes in the South
but the Journal has made it plair
at least, that our brethren in tn
stronger, richer and more civilized
section, are no better than thei
brethren in this part of the country
and are in no position to preach a
us-if there be any comfort for any
body in such assurances and ret1eC
tions.