The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-06-22
WASHINGTON ON LYNCHINGS.
HIS FIGURES SHOW THE EXTENT
TO WHICH 1T HAS GONE.

His Appeal Addressed Not to the
President or the People OF the
North, Hut to Those of the south.
Year, Only Twenty-FOur Were
Lynched for Rape-Wants the Ne
grOes Better Educated.
Birmingham, Ala, June 2l-Booker T.
Washington, president of the Industrial
and Normal School, to-day furnished the
Associated Press an elaborate discussion
OF the race question in the form of a
paper. Prof. Washington begins his paper
by saying that while it is true that there
are cases of lynchings and outrage in the
Northern and Western states, candor com
pels him 90 admit that by far most of
the cases of lynchings take place in our
Southern states and most of the persons
lynched are negroes.
with all the earnestness of my heart 3"
he says, Il want TO appeal not to the
President of the United States, Mr.. Nc
Kinley; not TO the people of New YORK,
nor of New England, but to the citizens
OF our Southern states, to assist in Great
ing such a sentiment as will make hui
man life here just as safe and sacred as
it is anywhere else in the world"
The paper the% offers a review of the
appeal that has been made through the
press and prominent men that the negro
problem be left to the South He recites
thai the whole country, from the Presi-
dent down, has been inclined to do this.
BY the policy of nOn-nterference the South
has been given a sacred trust. Prof.
Washington continues:
He Gives Some Figures.
81 fear but few people in the South
realize to what an extent the habit of
lynching or the taking of life without
due process OF law has taken hold OF US,
and to what an extent it is not only hurt
ing us in the eyes of the world but injur-
ing our moral and material growth. Many
good people in the South and also out
of the South have gotten the idea that
lynching is resorted to for one crime only.
l have the facts from an authoritative
source. During the last year 127 persons
We're lynched In the United States of
tins number lis We're executed in the South
and nine in the North and West; of the
total number lynched, 102 were negroes.
tWenty-three whites and two Indians OF
this number only twenty-four were charg-
ed IN any way with the crime of rape
Within period of SIX years about 500
persons have been lynched in our South
ern states. This is but a few hundred
short of the total number of soldiers who
lost their lives in Cuba during the war.
II we could realize stu more fully how
far this unfortunate habit is leading US
note the classes of crime during a few
months which the local papers and the
Associated Press say that lynching has
been inflicted fOr-they include murder,
rioting, incendiarism, robbery, self-de-
Tense, insulting women, alleged stock pois-
oning, malpractice, alleged barn burning,
suspected robbery, race prejudice, at
tempted murder and horse stealing, mis-
taken identity, etc. The practice has
grown until we are now at the poiut
where not only blacks are lynched in
the South, but white men as wen: Within
the last six years a least a half dozen
colored women have been lynched
Not for the Negro Alone.
81 am not pleading for the negro alone.
Lynching injuries, hinders and blunts the
Qloral sensibilities of the young and ten
der manhood of The South. Never shall
1 forget the remark made by a little s.
year-old white boy with blue eyes and
haxen hair. The little fellow to his moth
er after he had returned from lynchlns
I have seen a man hanged. Now l wish
/ could see one burned Rather than hear
such a remark from one of my little boys
l you'd rather see him dead.
There is 100 much CRIME among US.
! The figures for given period show that
in the United States 80 per cent. of the
crime committed is by negroes while We
constitute only about u per cent OF the
entire population. This proportion
| holds good not only In the
South. bur also in Northern states
and cities No race that Is so largely tg-
norant and so recently out of slavery
could perhaps show a better record, but
we must face these plain facts. large
amount of the crime among us grows
out of the idleness of our young men and
women. 1t is for this reason that have
tried to insist upon some industry being
taught our young people in connection
with their course of literary training
Prof Washington concludes by appeal
ing TO school teachers. ministers ana the
press to arouse such a sentiment regarding
the committing of crime against women
that no such crime will be charged against
any member of the race. He says the
negro has among the Southern whites as
good friends as he has anywhere in the
world and advises him to stay here and
work out his salvation.