The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1899-05-15

more to adopt the policy Of terrifying
the negroes by lynchings and other saw
age outrages against them. The SaVan-
nah paper talks about wedding out the
"lawless element" among them In oruer
to prevent trouble. That element is not
confined to the negroes. 1t exists among
the whites also, and is present every"
where In civilization. The prime object
of the law of civilized states is it's con-
troll and subsection By means OF pains
and penalties. Such law prevails III the
statutes OF the south, and 1t affords SUI
hcient means for the protection OF It's
society against the lawless, whether
black or white. When, therefore, the
south proceeds to defy the law it becomes
itself lawless. The whites resort to muir
der and assassination to terrify the law
less element among the negroes ana
thus confess that the south is outside OF
civilization, that its society is worse IN
its disregard OF law than even the savage
tribes, for those have an orderly and Or
ganized system Of discipline for their
protection
1t is proved abundantly that only a
part of the southern lynchings are
against the 'lawless element" Take the
case of the respectable and orderly negro
postmaster who was murdered by the
whites in n South Carolina town for the
sole reason that he held that office. VI
was only a single example of many
lynchngs, for which there was not even
the pretext of lawlessness. They took
place, although the certainty that their
victims would be brought to punishment
If found guilty in legal proceedings, even
| on scanty evidence, was everywhere abb
| sOlute. Accordingly, they expressed
simple vindictiveness of the most saw
| age sort; and they are increasing steadi-
| ly, instead of diminishing. The Savan-
| nah paper wants to keep the negroes as
furnishing labor essential to the devel-
| opment of the south; but is that the
| way to do It? Is there any laboring pop
! ulation which would stand that sort of
| treatment without dangerous resent
ment? Will not the negroes either wreak
| bloody revenge or depart from a region
| where they suffer from outrages so un-
| exampled in history for their brutality,
and SO unnecessary for the protection of
society, as they we'll know?
| When a movement for the emigration
of the negroes to Kansas was started q
few years ago, even violent measures to
| prevent it's continuance were taken In
| North Carolina and South Carolina, on
| the ground that it was depicting danger
| ously the labor supply in the neighbor-
| hoods to which It reached. Now, how
| ever propositions to drive out all the
negroes are discussed seriously, through
out the south the lynchng of negroes FOL
various reasons, and on various pre-
texts, is going on with increasing fire.
quency, and political disabilities are i'm
posed upon them. Thus every possible
pressure is brought to force the negroe:
out. If tho whites of the south sympa
thize with this Savannah paper in its de
sire to keep the negroes as a laborins
population, which is essential to its pros
perity. they will need to prove their faitl
by their works. They will need to refraiI
from political discrimination and inhu
man outrages which make life in th'
southern states intolerable for thu
| negroes.