The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-06-05
INJUSTICE TO NEGROES
THEIR TREATMENT DESCRIBED IN A
SERMON BY REV. d. A. GRAHAM.
Extends to the North as Well as the
SOuth-Lynching In
cidents.

Rev d. A. Graham preached two ser
mons yesterday at Bethel A. Nj. E. Church
on American Justice" The sermons were
given in compliance with request made
by the National Afro-American Council.
which Is now taking up the race problem
with great earnestness of purpose. Mr..
Graham had large audiences at both the
morning and evening services. For his
morning discourse he took the text. do
justice to the afflicted and needy" and
said, in part
The American negro Is afflicted and the
cause of his affection is q most unreason-
able and silly prejudice in the white Amer
leans If the hatred were reversed it would
seem more reasonable. since the Caucasian
has suffered nothing from the negro. while
the latter has suffered everything at the
hands of the Caucasian. While this preju-
dice is greatest in the South, it also mani
tests itself greatly to the af1iction of the
colored man in the North. When he wants
to buy property or rent house he is often
turned away because Of his color. When he
seeks employment where help Is advertised
for he is often told that negroes need not
In shops. stores or factories. no matter how
well educated. refined and good-looking.
Naturally these conditions cause many TO
fall into evil ways, and make dishonest men
of youths who, with mans chance. would
have become honorable and Industrious citi-
zens. But when We cross Mason and Dixon's
line the evil shows itself at every turn.
There are separate waiting rooms at the
railway stations, separate ticket windows,
separate cars and nothing TO eat at any
lunch counter for the colored man. The
negro is refused admission TO churches.
cemeteries and even parks in some cities.
How can the colored youth ever learn TO
look upon himself as a man when he Is con-
stantly treated as a brute? To the South
ern whites the manly. refined negro is the
most deSpicable, because he tries to act
white while the ignorant fellow who
dances jigs and acts the monkey on the
streets is the good old darkey of ante
bellum days The disfranchisement of the
negroes In the South is not the worst evil.
II the authorities would require educa-
tional qualification for all voters we would
see no evil in IL whatever.
LYNCHING IN THE SOUTH.
THE greatest affection we have to suffer
is the lack of trial by jury when accused
of crime. Lynching of negroes is growing
to be Southern pastime. When reproved
for their barbarity they say. The only way
to stop lynching is to stop the crime which
leads to lynching.' Many Northern people
are influenced by this cry, and talk about
lynching as If it were always for crimes
against women. Even some colored people up
here have fallen into this error. Let me
give you some facts TO set you right about
this. Since Jan. /, 1892, 1.226 people have
negroes. Not one third of these persons
were accused of assaulting women. In 1892
out OF al lynched only 46 had such charges
against them. The following year out of
159, but 80 were charged with such an of
Tense, and in succeeding years. up to the
present time the majority of the unfortu-
women. In the face of the actual figures
who will say that we can stop lynching by
stopping one crime? The very next day aft
err Sam Hose was roasted and his charred
remains divided among the white savages
of Georgia as souvenirs, a negro, Willis
Sees, was hung at Osceola, Ark, on sus-
were lynched in the South for barn burning,
and three colored women were lynched dur
ing the same year. One year ago yesterday.
In the town of Doyville. La. a man named
Will Steak was burned alive on the charge
OF assaulting a Mrs. Parish. The New Or
leans Times Democrat, in its account Of the
negro: almost positively He died protest
ing his innocence. but because he had been
almost identified ne was made to suffer
o.. was more fortunate, because he was in
a Northern State. Being identified by Mrs.
J.; {. Underwood, the wife &c. OF minister, he
he had served four years of his time the
conscience of the respectable white lady
Rusband tba She aHr sn soav gt 70 afb
| the negro. The husband had the prisoner
| pardoned and divorced his depraved wife
| There are many such cases. Again, white
men often black themselves and commit
crimes, and then lead mob to lyEch some
| negro who may happen to be around. In
was discovered in the room Of a young
white girl of high standing. While attempt
ing TO escape he was shot and captured
a prominent neighbor, with his face and
hands blackened. Had he not been captured
some poor negro would probably have been
seized, identified almost positively and
hung to the nearest tree. Many innocent
men are thus hanged. or burned alive. just
because American prejudice refuses them a
trial by their peers. And some court trials
are little better than mob trials. The pres
ent Governor of Georgia, while district
judge three years ago. sent Ed Aiken, a
boy OF nineteen years, to the chain gang
for ten years on the charge of attempted
assault. The only evidence the girl offered
down path and she was afraid and ran
She said that he was not within ten feet
Of her., did not speak TO Ter and did not
follow her, but that she was afraid OF him
and ran Judge Candey told the boy that
he would make an example of him, so that
young darkes would get out of the way
when they saw young white girls coming
This is sample OF attempted assault
We want 1t distinctly understood that
We are not trying TO excuse crime. We con-
tend that the death penalty should be in
ficted upon every man who assaults a wom-
an. without regard to color of criminal or
victim, This is more than the whites ask
or will allow. There are twenty colored
women. assaulted by white men in the South
for every white woman assaulted by
negro. Such cases are committed in every
community in the South. but there is no re-
dress for the colored women, either by law
or custom. Under all these Affections We
have great work TO perform. We must not
allow the Injustice and cruelty OF the whites
TO divert our attention from our own weak
nesses and shortcomings. If American JUS
tice and Christianity have decreed that we
must lift ourselves by our own boot straps
let US set ourselves heroically 10 the task
Measured by the depth from which we have
come we have much to encourage us Cast
ing our eyes 10 the SUBMITS yet to be
gained let us thank God and press onip
Charles A. White Dead.
Charles A. White, a well-known young
chan IF ha <heae