The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1899-06-22
THEY ARE INCREASING
MOST OF THOSE LYNCHED ARE
NEGROES.
AND THEY DIE FOR VARIOUS CRIME:
Yet The Negro Has Among Southern Whites as
Coed Friends as Elsewhere and Should
Remain and Work Out his
Salvation Here.


r. Washington. President of the Indus
trial and Normal School today furnished
the Associated Press an elaborate dis
cuSsion of the race question in the form
of n paper. Professor Washington be-
gins his paper by saying that while
it is true that there are cases of lynch
ing and outrage in the Northern ana
Western States. candor compels him to
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" he says. II want to appeal not
to. the President of the United States.
Mr.. Mckinley, not to- the people of
New York nor of New England. burt to
the citizens of our Southern States. to
assist in creating such a public senti-
ment as will make life here just as
safe and sacred as it is anywhere else
in the world"
The paper then offers n review of
the appeal that has been made through
the press and prominent men that the
negro problem he left to the South. He
recites that the whole country from
the President down has been inclined
to do this. BY the policy OF non-inter-
ference the South has been given a
sacred trust.
Professor Washington continues:
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
bIrp pr no i'm hp nf ba hyyf
injuring our own 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. / have the facts
from an authoritative source. During
the last year one hundred and twenty
seven persons were lynched In the Uni
ted States: of this number 11S were
executed in the South and nine in the
North and West: of the total number
lyncned 102 were negroes. % whites
and two Indians. OF this number
only "a were charged in any way with
the crime of rape.
within a period of six years about
800 persons have been lynched in our
Southern States. This is hut few
hundred short of the total number of
soldiers who lost their lives in Cuba
during the war. If we could realize
still more fully how far this unfortunate
halEt is leading us-rote the classes of
crime during n few months which the
local papers and the Associated Press
say that lynching has been inflicted for
they include murder, rioting incen-
tliarism. robbery. larceny. self defense.
insulting women. alleged poisoning, mall
practice. alleged barn burning, suspected
robbery, race prejudice, attempted muir
der and horse-stealing, mistaken identi-
ty, etc. The practice has grown until
we are now at the point where not
only blacks are lynched In the South
but white men as well. Withfn the
last six years at least half dozen
colored women have been lynched.
81 am not pleading for the negro alone.
Lynching Injuries. binders and blunts
the moral sensibilities of the young and
tender manhood of the South. Never
shall forget the remark made by a lit
tie nine year old white boy with blue
eyes and hayen hair. The little fellow
said to his mother after he had re-
turned from a lynching: i have seen a
man hanged. Now / wish I could see
one burned
Rather than hear such remark
from one of my little boys, / would
rather see him dead.
"There is too 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 ~ per cent of the
entire population. This proportion holds
good not only in the South, but also
i'm Northern States and cities No race
that is so largely ignorant and so re-
| Gently out of slavery could perhaps show
a better record, but we must face
these plain facts. A large amount of the
crime among us grows out of the idle
| ness of our young men and women 1t is
| for this reason that / have tried to in
sist upon some industry being taught
| our young people in connection with
their course Of literary training"
Professor Washington concludes by
| appealing to school teachers, ministers
and the press to arouse such a senti-
ment regarding the committing of crime
| against women that such a crime will
not be charged against any member of
the race. He says the negro has among
| Southern whites as good friends as he
| has anywhere in the world and advises
| him to stay here and work out his sal
| walton.