The age-herald., 1899-05-02
THE AGITATION
 WAS SHORT LIVED Northern Press Has QuietGd on Pal
 mGttO LynChinS. ONLY SERIOUS CRITICISM Related to the BarbaFOuS Torture Of
 RaplSt Hose. QUESTION OF REPRESENTATION Probable That a Bill to Reduce the Number of Congressmen from the
 South Will Be Introduced
 Cannot Pass
QUESTION OF REPRESENTATION

WaShlnSton, May 1.-(Special)-The agita- ton over the recent lynching in Georgia did not last long here. Even it's discussion in the newspapers came summarly to an tnd when it was found that the readers did not show any sympathy, or very little, with the vapid denunciations of editors, who. if they understood the situation in the south failed to show any comprehension of it in their editorials. The officials here refused to dis cuss the matter at all and none in the de- partment of justice could be rounded up to an official expression of opinion. The only criticism of a serious nature indulged in at all related to the torture of the negro Hose after tied to the stake. But everyone realizes that no criticism of the papers in Atlanta, Birmingham, New Orleans, Wash ington, Chicago or New York is going to have the slightest effect upon those com- munities where such crimes of which Hose was guilty are committed. The officials know thoroughly that lynch law cannot be put down by military regulations. The vir- tue or one woman in an autlying county is worth more to the people of that county than everything short of stability of the national government.
 Had Best Hands Of
 There is a growing feeling here that the people in the south are better fitted to handle the race question than anyone else and there is no disposition to tamper with 1t. Men may discuss the matter from a standpoint of social and political ethics .hass> have yet to hear a woman dafeGd inc negro rapist. No one <SDenlv indorse such an act of llssssffsssne sffsssness as that perpe- re sSso1,H.Ir..Syeorgia, .I and but precious few ah >1cdnd to condemn any part of it, save r111.e cruelty of the torture invoked.
 have seen it predicted at the south that this lynchng would form the text of many speeches in the next congress- and possibly provoke some radical legislation on the subject From what I can learn it will have no effect upon any questions now pending, such as that to cut down the rep resentation in the south. An effort will be made to pass a law to decrease the num- Der of representatives in the south, but I understand that it will receive no support from President Mckinley, and should such a bill ever be sent to him he would prompt ly veto it. He does not want anything done to add to any ill feeling between the sections during his term of office. I have heard it stated by those who are very close to the president that he has made his opposition to such a measure known to the Readers in the house and senate. Whether it will have the effect of pre- venting the introduction of such a measure is doubtful, but it is more than likely that he will be able to defeat it should a vote l ever be taken.
 Believes in Forbearan
 He believes that more is to be gained by forbearance and patience than by any radical attempt to legislate on the sub ject
 There Is another reason, too, which causes the representatives from the north and west to hesitate before medding with the race question in the south. It is a well defined fear that any agitation of the ques- ton may cause dissimnatio of the ne- gro more evenly throughout the states. AL ready New Jersey and Connecticut are face to face with the race question, but in a different phase. They have admitted the negro into their schools until the negro is not looked upon with any degree of ab- horence by their children. This can be carried to a point where the contact will prove a serious menace to the social ee- ment in those states.
 New Jersey already sees the danger of it's propaganda in behalf of the negro, and is now trying to undo what it has done and to expel the colored pupils from the white schools else to build other schools for the whites exclusively.
 In Illinois the question has assumed a still more serious phase Misingination is more freely indulged in there than almost any other state which fact became alarm ing when misinginaton ball was given in the city of Chicago some time ago. For commercial and labor reasons the whites in the northern states do not want to any immigration of the negro into their states. The thinking men realize that they will be unable to cope with the problem should the negro disseminate throughout the country. They view with alarm the continued growth of the negro population in their section and do not want to hasten it by any undue agitation of the issue. A. w. B.