The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1900-08-18
RACE PREJUDICE AT THE NORTH


Those Northern papers which are al
ways so prompt to condemn the Southern
people whenever there is lynching in the
South have not been prompt in making
comments on the race riot in New York
Which began last Wednesday night. No
doubt they will have something to say
about it. and it will be interesting to
read their viaws of it. They have tried to
convey the impression that only in the
South is there anything like prejudice
against the negro. They have taken the
position that the civilization of the North
is so much superior to hat of the South
that there is no possibility of discrimina-
ton against the negro there On account
of his color.
They may have been sincere in taking
that position. but IL always seemed to US
that they were more anxious to find fault
with the South than to get at the truth.
They know now, however. that the feel
ing against the negro is just as strong
in the North as 1t is in the South. In
fact, ID is stronger, because in every part
Of the South the negro has the same
chance TO earn living that a white man
has. Every avenue of employment is open
to him and he Is at liberty to enter any
business or profession. This is not the
case at the North. There he Is barred out
OF certain of the trades, and ne finds it
difficult to make a place for himself in
any kind of business
The hostility that was shown to negroes
in New York city last Wednesday night
was fully as great as that shown to the
people of that race recently in New Or
leans. Even the police in the Northern
city seemed to have grudge against the
negroes. The wonder is that there were
not more people killed in New York dur
ing the riot there.
We have said frequently that If there
were in the North the same class of ne
sroes that, in the South. furnish the
criminals that are lynched, there would
be as many lynchings in the North as
there are in the South The lynching spir-
ii is there. The crimes alone are lack
ing If they were committed there
would be plenty of lynchings.
We do not say this in defense of lynch
ings or in a spirit of recrimination but
simply for the purpose of pointing on.
that race prejudice is not confined to any
section of the country, and that the race
problem is not to be solved by a sweep
ing condemnation of the Southern people
by fanatics and partisan newspapers of
the North whenever a mob in the South
lynches a negro for heinous offense.
1t is a fact that the race feeling be-
tween the whites and the negroes be-
comes more acute as the negro popula-
ton increases. The superior race objects
TO the inferior race playing any part in
politics or occupying any public place If
authority. And that is not the only cause
OF antagonism. The negroes live more
meanly. and, hence, more cheapy, and
therefore. can afford to work for less
vases. They do work for less wages
and for that reason the same class OF
white labor is against them. II half the
population of Massachusetts were ne
groes as is the case in South Carolina,
II Is safe to say that the two races
would not gee along nearly so well togeth-
Ell in the New England state as they do
in the Southern state. The negroes would
not be treated as justly or as kindly.
Little is to be accomplished. however
by presenting the facts of the case to
fanatics. The thinking and fair-minded
portion of the Northern people ought 20
look at the situation as 1t really H. ANA
join with the Southern people in an ef-
fort 40 end some solution OF the race
problem rather than to seem to encourage
unjust attacks on the South for the out
groupings OF prejudice that is even
stronger IN the North than in the South.