The colored American., 1900-12-08


can quill drivers. Whether Bryan or
Mckinley was the best to timeserve
and other matters caused little word
drama But aside from the humor and
light heartiness, the occasion OF these
''opinion molders" furnishes one who
Is outside the battle liness it goes to
show, we are dividing upon questions
affecting the country. With Fortune
asking Harry Smith will he be coed,
and Manning Of The Indianapolis
World coming to Smiths rescue is
pretty scene. Because Mr.. Smith would
not sing 'Be True Bright Eyes. " For
tune scored him in the following style:
editor Harry G. Smith, of the Cleve'
land Gaz atte-now, will you be good?
During the entire campaign you have
chased with the hare and run with the
hound. You now have the satisfaction
Of having contributed nothing to the
election of the republican ticket and
of having abused good friends who
never did him any evil, but hope that
YOU may live long and continue to
grow fat. But calmly, looking at the
result with the eye Of philosophy.
answer Us this question will you be
good?"
Brother Manning after leading with
an excellent editorial on "What Con-
stitutes an Editor" takes up Editor
Smiths cause and fires back st.sthe i'm
pressibIe New York Sage, under the
caption s'Fortune off bis Base' and
has the following to say:
"We are sorry to see this disposition
on the part OF the Age, to indulge in
cheap c!ap.trap at the expense OF man
like Mr.. Smith, who has done so much
for his race. While others have sat
around nursing their lands, lamenting
over the Iynching Of Negroes, aud be-
moaning the unjust race prejudice, Mr..
Smith has done something. The same
mail that brought the Age containing
the above, brought us also copy OF
Mr.. Smiths spsper-Cleveland Gazette
and from its editorials we clip this
paragraph:
after nearly four years contest in
the courts, our Ohio anti-lynching law
was ajjudged constitutional by the
state Supreme Court last winter In
February or March Since then the
heirs OF "Click" Mitchell. OF Urbana,
have won suit for S. 600 against
Ehampaign county and the venerable
Edward Jackson, Of Logan county, his
for 81 1000 He was injured by mob Of
white brutes while "Cllck" Mitchell
was most brutslly murdered. 1t was in
1894 we started cut to place such law
in Ohio's stutes. In 1896 we succeed
ed. Happy? Well, l guess
And he has cause to be happy. Alone
and unaided he took up the fight
against lynchiDg in the only way that
is likely to prove successful, by strik'
ing at the pocket books of the lynchers
and now after six years, he can enjoy
the full fruition Of his hopes.
Already other states are seriously
considering the merits OF this Ohio
anti Iynching law as remedy for mob
violence that promises to accomplish
something. And because Mr. Smith has
had the courage to voice bis con-
victions, and refused to crook the
hinges Of the knee to the party boss, he
must bs made the butt of the silly rldi-
cule of such papers as the Age. The
trouble is that Mr. Smith has already
"been good" t. q lot OF people who, it
seems, can not appreciate his goodness. J"
In the meantime Editor Smith was
preparing a companion piece to that
love dittyot this ''Be True Bright Eyes"
and MIR. Indianapolis World poses as
the champion of the under dog.
MIR. Fortune, rejoicing over the elec-