The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1901-11-15
BOOKER T. WASHINGTON ON
LYNCHING IN UNITED STATES

1T is no pleasure to me to speak upon
this subject, today. 1t is very decided
ly painful to me, a Southern white
man, sired and grandsired. mothered
and grandmothered, by Southern peo-
pie, born and reared farther South
than the latitude of this town,-it is
very decidedly painful to me to have
to deal with this subject, and, in deal
ing with it, to say what the time de-
mands shall be said. 1t could give me
no pleasure to need to speak out in
denunciation of crime, lawlessness, bru-
tally anywhere on the earth; but per-
haps it is a pardonable infirmfty of hui
man nature for one to feel more pain
in acknowledging and denouncing the
sins Of ones own land, ones own peo
pie, than in holding up the standard of
moral protest against the crimes of
people separated from one by an ocean,
or a Mason and Dixon's line. l confess
to such an infrmity.
But should be unfit to stand in this
place if l allowed that infirmity to
blind my eyes to one of the dismalest
crimes of the ages because it is being
perpetrated in this Southern land by
Southern men, or to seal my lips from
denunciation of that crime, and the
moral tone of the South, and especial
ly Of this state, today,-the moral tone
W
tiers makes virtue of 1t.
IF some one were to declare in Bos-
ton that there were more Massachu-
sets murderers in Massachusetts out
side than inside the state penitentiary,
or that the great majority of Massa-
chusetts murderers were not hanged,
or imprisoned or brought to trial, or
arrested, who would doubt but that
a very untrue and foolish thing had
been said: that an absurd SANDER had
been uttered against the fair name of
Massachusetts? But if some one were
to stand UP in Greenville, today, and
declare that there are more Mississippi
murderers outside than inside the state
prison; that the great majority of the
Mississippi murders are never hanged,
or Imprisoned or brought to trial. or
indicted, or arrested, or forced to flee
from one county to another, or serious
ly bothered in any way,-if some one
were to stand up in Greenville and say
that, who could be sure that he said an
untrue thing? Who could truthfully
declare that an absurd SANDER had
been uttered against the state? Who
could fairly deny but that the simple
truth had been spoken? Who could be
so blind and so dull as to contend that
the men of all colors and races who
have been hanged or imprisoned, or
tried, or arrested, or fined, or bothered,
for murder have not been outnumbered
during the past 10 years by the men
of one race, anG that race the race to
which we belong-by the men of one
race who have met together in bands
and crowds, and deliberately slain
their fellowmen, setting aside all the
forms of law, and making of them
selves murderers as clearly as he who
lies in ambush and sends bullet
through the heart of his foe?"
Within the last 10 days it has been
my privilege to be in Greenville, Miss,
and meet Mr.. Ewing, and it was most
interesting to note the strong influence
of this Christian gentleman upon that
whole section of Mississippi 1 was in
formed by the colored people that the
influence of this sermon, as well as
other words often spoken by Mr.. Ew-
ing in the same direction, have proved
most beneficial in keeping kindly rela-
lions existing between the races, and
in educating the public sentiment to the
point where every man felt that, if he
were charged with crime, he would
receive a fair, patient and legal trial.
OF course, mere condemnation of this
kind will not constitute the whole rem
edy. We must go deeper. Crime will
not disappear in any large degree from
the section where it is most prevalent
until all the people are more generally
educated. In this respect there is an
opportunity for the rich of our coun-
try to use their money in a way that
will make every section of the United
States their debtor.
Tuskegee, Alabama.