The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1902-08-06

made, In southern phrase, 10 hno" "HN
keep his place.
"In the case we are considering, these
distinctions are not based on this negro
ignorance, on his viciousness, on MS
offensiyeness of person or OF manner;
for he is educated, good, cleanly' ana
courteous. They are based solely on the
fact that he is a negro. They do not so
operate in the case OF white man. but
the black man, because OF his blackness'
is nut in this lowest place in public es-
teen and treatment.
Lynching, again, is but more IN
famed and conspicuous expression OF thls
same general sentiment. An 1nvestlga-
ton of the statistics of this practice IN
the United States will bring to light sew
eral interesting and startling facts.
CAUSE OF LYNCHING.
"'But. now, if it were strictly the fact
that violent rape is the cause OF most OF
our lynchings; If it were true, moreover,
that the man were suddenly and violently
slain by the husband, lover, father, broth
er, of the dishonored one, in quick temp
est of wrath and agony unspeakable-
while we must still condemn, we might,
in sympathy and sorrow, condone the
deed of hurried vengeance. But neither OF
these things is true.
Z" TT has been repeatedly shown, in the
first place, that only very small proper
tion lin some years TENTH of South
crn lynchings are due to rape, either
actual or suspected. Statistics on the
subject may be had for the asking; and
in their light it seems about time for our
apologists to drop this stock and entirely
false pleading. But the writer in the
Review cites a case where this plea held
good Granted; but this is advocacy:
end for every case so cited from five to
ten cases can be cited where it not only
did not hold good, but was not even pre-
tended by the workers of mob violence.
So, in recent issue Of a noted and rabid
Southern daily a case of lynching for
rape is indicated by large headlines;
and just beneath it is a short and insig-
nificant paragraph noting the lynching
of two negroes for suspected harn-bu
ing. But these latter cases are not men
toned In our advocates; or, if mentioned,
are minified by those who feel that our
section must be defended at any cost, and
so plead. =
TALKS OF SAM HOSE.
"'Take another instance The burning
of Sam Hose took place on a Sabbath
day. One of our enterprising railroads
ran two special trains to the scene. And
two train loads of men and boys, crowd
ing from cow-catcher to the tops of the
coaches, were found to go to see the in
descrbable and sickening torture and
writing of fellow human being And
%
knee caps, and finger bones, and bloody
ears. 1t is the purest savagery.
1.-the utter shallowness and hypocrisy
Of this Southern plea that this is right
eous public sentiment, aroused and ad-
irinistering a rude hut terrible Justice. is
patent and undeniable, and can be shown
in the clearest light by single simple
proposition. White men commit the same,
and worse, against the black man, for
which the black man pays this terrible
and ungodly penalty. Can any sane man,
white or black, North or South. suppose
for a single instant that a Southern COM
munity would either permit black mob
to lynch a white man, whether merely
suspected or known as guilty of his crime,
or that white mob would lynch one OF
it's own color for any crime against a
black? The idea is incOnceivable The
color of the victims skin is the determin-
ing factor in most of our lynchings.
"'And yet, the home of the negro is as
sacred as that Of the white man: his
right to live as truly God-given. If the
negro can be kicked and cuffed and cursed
rightly. so car the white man. If there
is no wrong in dishonoring a negroes
home, there is no more wrong in dishon-
oring the white mans. If the negro GRIM
iral may be burned at the stake with the
usual accomplishments OF fiendish cruelty.
a white man guilty of the same crime
deserves, and should suffer, the same
penalty. There is nothing in white
skin, or a black, to nulify the essential
rights of man as man. And yet to the
average Southern white man this mani
testify Just view seems both disloyal and
absurd. as
MR.. SLEDD'S REMEDY.
"'And here lies the remedy for the con-
clifton of things as existing in the South.
The white man who wrongs a black and
the white mob that lynches negro have,
by that act and to that extent become
criminals in the eyes Of the law, and
should be dealt with unsparingly as such.
It should no longer be a notable thing.
to be chronicled in the news columns and
elicit editorial comment. that several
white men should be punished for the
brutal murder of one inoffensive negro. 1t
should be the rule. And as for lynching-
let all the officers of the law, with all
the powers of the law defend the rights
and life OF every prisoner. Surely we
who can revel in the burning of fellow
human being, and a section some of
whose prominent men can soberly defend
such a bloody proceedings ought not to
have any over-ssnsitive scruples at the
shedding of little additional blood, and
that too of criminals caught in the very
act of crime. So let our marshals have
instructions, failure to obey which shall
result in criminal prosecution, to protect
at any cost the accused who come into
their care
This is the heart of the Southern prob
lem of the negro. If we call upon the
people of the North to give over their
mistaken ideas of the equality OF the
races in superficial and accidental things,
we are called upon by the louder voice OF
simple humanity to give over our mucn
more vicious idea of the inequality OF the
races in the fundamental rights or hu-