The new age. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1902-190?, 1902-07-12

1t has ben repeatedly shown In ,ha !
nrst place. that only a very small pro- |
portion Tin some years one-tenthl of
southern lynchings are due to rane
either actual or suspected. Statistics
on the subject may be had for the ask.
ing; and in their light il seems about
time Tor 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; and for every
case so cited from five to ten cases
cases can be cited where IT not only
did not hold good. but was not even
pretended by the workers of mob vio.
ience. So, in a recent issue of a noted
and rabid Southern daily a case of
lynching for rape is indicated by large
headlines; and just beneath is a short
and Insignificant paragraph noting the
iynching of two negroes for suspected
oarn-burning. But these latter cases
are not mentioned by our advocates:
or. II mentioned. are minified by those
who feel that our section must be de.
Tended at any cost, and so plead.
On the contrary, a frank considera.
ton Of all the facts. with no other de.
sire than to find the truth. the whole
truth. and nothing but the truth, how.
ever contrary to our wishes and hu.
initiating to our section the truth NAV
be. will show that by far the most of
our Southern lynchings are carried
through in sheer, unqualified, and in
creasing brutality. In nearly every
case, neither the sentiment that
prompts them nor the spirit of their
execution deserves anything less than
the most bitter arraignment We do.
indeed. hear from time to time of an
orderly body of leading citizens" con-
Quoting a lynching, but while the
writer knows of certainty one instance
wher this took place-the accused be.
ing, however. white man known as
guilty, and put to death in the most
painless possible way with chloroform
by those nearest and dearest to his
vistim-it is fortunately a much rarer
, occurrence than our newspapers would
, have us believe. Our lynchings are
, the work of our lower and lowest elias
, ses. What these classes are is hardly
, comprehensive to one who has not
, lived among them and dealt with them
: One adult white man in the South
: in every six or eight can neither read
nor write; and if the standard be put
}. above the level of most rudimentary
iiteracy the disproportion rapidly in
creases. A generation before our civil
war, George Bourne charged the Sou
4 thern slave holders with "self-conceit,'
"marble-hearted insensibility." tota
lack of correct views of equity" ant
violence in cruelty" Whether appli
J cable, as used by Mr.. Bourne, or not
? this terrible indictment at once init
> mates the origin of our present views
= and treatment of the negro, and may
: be applied today, in every term, to the
; classes that supply our lynchers
= Wholly ignorant, absolutely without
> culture, apparently without even the
. capacity to appreciate the nicer feel
, ings or higher sense, yet conceitet
= on account of the white skin which
= they continually dishonor, they maze
, up, when aroused. as wild and bruta
= mob as ever disgraced the face o
i the earth. For them. lynching is no
Justice" however rude; 1t is wild
and diabolical carnival of blood.
No candid man who has seen thu
average lynching mob. or talked will
the average lyncher, can deceive him
self for a moment with the idea tina
this ms the expression of a publi'
sentiment righteouslyq indignant owe
the violation of the law and its impo
tence or delay. This, too, is a common
Southern plea; but it is pure pretense
The lyqncher is not, even under ord
nary circumstances, over-zealous TO
the law; and in this case he is not 1t
\ custodian, but himself its violator
As for the laws delay or inefficiency
= the lyncher does not wait to see wha
the law will do; and yet it is wei
\ known fact in the South that in tn
/ case of a negro, where violent rap
j is proven, the punishment Of the lay
= Is both swift and sure. And In othe
crimes as well, it is known that tn
negro will receive at the hands OF tn
constituted authorities the same, PEI
i haps even a little sharper justice tina
= is melted out to the white man. Bu
as TIE Iync6er sees it. the case stand
TINS: A negro has committed or !
supposed to have committed a crime
A negro-and the rest follows. Their
r. NAV be some maudlin talk about tn
dreadful crime" about "uphoidln
= the majesty of the law" about "teacf
ing the niggers a lesson;' yet IN
lvncher Is but little concerned VIII
the crime. less with the law. As 10
"teacbing the niggers a lesson ina
Of catch phrase of the lynching mo