The Marlboro democrat. [volume] (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1882-1908, 1903-09-04
NEGROES MEET.
And Discuss Lynch Law and the
Cause of It.
ONLY ONE D1scARDANT SPEECH.
The Negroes Say They Look TO tho
White People 10 Help
Them to Upline Is.

White People 10 Hclp
Them to Upl,re VS. IS
The Race. .!7
u There met In Columbia on Tuesday
OF last week nearly hundred negro
men whose purpose Is to put them
selves on record as dcnouncing the
crime which proyokes lynchings and
!. tn formulate an appeal to the white
people TO put down mob law. These
men can hardly be called representa-
tves OF their race, for they are Of an
order Of intelligence Which is above
the average of the colorcd people. But
they are the expenents OF Gllat race
and the advocates for their people.
The following account Of the proceed
ings we clip from The State:
SHOULD BE NO RACE. HATRED.
In opening the conventions pro-
cccdingS,> Rev Nj. q. johnson said that
these foul crimes Of which negroes
have been accused arc painful 10 the
hearts Of all true cGlUred citizens who
want 1T understood that they clnphat-
icaily dcnOunce that particular class OF
crime and most bitterly condemn THE
perpetrators. The object Of this meet
Ing is to take steps for the higher
moral elevation or that class which
would commit such crimes and to ap.
peal for the suppression or mob VIC
lcnce, not only because the innocent
sometimes suffer it's punishment, but
because the habit of lynch law will yet
lind for It's victims persons guilty OF
crimes less revolving.
1t appears that now there is an en-
nifty between the races which God
Almighty never intended. AS lor < as
such sentiments are fostered, -:..e acts
Of tough element Of negrco will be
regarded as characteristic hat en-
tire race, and the lawleSSnesS OF a bad
element Of white people will be looked
upon as the expression Of the entire
white people.
with the help of God we will cor
rect the evil in our own race" he said,
and we appeal to the white people to
remove those grievances Of which we
now complain The true negro citi-
zen, he said, longs to see that day
when we will have the protection OF
law In the pursuit OF happiness and
when the white people can go away
from their homes and leave their fam
lies secure in the knowledge that they
will not be harmed or molcsted.
The speaker complained rather Bit
terly because some or the leaders OF
his race and some OF the race papers
had criticized the spirit of this con
yention.s even before the convention
1l2u IIlc lEEe-5t ted lup,nI siiosa
T I yUI fNt tI,n 4
come anyway and witness what was
done. Otherwise by their negative in
lluencc they would be responsible to
God If in any way they contributed to
the failure Of this movement which
has good for it's object.
The meeting was then declared open
for business.
i AN INFLAA1ITORY SPEECH.
| rs lynching ever justiiiable, or does
1T lessen the crime for which 1t is
DONE" That was the subject Of all adj
dress by Rev. NJ. w. Gilbert, a teach
er In Benedict college. He made the
broad statement that lawlessness is
not a cure for lawlcssncSS. Lynchlng
is a direct reversion to barbarism, to
the time when private vengeance was
rcsortcd to as the way in which to set
tie disputes. 1t is the execution Of
vengeance and is not justice. 1t is the
expression OF race prejudice, and race
prejudice Is the mother Of injustice.
1t Is il remedy to cure negroes OF crime
while white people 80 free
lie declared lynching to be the out
come OF race prejudice, but his re-
marks at this point were not calcu-
lated to make the convention think
any the more kindly of the white peo-
pie. Lynching, he declared, is unjus-
tifiable because it is not confined to
punishment for certain crime. He
declared that negroes should help the
legally appointed offices in finding
criminals. Every criminal, white or
black, is the enemy OF society, and
should be turned over to the law. If
lynching should stop, negroes would
join hands with the white people in
running criminals down.
Lynching is unjustifabe because it
Isl confession that the law is impo-
tent in taking care of society. 1t is
said that the women upon whom the
crime Is wrought ought not to be
brought into the court room. That is
no excuse for lynching The white
people have courts, they have the leg
islatiye halls. Let them pass a law
excluding from the court room all but
the jurors and the judge. Lynching
is unjuStiiiable because it is inadcouate
us punishment. The negro who is
lynched does not suffer sufficiently, as
he would do in jail, at the trial and
Oh the gallows. The trial would give
greater publicity and would be more
or an example to others.
In connection with this point he
made the significant statement that
intelligent negroes have never ycb dis
graccd their race with this terrible
crime, and lie appealed for more
schools and Il longer school term.
Lynching is unjustfiablc because,
being criminal in its nature it begcts
crime, for one crime bcgcts another
frequently. He concluded by saving
that lynching is crime, lynching is
murder, iynci1ii1K is anarchy AID an.
archy IS hell.
COMMON SENSE SPEECH.
The spcach which had more com
mon sense in it, and yet was delivered
in;; scholarly style, was from the Rev
G. II. billiard, IL Presbyterian mission
airy. While he spoke Loyalty and
proudly Of his own race, there was
tnthfDp of IIDkin6poco fnr tbn o+ko,.