The Marlboro democrat. [volume] (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1882-1908, 1903-09-04
Q. q laos.
ISS5IJ JEs AN /: ADDRESS.
-
Y " hat hat The N1legroea Have to Say TO the
White People.

y What 4 the Negroes Have to Say to ii,
WI White People. !,
W,ANTs !, So I.Y,,:NllcH1Na STOPPED.
i nut "a Z e Very Little so : Say Apou,
"a TIC i Crime that Causes
s3 Is /. and Condcn,ns il
s.ssS Mildly.
g The following is the address issued
by the ;qegro convention to the white
people: bfs the State. Perhaps the ad.
dress may be disappointing to those
Write peaple WHO might have expect.
cd somossthing different from what was aa.s,
adopted something which would
acknowledge the crime which has
caused so many lynchingsr. and which
would appeal: ito the white. people .te
stop slynchings pom the promise o1
the negroes that they would endeayol
to restrain the british element OF
their race from crimes of passion.
/ We. the colured citizens Of South
CaUlina in 81 convention. !. assembled,
desire to sdirect the attention ofe'thc
nw-ablding white citizenS-of tile State
to tl1esalarming amount of lawlcss-
ness thatfis being practiccd in the
State which is disturbing the peace
and good order Of society, generally
creating much bad feeling. and anita.
g0niSmJ9between the races and en-
dangerlng the lives Of many citizens
by mObSYiolence. 1t is well known
that inthe majority ofiustances where
for anyEcause a difficulty, occurs be-
tween asiwhitc and coloreds man, the
latter has nothing; like. an equal show
Ing before courts If, at all permitted
| to come toatrial. It cannot be denied
that liza colorcd man Is accused !ot
any serious crime iin4 which the in
terests fof.a white man is involved,
especially II the crime results In per.
sonal injury to the latter, a lynchine
Is likely to take place. y
Whenever there has been sem.
blancet of race riot in South Carolina
the principal cause e@was the attempt
OF white men to punish crimes eharg-
ed against negroes, instead of invok.
Ing the, law. Numerous Instances
could bcicited in proof of this fact and
we venture to challenge the impair
tial puhlic.to cite single instance to
dlsproyc this. NJ
The negro in South Carolina has NO
voice or participation In the enact
ment or the enforcement Of the law.
We therefore, !, appeal to 4 the white
people for the proper enforcement OF
the lawsjWhictl they themselves have
made Gforsiws ltave relied upon the
promisess e E: protection and equality
before the lazy made by the late Gov.
WhSGss' 'lAmp ptonl and SUCCESSORS and
eglG blythe laWSahiding citizens.
lsWesa 10 feet1rd sssonr lna.ss e; isg
Ilegross, we do no DEFY iSsiH fiiaoe !. ea
l'negroiSl .ceS furnishes an aiarmingly
large - cent. Of the criminal class
OF South Carolina, and we do not con.
done their crimes. We denounce the
crime ofrape as iuhnman and brutal
and those who commit 1t should be in.
illcted with the serverest punishment
provided by law, but-hold that the
Nervousness Of the crime should
strengthen the demand Of jury trial.
We feel assured that the better class
OF white citizens do not believe that
the better class of colored citizens
would harbor or conceal any member
OF the race who is accused OF crime
from the properly constituted au-
thoritieS. We Senounce lynching as
unlawful, and therefore unjustifiable
under any circumstances and we re-
grct that not even a liberal reward by
the governor will secure the idcntitica-
ton and arrest Of white lynchers in
South Carolina. We do not recall q
single instance where white lynchcrs
have been convicted in this State, but
it Is on record that for the one and
only instance where Tin the county OF
Pickens) negroes lynched a white
rapiSt, the lynchcrs wore tried and
convicted. We deplore the unreliable
methods used by the State press and
by the management Of the Associated
Press dispatch officers in the State to
secure correct reports OF crimes alleg-
cd to have been committed by negroes.
Too often sensational reports that ex-
cited little or no interest in the locali-
ties where the alleged offcnSes occurr-
eel are sent out by the press. And
lynching parties have probably been
organized under excitement resulting
from such reports.
We deplorc the cruel and inhuman
attacks upon the negro race that are
hcing made by the senior United
States senator from South Carolina
and prayerfully hope that the good
white people of the State do not en-
dorse his views. We are surprised
that those high in authority, State or
federal, would make uttcrances cap
able OF the inference that the better
class Of negroes should be held any
more responsible for the morals, power
ty or crimes Of their race than the
better class Of other races composing
the republic should be for theirs. The
negro. proves no less responsive to the
ciytlizfhg influences in American life
than any other race. Further we de-
clare that the gross crimes charged
against the race are not committed by
the educated and sclf-respecting class.
TO our mind this is a rorciblc argu-
ment favorable to the extension or
the school terms and the improve
mcnt Of our educational facilities.
We entertain the hope that the SEN
timcnL expressed by tho ex-governor
in the following. 1T is not necessary