The leader., 1903-07-08
RACE TROUBLES IN THE NORTH.

IuOD spun NdS dlOuSCu Ou tuC
part of the whites by negro kill
ing or wounding a white man or
boy in an individual conflict. In
Wilmington, Delaware, a negro
was burned at the stake about two
weeks ago for murder and crimi-
nal assault on a young white
woman, and a little before that,
one met the same fate in West
ern State for a like crime. The
last few days Evansville, Ind,
EXPIRES. Harrison's State, has
been in the tbroes of a riot, pre-
cipitated by the killing of a white
man by negro and the storming
of the Jail by a mob to take him
out and lynch him. The State
militia had to be called out, which
fired on the mob and over dozen
persons were killed and wounded,
followed by the widest excite
ment. In Illinois, Lincoln's
State, white mobs have several
times lately assaulted negroes
with comparatively little provoca-
ton, and driven them out.
These occurrences have demon
strated very clearly two things:
| Q) That mobs and lynchings and
the causes which provoke them,
are no longer confined to the
South; ~ that the people of the
North, the self-boasted friends of
the negro, are less tolerant of the
negro and more inclined to deny
him his rights before the law,
than his old masters and their
descendants in the South.
In discussing the whole situa-
ton from the standpoint of the ne
gro, Booker I. Washington, the
celebrated negro educator of Tus-
kegee, Ala, in a speech at Louis
vile, KY, July 2, among other
things, gave utterance to the fol-
lowing sensible and conservative
sentiments, which are we'll worth
needing by both white and black,
North and South:
During the season through
which we are going now, | wish
to ask with all the emphasis which
| am able to command, that each
individual of the race keep a calm
mind and exercise the greatest
degree of self control; and that
we, all keep a brave heart. Let
nothing lead us into extremes of
utterance or action. By this
method of procedure we shall be
able to Justify the faith of our
friends, and confound our enc
mics. In the affairs of a race as
with great business enterprises,
it is the individual of few words
and conservative action who COM
mands respect and admiration.
Vastly more courage is often
shown in ones ability to suffer
in silence, or to keep the body
under when sorely tempted, than
in acting through the medium of
mob. In the long run it is the
race or individual that exercises
the most patience, forebearance
and self control in the midst of
trying conditions, that wins its
cause and the respect of the world.
Let nothing induce us to decend
to the level of the mob, but rather
direct our course in dignified
atmosphere.
"In advocating this poll
cy, | am not asking that
the negro act the coward: we are
not towards. The part which we
played in defending the flag of
our country, in every wal in
which we have been ngaged, is
sufficient evidence of our courage.
The recent outbreaks of the
mob emphasize two lessons, one
for our race and one for the other
citizens of our country, south and
north !; for it is to be noted that
work of the lyncher is not con-
fined to one section of the coun-
try. The lesson for US is that
we should see to it that so far as
the influence of parent, of school,
of pulpit, and of press is concern
ed, no effort be spared to impress
upon our own people, especially
the youth, that idleness and crime
should cease and that no excuse
can be given the world to label
any large portion of the race as
idlers and criminals.
eve should let the world know
on all proper occasions that we
consider no legal punishment too
severe for the wretch of any race
who attempts to outrage a wo-
man.
1.-The lesson for the other por-
tion of the nation to learn is that
both in the making and in the
execution, the same law should
be made to apply to the negro as
to the white man. There should
be melted out equal justice to the
black man and the white man,
whether it relates to citizenship,
the protection of property, the
right of labor or the protection
of human life. Whenever the
nation forgets, or is tempted to
forget, this basic principle the
whole fabric of the government,
for both the white and the black
man, is weakened and threatened
with destruction. This is true,
whether it relates to the conditions
in Texas Indiana or Delaware.
ITO show how far we have al