The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-07-15
THE SAME LAW FOR ALL.

A leading coiored citizen called to cor
rect misapprehension of the Journal rela-
tive to the organization Of Negro Busi-
object of the organization was to assist in
Kidding the city of idle, vicious or criminal
negroes, and it was the outcome of an ar
ticle in the World, local organ of the col
ored people. which said:
We welcome any addition to the moral,
intellectual and industrial life of our COM
munity-but birds of passage" who come
here just because Indianapolis has the repu-
are conceded certain privileges by the white
people--should be forced TO find employ
ment or given orders to leave the city forth
with.
The Journal construed this as implying
that the Negro Business Mems League
would undertake on its own responsibility
and by its own methods to rid the city Of
the undesirable class of negroes referred
to, and it deprecated such a procedure on
the ground that 1t would SAVIOR of vigilance
committee methods. 1t pointed out that the
laws are made for all alike, colored as well
white people, and could be enforced
against vicious and criminal persons of
either race only by the properly constituted
was under a misapprehension as to the OBJ
ject of the Negro Business Mems League
in supposing that it proposed to attempt to
rid the city of worthless vicious negroes
by means and methods of its own. What
is proposed is that the League shall ascer-
&o; fha viz nd
negroes are and report their names to the
authorities, who will be asked to order them
out of town in case they refuse to work.
This puts the matter in a different light,
and yet movement even of this kind would
have to be carefully managed to avoid the
charge of injustice or persecution of individ-
uals. Loafers. whether white or colored, are
an undesirable class in any community, yet
mere idleness or refusal to work is not suf-
ficient ground for ordering person to leave
the city. There are more colored loafers
in the city in proportion TO the population
than there are white ones. and while they
are all equally undesirable and proper sub
jects of suspicion and surveillance by the
police, they cannot be arrested unless they
commit some overt act to bring them under
the law. The honest and law-abiding colored
citizens, who constitute a large majority,
| deserve credit for their desire to rid the city
of what the World calls 'its worthless,
shiftless colored population" but any steps
| in that direction by volunteer organization
would have to be carefully guarded to avoid
| infringing the legal rights of individuals
| and could only be made effective through
| the cooperation of the regularly consti-
| tuted authorities. There are several colored
men on the police force. and. as far as the
| Journal is aware, they know their duties as
| we'll and perform them as faithfully as the
white patrolmen do. They have special facil-
| tiles for becoming acquainted with suspi-
/ cious localities frequented by colored people
and with suspicious individuals. 1t would
/ not be fair to assume that they are not do
| ing their duty. and the first step by any
volunteer organization proposing to aid
| them should be TO confer with them and
| ascertain whether there is need of such eff.
| fort.
The Journal is inclined to deprecate the
ate between white and colored people. as Il
they occupied different status. or had diff
ferent rights and responsibilities under tn,
law They do not. The term "colored race
Is misleading and mischievous. The coloreC
people not foreign race. They arr
Americans. born and bred here, with tn,
same rights white Americans. A stric
enforcement of law without reference I,
race or color would reduce crime to a min
imum in all communities and do away Will
the necessity of adopting special measure.
against particular classes. We cannot hav,
one kind of law for natives and anothe
kind for foreign-born citizens, one code 70
light-haired men and another for dark
haired. standard or justice for whit
men and another for negroes They mus
all be treated alike.