The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1903-07-02
COMING HOME TO ROOST.

We cannot but feel sympathy with the
people OF Wilmington, Del, and vicinity,
and vet human nature is such that we
cannot but feel also degree OF grim
satisfaction in the trouble into which
they have fallen by reason Of the recent
lynching of a negro for the usual crime"
They are catching it all round On Sun
day last a young negro preacher deliv-
cred an inf1ammatory sermon at the First
African Methodist Episcopal Church, In
which he denounced the entire white race
in the most scathing terms THE white
man." said he, "in the face Of his boosted
civilization. stands before my eyes to-
night, the demon of the worlds races, a
monster incarnate. and In SO far as the
negro race is concerned. seems to give
no quarter The white is a heather. a
nend, monstroslty before God. and is
equal to any act IN the category Of crimes.
= would sooner trust myself in the den
of hyena than in his arms. With q
court of law and officers OF law in his
hands. the despised negro can expect no
mercy, Justice or protection.
THE negro Is unsafe anywhere In this
4 CGuulIy. 11S 10 tlc olpCIl ~ cS d. all LILIES
of barbarians, who know no restraint and
will not be restrained"
He then told the negroes to be law
unto themselves, to be their own sheriff,
court and jury, and to die in their tracks.
perhaps drinking the blood of your pur-
suers.''
He also denounced the Rev. Robert A.
Elwood, the Presbyterian preacher, who
gave warning In advance that unless the
authorities should administer swift JUS
tjce to the negro assailant. he stood in
danger of being lynched. He did not even
call the preacher "Mr.," but. spoke OF him
as "Elwood.''
Later still the Philadelphia Ministerial
Union discussed the matter In what one
of the Philadelphia papers characterizes
as the stormiest meeting ever held by the
organization. Resolutions were offered
in which the lynching Of White was de-
nounced In terms severe as 1t was posi-
BILE to make them. and "a series Of pas
sionate speeches followed" These speech
es were In part In opposition to the res
olutiona..Lail the Philadelphia Record
says that 1.-THE presence of several colored
ulergymen was no bar to strong arraign-
ments OF their race" The matter pro-
gIessed so far that finally colored
preacher presented the situation from the
viewpoint OF his people. and called for
peace. He said that further agitation
would cause more trouble. and the upshot
of it was the adoption OF very brief
resolution expressing the great sorrow
and grief of the union over tho awful
tragedies recently enacted In neighbour
Ing State and praying for the early res
toration Of peace, right and law through
out all of our native land"
The interesting thing In all this to the
Southern people Is that at last some OF
the Northern people are face to face with
the negro problem and they now UNDER
stand, as they never understood before,
what the Southern people have had to
contend with, 1t is demonstrated be-
yond a question that the negro problem Is
the same wherever 1t exists. i is a sim
pie matter for the Northern people to deal
with 1t in the South but when 1t comes
Ia their doors the case Is different; then
they deal with It as we have dealt with
1t, with the qualification that they do
not understand the negro as we'll as We
understand him and have less federation
for him than we have.
AS we have once or twice observed,
chickens have come home to roost in
come of the Northern States. and they
are roosting high.