The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-10-03
BABBITT ON NEGRO OUTRAGES.
DOESN'T PALLIATE THEM AS RE.
PRYSALS FOR WHITE OUTRAGES.
Explains His Talk to Negroes In Brooklyn
ON Thursiay Night--Has been Told
Of white Outrases In the south. Though
Not or Maybe Wants Even Justice.


or white Outraees In the south. Though
Not OF Masy--He Wants Even Justice
Certain expressions in the address to
negroes delivsrad on Thursday night by
:.s Pev. Dr. Dean Richmond Rabbit in
-. african Methodist Episcopal Church
in Brooklyn, have attracted good deal OF
attention and have evoked much comment,
not all Of which was favorable to DIR. Bah
bits views. The passage in the ADDRESS
which has been most sharply criticised
is The following: 4.r
But there Is another, kind Of American
womanhood for whose honor l eagerly u.s.
tened yesterday for some word or sue-
gestion, the black womnnhood OF the South.
/ have not learned from southern orators
and statesmen OF any lynchinss on her
behalf or of suggestions for her protection
We learn that 1000. 900 nllattos OF the lo'ooo.-
600 negroes people this country
Whence came they2 Who tanned the
black man and woman yellow? Whence
the crime against black womanhood' nave
there been any lynchings in the South for
black womanhood who lis also mother. daugh-
ter and sweetheart. though all under BLACK
skim Have there bsen any lynchings for
the black woman outraged?
Yes. I believe there have been many. but
indirectly, for tho black man. maddened.
bestial as he was n lds awful crime OF rape
on white womanhood.. has felt rather than
argued that he was excused for his dread
full deed by the white mans assault on the
women Of his rsce. and he has taken the risk
Of lynching condoned his unpsrdonaoie
deed. and zone to tho stake or the hanging
with tho feeling that anyhow reprisal has
been made. Ono way to diminish lynchings
Of low blacks for rape In the South is to
protect black womAnhood from outrage by
low whites in the South.
MANY who read in the papers this part
Of DR.. Babbitt's address got the impress,
sion that the speaker had here revealed
a now motive Tor the crime against
white women that some negroes IN the
South have committed. 1t WAS even inter-
preted by oareless reasoners that Dr. BAD.
reprisal on tho whites for alleged misdeeds
against negro women, in the course OF
a natural explanation, in way, OF the
appalling crime for which negroes are 80
often lynched, not only in the South, but
in The North--Dr. Rabbits native State,
Ohio, having furnished not very long ago
a particularly sickening case OF negro
killing for this offence.
A reporter for The Sun called on DR..
Rabbit yesterday for the purpose OF get
ting an adjudication OF his views on the
negro question together with some further
NRht on the extract from the Thursday
nirht address above quoted. DR.. Babbitt
preferred to have the questisns prepounded
to him written down and he gave his own
answer thereto in writing as follows:
what opportunities for close observation
4 have lived In sections near the Missis-
g .sa yhsss the
there and In other portions Of tho South:
have had number Of conferences with leaders
Of the race and many ,aiX s MIN hsys no
iected and largely read 300 books on this race
problem: gathered references to SIC editorials
q negro spnS,.a and y ny sdosss 81
newspapers, mostly In tbs South, on the
subject OF lynchings and mobs. the majority
pf which latter refer to mobonss and lynch
oolored women in the. South by white men2-,
"Ihave been told Of such by eolored people.
Of many outrages Of black womanhood OF
DO You believe tast a spirit Of reprlsal
-.s11 the .part Of black men has ever been a
motive FOR these criminal assaults on white
Il do not. Ihave never heard OF such"
DO Won believe that negroes, North or
South, when they hear OF IN outrage on =
in the nature Of reprlsal Tor outrages OF
white men on negro women?
II do not believe that the great mass OF
coiorei people have any such, view. though
I think some brutal, bestial negroes. who
have com n,itted this unpaTdonable crime.
have In their maddened brutality tried to
excuse themselves for II on the ground that
black wcmarhood has been so largely abused
by white men in various ways.
is that theory or is it derived from OBJ
servation or relia bic sources OF infor nation"
1T Is partly an inference from we'll known
observations among criminal classes and
partly the result OF conversations with the
more Intelligent and educated colored men
when discussing the criminal classes OF their
own race"
.Hsve you ever heard it intirnated by. in
talligent negroes that any criminal OF their
race might have attempted to condone. after
the act. the crime OF rape against white
wornanhood?-
i have heard in conversations with colored
people the dreadful acts OF the whites against
black women reprObated in the stron gest
terms by men who spoke with horror Of the
crime of rape, wheth against white or black
women, and who have intmated that the
besotted. ignorant criminal Of their race
might attempt to excuse his act to some
de gree on this account have never heard
them suggest that such excuse was in any
way or degree valid. On the contrary, they
have held that such criminal could not. how
ever much he would try. convince himself
that his act was in any way justihable. 1t
has been my observation in repeated con-
yersations with colored people, that they
t,,,tt ha,, b,f, lIaI