The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-07-23
DeLEMOS ON PEONAGB
HE ENTERS A DEFENSE OF THE
 SOUTH.
Convict in the Ohio Penitentiary Writes to ColuL.b bus Paper, Telling of Conditions
 in This Section.

Columbus to) Citizen
 Ben De Lemos is an inmate of the Ohio penitentiary, serving a term for forging pension papers. He made Alabama his home for thirty-five years and served in the Union army during the war, being discharged at Fort Morgan, Mobile Bay, Alabama. He is a Hebrew by birth and was a prominent figure in the Jewish circles of the South. During his resi- dence in the South he was a diligent worker among the colored folks organiz- ing many churches and Sunday schools. His friends in the penitentiary have given him a nickname of Baptist Ben" be- cause of the many baptizings at which he ofiiciated. He was elected a member of the House of Representatives and took an active part in the famous session of 1S6 His were the resolutions passed by the General Assembly which protested against the attack made on the South. An odd incident of his life Is that he sat in the very chair in the House of Rep resentatives as tramp that he afterward occupied as Speaker His crime was forging the name of a pensloner to a voucher, but he was fully acquitted of having received any of the money drawn by reason of the forgery, but the crime remained and he was sentenced. man. moth petition drawn up by his many Southern friends was sent to the Presi- dent fin the hope of pardon. but no action WIS DeLemOS IS tnOrOuEnly Ia miliar with conditions in the South and has written the following story for The Citizen:
 DeLemos's Story.
 The condition of affairs in the South has been largely fnsrepresented by the accounts that have come from there re- gently. Especially is this true of Ala bama. Peonage Is not prevalent there as the people of the North and West have haAr tnd fn fa fNV. t., which the whole nation is interested, but the people of Alabama should first be tried before verdict is rendered.
 To read the many accounts in the diff ferent papers, one would be led to believe that peonage exists all over Alabama, when in truth the cases are exceptional and exist in only a few localities The people of the United tSates may rest as- sured that the men who are guilty will be punished. Some already have been found guilty and are serving their sen- tences in the United States penitentiary at Atlanta. and all who are guilty will be likewise punished. Southern men, Ala bamians. have started these prosecutions; Confederate and Union soldiers alike st as grand and petit jurors and the watch word IS Let no guilty man escape"
 To Northern people the reports that peonage exists throughout Alabama of course reads like a romance and nothing
 
 heard on all sides. The writer has lived in Alabama for thirty-slx years. with vacation of two at Columbus, and knows that public sentiment Is as strong against such outrages in Alabama as 1t is in any of the Northern States"
 Again, the many indictments found, and there are nearly 100, concern only three counties and In each of these 1t exists on but one or two plantations. The presid- ing judge at the trials is a Southern man. Democrat, twice Governor of the State, the Hon. Thomas G. Jones, ap- pointed by President Roosevelt, and in- dorsed at mass meeting of the leading colored citizens of the South The prose cutting attorney, Hon. Warren s. Reese, Is also Southern man, a fearless official, | who Is not afraid to prosecute to the let | ter of the law. He has also extensive | landed interests all cultivated by colored l laborers. His assistants are all Southern | CTS who thoroughly understand the situa- | tion.
 That these men mean business Is shown | by the fact that the lnvestiga tions were only begun during the present term of court There has been no delay, no con prosecutions has been pushed from the first The investigation has shown conclusively that peonage does not exist all over the State of Alabama-only in a few localities have these outrages been carried on.
 Congressman Idttleheld of Maine af- ter visiting the South said, q will frankly say that I have not had time to make a close study. but the relations be- tween the whites and blacks outside pol itics. seem to me to be amicable, if not cordial. The negro seems to have fair treatment as far as labor is concerned and in the matter of education his ad- are much better than had thought l believe that Alabama does better by the negro in this and other than any other state in the South"
 Peonage History.
 How peonage came into existence and Is possibly still carried on in some dis tricts is an interesting study. The l are divided into beats or cleo tion precincts and each precinct is enti- tied to two justices of the peace who have | jurisdiction in civil matters and in minor | When a defendant is | found guilty fine is assessed and in ad- | dition the costs are charged. If the de- fendant does not pay the fine the justice | has right to sentence the man to hard |