Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1903-09-11


that sweeping declaration he probably
had in his minds eye American jim
goes. They have told us scores of
times that peace-universal peace,
white winged peace-reigns in the Phil
ippines. General Otis told us 80 sew
eral times, Governor Taft told US so.
all Of the commanding generals told US
SO, and all the Republican newspapers
told us SO. All Of these pronuncia-
mentoes were fairy tales There is no
peace in the Philippines, and there
never will be until all the Filipinos are
dead. Even the Globe Democrat, which
thinks every American who Is not
Republican should be hanged, admits
II in the following paragraph:
The Moros OF Bacolod again promise to
make trouble for the United States. AZ
these persons have been subdued once or
twice and have promised to recognize
American sovereignty their present re-
bellious mood Is likely to call down some
punishment on them. Tho persons who
are asking for tribute from the United
States as condition precedent to their
submission to its authority are In danger
Of getting into trouble. The United States
IL not in the habit Of paying tribute to
anybody. barbarian or civilized.
"A Double Crime"
Nobody who knows anything about it
will dispute the stanch Republicanism
of the Kansas City Journal, nor is the
ability with which it is edited doubted
by any OF its readers. When talking
party politics 1t sometimes seems TO be
of, but when 1t discourses on other
subjects 1t Is exceedingly interesting.
Printed and published on the border
line betwixt Missouri and Kansas, it is
widely read and yields a large in
fuence In two states. Clearly it does
not consider the lynching of negroes
party question, and 1t does not believe
1t can be made one. In that regard it
differs widely from certain demagogical
and hysterical Republican papers which
undertake to make Democrats RESPONSE
Bile for all the frailties and passions Of
universal human nature. The Journal
has better opportunities for information
on the subject, because of Its environ
ment, than have northern papers where
negroes are not lynched for rape SIM
ply because there are no negroes to
commit rape. II it does not speak as
one having authority, it at least speaks
as one possessing information. Under
the head, "a Double Crime" It thus
philosophers on lynching, especially
the lynching Of negroes:
A reader of the Journal writes to this
paper to inquire why it Is that outragers
of women who are lynched for their
not the ofSense, he asks as diabolical and
worthy of swift punishment when COM
mitted by white men as when committed
by negroes? The question is q fair one
and not at all difficult to answer.
The crime of rape Is dastardly one,
| by whomsoever perpetrated, and deserves
most rigorous punishment. The law pro-
vides severe penalties and makes these
penalties apply to all offenders regardless
Of color or race. Probably the chief rea-
son why more blacks than whites are
lynched is because more blacks are guilty.
In large majority Of the cases reported
the oulprit is negro. But that is not
the only reason. Internationally race
feeling has much to do with the inspiring
of mobs. Black rapists are lynched not
only because they are rapists. but be-
cause they are negro rapists.
The whites have always looked upon
the blacks as an inferior race. Even
those who have favored giving the negro
| all political rights and business privileges
have drawn the line at social equality
White people who associate intimately
with negroes on equal terms are held II
contempt by their fellows. Especially arr
white women who permit attentions from
black men looked upon as degraded and
devoid OF self respect. which, In fact, they
usually are. 1t excites anger in white
men to see women OF their own race as
sociating voluntarily with negroes. How
much more. then. does it arouse their anil
mostly when a white woman Is forced
against her will to cohabit with black
usually, too, one of the lowest and mos
repulsive of his kind7
It is this double crime-the crime against
women and the crime against race-that
infuriates even good citizens and some
times causes them to become members Of
mobs. 1t Is also this combination Of OF
lenses which makes 1t imperative. II Law
and order are to be preserved. for courts
to give speedy trials to negroes guilty Of
rape or believed to be guilty. Unless thu
courts awaken to the fact that the c0un'
try is confronted by an emergency which
the ordinary dilatory methods Of justice
will not suffice to deal with we may ex.
pect to be shocked by many recurrencel
OF such atrocities as those which recent
ly disturbed and disgraced Wilmington
Evansville and Danville. The remedy lie.
public sentiment against anarchy and NJ
anarchistic practices.
A Pennsylvania Opinion.
There is likely to be some strenuous
and sulphurous language used in and
about the departments at Washington
when certain burlesQue and opera
bouffe prosecutors Of departmental
criminals fix their optics upon the fol
lowing rather warm excerpt from the
Philadelphia Record:
Not Tor twenty-five years has the fed
erai public service been so honeycombet
with crookedness as 1t Is at the presen
time. The administration would like Il
cleanse its Augean stable, but 1t cannot
How did the multifarious post Office de
partment scandals. the army contract
scandals. the Indian land frauds-not onl,
the lately disclosed frauds in Oklahoma
but the older frauds In Utah-occur? En-
J tirely through political influence. Tht
, men who exerted that influence are a.
strong as ever. If the present and the
late administrations could not prevent the
mischief the present administration car
still lesG undo 1t. II 1t should make 8
, genuine effort to do so it would split the
, Republican party from top to bottom
!. The scandals have got pretty close to the
top. Secretary Hitchcock is an honest
OF them seem to be very much ION thu
make"
A Possible v. p.
I cheerfully record the fact that some
person, at present unknown to this
writer, has sent the name of Hon. Cy