The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1903-09-02
A GOOD TALK
On the Race Question from William
Jennings Bryan.
SAYS IT IS NATIONAL IN SCOPE.
BIames the President 1er Injecting
Social Equality in Politics,
and Raising IN the Negro
False Hopes.


and Raising in the Negro
False Hopes.
The following article from the pen
Of Hon. J. W. Bryan we take from a
recent number of The Commoner.
On another page will be found a
letter recently written by President
Roosevelt to Governor Durbin on the
subject Of lynching. Forgetting for
the present the failure Of the presi-
dent to enforce the law against the
trust magnates and Governor Durbin's
refusal to deliver to Kentucky autheri-
ties Republican ex-governor charged
with murder, let us consider the sub
ject of mob law as it is related to the
race question. The p. esident is right
in protesting against mob law-it cAn-
not be defended. 1t is a reflection on
the people il legal means Of punishment
are adequate and effective, and i5 is a
reflection on the government il the
people have reason to distruSt its
ability to enforce the law. All will
agree with the president that punish
meut should not only be sure, but
should be as swift as due regard to
the rights Of the accused will permit.
Whatever punishments are sanctioned
by public opinion should be embodied
in the law and in the case of crimes
against women the laws should be
SuCh-e7en though a constitutional
amendment were necessary to secure
it-that the victim Of the outrage
will be protected from the humiliation
of having to give testimony before
crowd Of curious, but dlSintereSted,
persons.
The president is also to be COM
mended for having coupled a denuncia-
tion Of rape with condemnation OF
lynching. Too many cry out against
the lawless punishment without say
ing anything against the horrible
crime which arouseS the anger Of the
people. II some Of the enthusiasm
that is spent in passing resolution
denouncing mob law was employed in
condemning the unspeakable beastial-
ity that provokes summary punish
ment there would be fewer instances
Of mob law. The fact that the preSl.
dent did not specifically mention
southern lynchings shows that the
lynchings and burningS in northern
states have convinced him that race
prejudice is as strong in Illiaois, In
diana, Delaware, and Kansas as in
Mississippi, Georgia, Alabama, or
Texas.
1t may be well in this connection to
consider race prejudice for moment
in connection with moo law. That
there's such thing must be admitted.
1t is written on every page of history
and is not likely to disappear sooG. 1t
must be remembered, too, that the
negro has as much prejudice against
the white man as the white man has
against the negro, and if the negro
was in a position to rule the white
man there is no reason to doubt that
the white man would have reason to
complain. This was apparent in the
carpet-bag days and is apparent to-
day wherever it can find expression.
A sense OF justice, however, restrsins
this prejudice and it is not often that
either the white man or the negro
says anything in the presence OF the
other that is calculated to offend.
Color is not a matter Of choice, neither
can it be changed by will or by law.
1t is, therefore, as unkind to taunt a
man with being black as it is un-
reasonable for black man to be an
gered by such a taunt.
A man is to be praised or blamed
according to the use he makes Of his
talents or opportunities, not by his in-
herited advantages. The fact that a
negro is lynched by mob because of
an outrage upon a woman ought not
to increase the race prejudice that
exists. White men are lynched for
the same crime. Neither must the
white mans feelings towards the ne
gro be judged by his conduct when
under great excitement. Man mad is
an entirely different creature from
man deliberate. Men in anger have
killed fathers, wives, brothers, sons
and friends-they have broken every
tie Of love and kinship
Suffrage qualifications cannot be at
tributed entirely to race prejudice for
suffrage qualifications are to be found
in nearly all countries and have been
employed in many Of our own states.
They have been employed by white
mon against members Of the white race
and by people of every color against
people Of their own color. Woman
suffragist complain that women are
disfrancbiSed and such dlSfrancbise-
ment cannot be explained on the
ground OF race prejudice either, for
husband and wife, mother and son,
are not only of the same race, but are
linked together by the estrongest bonds
known. The suffrage amendments in
the south, so much complained of by
Republican politicians, are not nearly
to severe as the Republican colonial
policy in the Philippines.
FirSt-In every southern state some
Of the negroes can vote now, and all
others can qualify themselves for
suffrage: in the Philippines the In
habitants are permantly disqualified.
Second-Ehc negroes in the south,
even when they cannot vote, have the
protection OF federal and state con-
stitutions; the Filipino has no con-
stitutional protection whatever.
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nounclng all criminal acts on the part