The Aberdeen weekly. [volume] (Aberdeen, Miss.) 1878-1933, 1904-03-18

new riot, When they will be COM
PEELED TO move on again.
The mob in Springfield seemed
more than usually vicious in its
tretment of the negroes. 1t showed
a determination To burn them out,
and effected its purpose in spite of
the risk of danger. There is no
question AZ to the prejudice exist
ing towards the colored people,
for the mob Kissed the militia, who
were only performing their duty
and was quite beyond the power OF
the local authorities to control
The two murders committed by
Dixon were such as to incense the
people of Springfield. but no
worse than many other crimes of
the like character. The outbreak
Is clearly the result not simply OF
Dixon's crimes but of IL cumula-
tion OF crimes committed by the
negroes in and around Springfield,
who, like most of those in the
North, are refugees from the
South, driven out of this section
because they had become intoler
able here. All similar cases that
haye been examined have shown
that the negro population contain
ed large and growing element OF
Migrants and petty criminals. The
prejudice against them has grown
steadily stornger until some more
than usually brutal crime has
stirred up the populace ard re-
suited in lynching. aimed not
simply 10 punish the criminal but
! 70 get rid of the negroes and end a
condition of affairs becoming more
I. and more intolerabie every year.
Behind all this, AS the cause of the
! conditions which have brought
. about these Iynchings, lies the en-
enlargement and even pettlng
given the negroes by the Repub-
lican politicians, who have found
the darkies useful in elections.
Nothing was more clearly estao-
lishcd than this in regard to both
the Evansville and Wilmington
outbreaks. and while nothing is
known on this point in regard to
tire Springfield riot, an investiga-
ton will probably disclose the
same old story-that the negroes
helped To swell the Republican
majorities in Clark county and re-
ceived III return therefore consid-
Grafton and exemption from pun
ishment, which made .hem inpu-
dent and vicious and tbus aroused
the anger Of the whites.
y comparison between lynching
in the North and South will. we
think, show this to the credit OF
the latter. that at least the limo
cent are not made To- suffer for tire
guilty, and that the entire negro
population of the town is not driv-
eu out and their homes burnt out
because of a murder committed by
II negro.
The iynching has brought out
the fact that Springfield is the
headq uarters of the National
Anti-Mob and Lynch Law Asso-
ciation," which has been in the
habit of meeting monthly and
adopting very strenuous resolu-
tons denouncing other comnun-
tiles in which lynchings have been.
Ii remains to- he seen whether the
y. A. NJ and L. l.. a. will be
equally strong in condemnation of
the violence in which so many
citizens of that town have takeR
part. 1t would seem that its res
oIutions have had very little effect.
in Springfield; and it may be
worth while inqr1iring whether AZ y
members of the association hard
part in the Dixon lynching. find.
ing provocation for the violence
III the disorderly conduct of the,
darkies New Orleans'
Times Democrat.