The Marlboro democrat. [volume] (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1882-1908, 1904-08-12
l shall not shrink from speaking with

I shall not shrink from speaking with
perfect plainness, for 1 know it 4
hopeless to think Of.removing or abat.
ing the crime OF lynching until the
crime which has called it into vogue
shall cease or be abated. l do not
wonder, nor will anyone who will real
| ly make the case his own wonder,
that lynching prevails at our South
as method OF punishment or revenge
for the crime of criminal assault by
negroes on white women. / think II
entirely safe to say that under lik
circumstances 1t would prevail to d
like extent in any part Of ourcountry,
or in any Anglo.Saxon community
Theoretically would say with Abra
ham Lincoln, There is no crime SC
bad that lynchipg for it Is not worse;'
but, practically, l come very near tt
saying that do not blame the Soutl
for resorting to lynchipg for thi:
crime.
And this terrible remedy has beer
attended and followed by the usua
consequences OF any resort to lawles.
methods. In the first pace, it ha.
not been deterrent from the crime IL
question. In the next place, 1t has
accumulated horrors such as do moi
occur In any other part of the whole
civilized world-the burning of hu
man beings at the stake-nnt alone
be it remembered, at the South, but
In several of our Middle Western
States, and even in John Brown.
Kansas. Finally, lynching has been
extended to be the frequent punish
ment for other crimes or alleged
crimes. The depraved part OF Societ,
sometimes resort to it for excitement
or for personal revenge.
What are we to say and do about al
this?
MY ANSWER is, STOP THE CRIME
which originally set this dreadful trai1
OF horrors in motion. But who car
do this? My answer Is, the negro race
alone. If half the energy and thought
and money that is now wasted in pull.
pits. and politics and schools were de.
voted to one grand, overwhelming
crusade against the crime which first
caused lynchings, the monstrous
thing could he stamped out. With.
out this, it Is as idle to preach and
pray against lynching as it would be
to blow ones breath against u gale OF
wind. But | know Of no special or
strenuous efforts on the part Of the
negro race or its chief leaders, or of
those Of the white race, who are cJn-
Sidered or consider themselves the
negro'S special champion, to extirpate
this crime. Hampton, Tuskegee, the
Ogden Educational Trust. the Amer-
can Missionary Society, all are alike
silent, 50 far as know, or engage "a
no special efforts TO root out this foul
crime, the direct cause of SO much
woe to both races. There is in the
whole range Of the problem under dis
cuSiion no duty SO imperative, none
sc ncg iccccd, dis that vi focusing ei-
fort, to the neglect, If need be, Of all
else, on the arousing Of all else, on the
aroEsing Of the negro race itself to the
necessity Of eXtirpating this one form
OF crime. If all the agencies now
working for the negro race were turned
to this single end for the next decade
more could be done to forward the ne
gto's welfare than all that Hampt III
or Tuskegee or all the other educa.
tional and religious appliances have
done or can ever do. | marvel that
no great voice proclaims this duty;
that no great agency Is directed sole
ly to this work. In the tumult and
din OF discussl IN scarcely note Is
heard calling attention to this most
necessary, this absolutely indiSpen-
sable, OF all remedies or efforts.
WHAT NOW DO WE SEE?
We see race problem, in its origin
artiliciallY complicated and intensi.
lied by rash and vain attempts to lift
d backward or inferior race inferior
certainly in present attainments into
equality of social privileges and stand
ing and OF political power with Il race
long accustomed to rule the backward
race and filled with what at least we
must recognized as fierce prejudice s
and apparently unconquerab'e repug-
nance to equality of any kind between
the two races. We see further tho Sc
relations and long g-Standing feelings
aggravated to the pitch Of madness and
frenzy which overridts al law, in a
natural and uncomfortable eXa pera-
tion at the prevalence of Il crime
which no community of our race would
tolerate or give over to orderly punish
ment by the usual methods OF the law.
l shall here venture to ask anyone
to point out error, or mistake, or mis-
statement in this summation Of the
conditions of the race problem which
States at the present time.
ID. III. CHAMBERLAIN.