The Savannah morning news., 1904-03-31
REPLY TO GILLETT
FROM BARTLETT
RAKES MASSACHUSETTS MAN
WITH CONTEMPT, BARTLETT SAYS,
SOUTH REGARDS HIM.

Negro Question Again stirs Up Mem
bers of the HOuse-BartIett Found
Evidence That Massachusetts Is
Not HabituaIIy Free from n Dis
position Toward a Popular Admin
istratiOn of the Law-The South
Can Work Out the Problem.
washington. March 30.-Mr. Bart
lett of Georgia briefly replied in the
House to-day to the statements of MIR.
Gillett of Massachusetts made last
Monday on the negro question. He
said Mr.. Gillett had lectured the
South for certain alleged outrages and
violations of the law. He declared
that Massachusetts was not free from
the charge of disregard of the law,
even though that state may claim to
be more refined than others. He cited
an instance where a mob in Marion,
Mass, in 1902, had tarred and feath-
cred a man and woman and. he said,
the perpetrators of the outrage had
been acquitted and marched through
the streets as heroes.
He read from statistics of Massachu-
sets, showing the number of dis
graceful" marriages of whites with ne
groes in the city of Boston. If these
facts are true, Mr.. Bartlett said, "the
teachings of the gentleman from Mas
sachusetts and those who believe as
he does, are coming, like chickens,
home to- roost." He did not believe,
he declared, that the people of Massa-
chusetts entertained or re-echoed the
sentiments of Mr.. Gillett.
with or without Help.
While the people of Massachusetts,
may have peculiar notions as to some
things, and may be stern in their con-
victions. they at least have awakened
to believe that the white people of the
South are entitled to work out this
problem in their own way, "as God
shall will it," He added those people
would work it out with the help of
our brethren of the North. if we can
have it. but if not, we will work it out
without their help"
To such as Mr.. Gillett, continued Mr..
Bartlett, eve will say that your opin-
ion and criticism meet with the calm
Indifference of our contempt"
Mr.. Gillett, replying, said he believed
that the Caucasian race as a whole
is vastly superior to the colored race,
but he said he did not believe it fol-
lowed that every white man is SUI
perior to every colored man. He de-
clared that he denounced such Incl
dents as had been cited in Massachu-
sets as he had those occurring in the
South. He asserted, however, that the
frequency of such occurrences in the
South stimulate similar occurrences all
over the country
Admitted Indiana's Part.
The subject was further discussed
by Mr.. Crumpacker of Indiana, who
said that in the last twenty-five years
5000 citizens of the United States who
were entitled to the protection of the
law, had been seized by lawless mobs
and put to death. He believed that
throughout the length and breadth of
the United States the people are unit
in desiring to have the law enforced
everywhere. Mob law, he declared, is
not sectional. Il confess" he said,
that the record of the last twenty
five years will show that my own state
has had its full share of these disgrace
full exhibitions of lack of control on
the part of the people," all of which,
he said, illustrated the weakness of hui
man nature, which was about the same
throughout the whole country.