Crittenden press. [volume] (Marion, Ky.) 1879-1907, 1906-12-06

ening the integrity OF this republic"
Gov Jelks. OF Alabama. has recently
spoken AZ follows: The lvnohiuv OF
any person for whatever crime ~ in =
excusable anywhere-.it is a dCfanc, Of
orderly governments. hut the Eil'nC OF
innocent people under any protocation
is Infinitely more horrible; and vet In
nOcent people are likely to die when
a m9bs terrible lust is once aroused.
The lesson Is this: No good citizen can
aHord to countcnance n defiance OF the
statutes, no matter what the provoca-
uon' the innocent frequently suffer.
ana, IL Is my observation. more usual
ly suner than the guilty. The white
people OF the south indict the whole
ccolored race on the ground that even
t ., netter elements lend no assistance
Whatever In ferreting out criminals Of
their own color. The respectable col
ored people must learn not to harbor
thelr criminals. but to assist the OFF,
GERS IN bringing them to justice. This
is the larger crime, and IL provoke 8
such atrocious offonses as the one at
Atlanta The two races can never get
on until there Is an understanding on
the part OF both TO make common
cause with the law-abiding criminals
OF any color"
Danger OF Ence Hatred.
Moreover where any crime commit
ted by member OF one race against
member OF another race is avenged
IN SUCH FASHION that II seems as II not
the individual criminal. but the whole
race. is attacked, the result is to eXas-
perate 20 the highest degree race feel
ing. There IL but one safe rule in
dealing with black men as with white
men; II is the same rule that must be
applied in dealing with rich men and
poor men; that Is. to treat each man
whatever his color, his creed or his
social position. with even-handed jus
tce on his real worth as "A man White
people owe II quite as much to them
selves as to the colored race to treat
well the colored man who shows by
MS IRE that he deserves such treat
ment; for IL is surely the highest wis
dom to encourage in the colored race
all those individuals who are honest
industrious. aw-abiding. and who
therefore make good and safe neigh
the individual on his merits as an in
divtdual. Evil will surely come in
the end to both races If we substitute
for this Just rule the habit of treating
all the members of the race. good and
bad. alike. There is no question OF
social equality or negro domination"
involved; only the question of relent-
lessly furnishing bad men. and of Sc
curing to the good man the right to
his life. his liberty and the pursuit
OF his happiness as his own qualities
OF heart. head and hand enable him to
achieve It,
Every colored man should realize
that the worst enemy OF his race is the
negro criminal, and above all the ne
gro criminal who commits the dread
full crime OF rape: and II should be felt
as In the highest degree an Offense
against the whole country, and against
the colored race in particular, for a
colored man to fail to help the officers
of the law I'm hunting down with all
possible earRestness and zeal every
such infamous offender. Moreover. in
my judgment the crime of rape should
always be punished with death, as Is
the case with murder; assault with in
tent to commit rape should be made a
capital crime. at least in the discretion
OF the court; and provision should be
made by which the punishment may
follow Immediately upon the heels OF
the onense; while the trial should be
be wantonly shamed while giving tes-
timony, and that the least possible
publicity shall be given to the details.
The members Of the white race on
the other hand should understand that
every lynching represents by just so
much loosening of the bands OF civ
ilization: that the spirit of lynching
inevitably throws into prominence in
the community all the foul and evil
creatures who dwell therein. No man
can take part in the torture of n hui
moral nature permanently lowered
Every lynching means just so much
moral deterioration in all the children
, Who have any knowledge of Il. and
trouble for the next generation OF
Americans.
Let justice be both sure and swift:
but let It be Justice under the law
OF mob.
Need for Negro Education.
There is another matter which has
direct bearing upon this matter OF
lynching and of the brutal crime which
sometimes calls IL forth and at other
times merely furnishes the excuse for
its existence. 1t is out Of the question
for our people as a whole permanently
TO rise by treading down any of their
own number. Even those who them
q he mi la
maltreatment of their fellows will in
the long run also suffer. No more
shortsighted policy can be imagined
than, in the fancied interest of one
class, to prevent the education of an
other class. The free public school the
chance for each boy or girl to get a
good elementary education. lies at the
foundation OF our whole political stu
alton. In every community the poor
est citizens, those who need the schools
most. would he deprived of them il
proportionatoly to the taxes they paid
This is as true of one portion Of our
country as of another. II is as true
for the negro as for the white man
The white man, IL he is wise. will de-
cline to allow the negroes i'm a mass to
grow to manhood and womanhood
without education. unquestionably ed
ucation such as is obtained i'm our pub
lie schools does not do everything to-
wards making man good citizen;
but 1t does much. The lowest and most
who commit the crime OF rape are in
the great majority men who have had
either no education or very little; lust
as they are almost invariably men who
own no property; for the man who
puts money by out of his earnings,
like the man who acquires education,
is usually lifted above mere brutal
criminality. OF course the best type
of education for the colored man, ia
ken as n whole, is such education as
is conferred in schools like Hampton
and Tuskcgec; where the boys and
girls. the young men and young wo-
men, are trained industrially as well
as in the ordinary public school
branches. The graduates OF these
schools turn out well in the great ma
jority of cases, and hardly any of them
become criminals, while what little
criminallty there is never takes the
form of that brutal violence which in
vites lynch law. Every graduate OF
these schools--and for the matter OF
that every cher colored man or wo-
ma n-who leads a life so useful and
honorable as to win the good will and
respect of those whites whose neigh
Dor he or she is, thereby helps the
whole colOred race as it can he helped
in no other way; for next to the negro
himself the man who can do most to /
help the negro is his white neighbor
w lives near him. and nur .t..,l,.