The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1906-10-25
IS A CONTRACT PEONAGE?

States met last Monday and one of the
first cases called on the docket was the
famous contempt case of Sheriff Shipp
and his deputies from Chattanooga.
This grew out of the lynching of the
negro Ed. Johnson in Chattanooga last
March. Johnson had been convicted
of an unmentionable crime and was
under sentence to be hanged when the
Federal Supreme Court granted writ
of habeas corpus which acted as stay
in the execution of the sentence.
When this became known an outraged
and indignant community broke into
Jail, took the negro and hung him.
While we do not believe in mob law,
and we know that two wrongs does not
make right, we believe that all cases
of this kind should be swiftly tried
without so many technicalities and
stays which are known in the laws
delays.
The Federal Grand Jury at Knox
Vile recently brought in an indictment
against r. B. Oliver ct ais, contract
ors, upon charge of peonage. Oliver
is brother and associated in business
with VIM. J. Oliver, and anyone who
knows this firm would hesitate-to be-
lieve that they could be guilty of such
an offence. But these two cases now
in the Federal Courts will really do
more harm than good. They simply
encourage the negro to believe that the
United States Courts is his only relief
to get justice. This is false idea,
and no one knows it better than the
enemies of the South, the Northern
press, that have for years been faunt
ing it into our faces that we treated the
> negro as though he was barbarian.
The Northern editors do not believe 6
word Of this, but they simply write il
and publish it on the eve of election
for political effect. If this thing il
kept up it will not be long till the
Southern people will have dangerous
proposition upon their hands, that Of
the race question. AS matters now
: stand, trouble is liable to come at any
time.
We have been told that this firm Of
, contractors furnishes schools where
they teach the negro his letters they
! learn them to be carpenters, machinist:
, and practical mechanics. They have
indeed been a friend to the colored
, race, and no one has done more to.
: wards upbuilding the South than VIM
, J. Oliver. 1t does seem hard that his
enemies would resort to such methods
as this in order to hold him up before
the public as a violator of the laws Of
the land, and we do not believe that ht
is guilty, and we don't believe tina
anyone else believes it; and when al
the facts are made known we have 81
much confidence in the justice and in
tegrity of the Hon. Chas. d. Clark
Judge of the United States Court, tina
we think when all the evidence is sub
mitted he will take the case from thu
jury and throw it out of court.
The Chattanooga News of October
4th, speaking of this case in an edi
torial, said that Oliver had enemies
because he had made success in life
and that they were jealous of him a
the present time because he stood
show to get the contract to build thu
Panama Canal
When all the facts are known il may
leak out that if he had not been sue
cessful contractor this case would have
never been heard of, 1t is not our in
ten tion to cast reflection upon anyone,
nor try to bias anyone's opinion in this
matter, but we believe the press of thi:
State should uphold the hands of VIM.
: j. Oliver, or any other man like him,
who puts the idle negro to work and
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