The semi-weekly messenger., 1906-10-23
PERMANENT SOLUTION
OF DREADFUL PROBLEM
Man. Burden Must be Borne Equally by the White
Mar Ct the North With His Brother of the Former
Slave Owning States.

a state OF brutal savagerg. every day
| the streets OF the cities even in day
, time At night doors must be locked
: and windows barred. she revolver
must be ready at hand. II the black
assailant is u be kept out In many
portions Of the Black Belt, the family
of the white man lives In a constant
state OF siege; a fate worse than death
awaits its members II they dare relax
their vigilance for all hour. Northern
people do not know the truth and
their journals are not enlightening
them The south, for very shame, Is
10th 10 let the facts be known. but
residence of even a few weeks in any
portion Of the country where the ig-
norant negro population Is congested
will convince the most scepdcai hat
this hideous danger is always immi-
nent and very real.
The crime of stealing il the very
least of the negros ofenses against
southern society. The whites Of The
south have long since ceased To eN-
pect that he will respect the rights Of
property Larceny is looked upon As
a joke. AS well might one expect The
leopard to change his spots. as the
southern negro TO refrain from steal
ing II is possible To protect against
this comparatively minor offense: ii Is
the hideous crimes. the unSpeakable
horrors that are the real menace.
Against these the law Is power!ess.
because IL recognizes no punishment
adequate to the offense; it can devise
nothing that will prevent its recur-
renee and the harm done is ire
parable.
Ordinary punishmC 1t, adequate in
the north TO check crime. fails en-
tirely in the south u restrain the ne
gro even from the commission OF
minor misdemeanors. The disgrace of
Imprisonment does not touch him, as
Il rule, In many southern towns,
when cold weather approaches and
the shiftlesS and improvident blacks
feel its chill. numbers Of them de-
liberately and openly commit theft in
order TO be arrested. convicted and
sentenced TO the penitentiary during
the winter months. there to be main
tanned in comparative comfort a. the
states expense until spring returns.
When once again at liberty, they
come back, they are met at the train
by their neighbors. relatives and
friends and escorted in triumph TO
their lurking places as If they We're
q, heroes returning from an honorable
undertaking. instead of idle, vicious.
debased criminals let loose from jail.
The fear of Immediate and dreadful
death is powerless To control the
brutal, degenerated negro when his
passions are aroused. His mind Is 100
feeble and shallow to consider the
| consequences of his crime and the
| brute in him, once awakened, reckons
| ,1,o& 80 f,,+,, tuh
ment. The force Of example, eveE in
it's most terrifying form when frenzied
mobs wreak vengeance in burnings
and sickening torture, does not i'm
press itself upon this class for more
than a very brief time Its intellect
is so inferior and its imagination SO
utterly diseased that the effects OF
such horrid spectacles soon wears off.
This national cancer is revolving,
hideous subject. One is 10th 70
speak of it in clean type on unpolluted
paper, lest its contemplation should
| breed pestilence, but, IL 1t is ever TO
| be cut out, 1t must be realized and
! considered in all its horror especially
by northern people who have too long
! shut their eyes TO the truth The
| south understands it and the better
| classes OF whites, TO whom our SYM
pathy and aid should be extended in
the fullest measure, know further that
besides the vicious negro. they have
| with them a large element OF igno-
ant, violent, Incorporate white people
for whose crude and revolving exc
cution of lynch law they are held re-
! sponsible by the world
1t is time for the north TO bear a
| hand in the solution of the problem IL
has literally shared in creating Ii
can do SO by ceasing To exploit the
! negro as the white mans equal Ii
can do 50 by considering the mass CT
negroes in the south as they are. 10.
| as sentimentalists represent them TO
be. 1t can do so by discontinuing irs
senseless. fruitless attempt at higher
cultivation OF the negro. AS long as
the vast majority OK the race in the
south remains as 1t Is the strong arm
of white control must be strengthened.
and encouraged 20 exert itself
The negro must be taught the rudf-
| mentary virtues he has forgotten be-
| fore he can aspire to higher oduca-
ton. He must be made to obey. abb
soluteiy. He must be compelled 20
restrain himself. He must fear and
| respect the law and he must be made
to understand that IL he dares SO much
as. think wrongfully of white woman
ne will deserve death and at the
slightest indication OF an intent TO
commit wrong, he will receive il. The
north can do its duty by first under
standing tie condition as Ii is and
then uniting with the Caucasian of the
south, in knowledge of and sympathy
| with his situation, TO devise prouer.
adequate and permanent relief.
What Is now needed Ia less senti-
| ment and more common sense on the
part of the north All the money il
has to devote To humanitarian pur-
poses and all the sympathy and sup
port 1t can summon should. In this
grave emergency which threatens
north and south alike. be placed. un-