The National tribune., 1906-10-04
ATLANTA,s DISGRACE.


the humane sense of Atlanta took hold
of the disgracefuI mob anarchy and re-
stored order The business men of the |
city would not longer endure the loss
and inconvenience of having their en-
ployes under a reign of terror, and in
sisted upon the restoration of law, quiet |
and safety.
The disturbance struck yitally at At
lanta's manufacturing and merchandise |
ing, and paralyzed everything from the i
Introduction of raw material into the
city to tie shipment of finished goods
to customers in her wide circle of dis
tribution. In Atlanta thousands of ne
groes of the best class-faithful, honest,
industrious, religious-are employed,
and are rendering absolutely essential
service. Everything depends upon them.
They load and unload the cars they
arms must be instant and willing at
every stage of manufacture and trans
shipment. To terrorize them is to par
alyze every fiber and muscle of Allan
tas business.
Therefore, Altanta's solid men at last
got together and demanded peace. They
were shamefully slow in doing this, but
they did it at last.
The more the affair is studied the
more inexcusably barbarous it seems.
Not even that pestiferous demagog,
John Temple Graves. will deny that at
least nine out of 10 of the negroes of
Atlanta are faithful, steady workers.
They may be dumb, ignorant and i'm
provident, but they are well-disposed
and do as well as they know how. Only
five or six in 100-are actually vicious.
This is as true Of the white race as Of
the black. 1t is true of every city. There
are probably 1000 actual and habitual
criminals in Washington City's popula-
ton of 250,000-say, one in every ESQ.
Washington has twice as many negroes
as Atlanta, and probably worse ones
since the police of the Capital claim
that the more obnoxious negroes when
run out of Richmond, Charleston, Sa-
vannah. Atlanta, New Orleans, etc,
make their way to Washington. The
police have entirely too much trouble
with these. it is true, but never any
thing that suggests an uprising of a
mob.
Washington has very efficient police
force. and as soon as man-white or
black-shows criminal tendencies the
city is made quite uncomfortable for
him. The Police Justices cordially as
sist. There is an excellent workhouse.
with abundance of stone and a sufii-
cheney of tools to occupy the time and
strength of the evil-disposed. Besides.
the District has superb road system
| which must be maintained and extend
ed. If gentry-white or black-with
morals of violent bias do not wish to
aid for some months in admirable pub
lie improvements, they will give the
city wide berth.
This is the policy that Atlanta, and
all cities that aspire to be we'll govern
ed. should follow. Everywhere the
criminal class-white or black--is 4
very small percentage of the whole
The idle. loafing, drinking miscreants
soon make themselves known to the
police and all observing men. The low
groggeries which are their haunts are
equally notorious. All that is necessary
is to keep a sharp eye and a heavy
4 hand upon this class. Many of the
States have vagrancy laws which il
properly enforced are quite effective
In every well-governed city the Police
Justices have a vagrancy law of their
own, which they administer to relieve
the community of obnoxious elements
| If Atlanta has suffered unduly from
outrages by criminal loafers it is di-
rectly due to the incompetency of her
Municipal Government. She has suf-
fered the penalty of inefficient police
. and Police Justices. She has no one
else to blame. and it is unendurably
eXtenuation. Proper administration
should have rid her of, or at least sup
pressed, her scoundrels, white and
black. Other cities have done it, and
are doing it.
i The wickedest part of the matter is
), that there was no discrimination shown
Other mobs have directed their fury
against men of known evil life and
tendencies. The celebrated Vigilance
Committee of San Francico made few
if any, mistakes. The men it hanged
or drove from the city were, every one
men who had deserved all they got
This is usually a palliation of mob law
If the Atlanta mob had cleaned out
Eureka street, burned every one Of the
) low negro dives on it, and killed or NAL.
l treated every one of the loafing, drunk
en- negroes found there there would
have been much excuse for it, as there
was when a few years ago the New
Dreams mob swept thru the dens OF
the Sicilian Black Hand and Malta mur-
derers.
But the Atlanta rioters started a race
! war. absolutely without discrimination
| The honest. Industrious, faithful ne.
u groes suffered far worse than the
vicious. The scoundrels probably took
warning when the storm was brewing
and sought safety. The other negroes
confident in the rectitude of their lives
went on with their daily duties, to re-
ceive the full measure of the mob's