The new age., 1907-01-12

facts about the alleged race riot IN
that city some months ago. At least
this was their ostensible object, but
we may be sure that while some of
these men were intent on ascertaining
the exact and full truth, the colored
people involved in that affair did not
get any the best Of it in the findings.
At the time of the occurrence, 1T will
be remembered, it was said that
wicked, wanton, wretched and cTimi-
nal negroes were solely or principally
to blame or that the attacks upon
them were justifiable or excusable be-
cause of several alleged crimes that
had been perpetrated, or attempted to
be perpetrated, by unknown parties.
therefore, presumably negroes. One,
we believe, had looked through win
dow into a room in which was young
white woman, bad act, very likely,
but hardly sufficient to help set mob
of supposedly civilized white men to
the work of indiscriminate murder and
arson, the victims being wholly inno-
cent people.
The result of this inquiry, however
is report from these white business
men of Atlanta stating that the rioting
and killing were due to the acts of the
tough element among the whites,
for in the south, as well as. in the
north. there are hoodlums and mali
cious, depraved fellows among the
whites as well as among the blacks,
and it is almost invariably the whites
who, to avenge some single crime, or
reported crime, of a negro, start the
trouble and do most of the mischief.
The Atlanta investigation revealed
the fact also that the twelve negroes
who were killed and the 70 or more
who were wounded were without ex-
ception honest, Industrious, decent
people and good members of society.
There was not a single vagrant, hood
lum. drunkard or desperate in the
whole lot. They were humble, useful,
industrious, peaceable citizens, mind
ing their own business and doing no
wrong in that community. The men
or other adults supporting the fam
lilies, paying their debts and taxes. be-
lieving in the same God as the whites
and theoretically protected in equal
rights by the same great government.
Yet a dozen of these inoffensive,
peaceable citizens were murdered by
mob, some 70 others were wounded,
some of their homes and belongings
were burned, and they and others like
them were obliged or felt impelled to
move away from that city and seek
some other place where the right of
life, liberty and the pursuit of happi-
ness would perhaps not be so awfully
outraged
What would have happened if the
case had been reversed-if a mob of
hundreds or thousands of negroes had
thus murdered, wounded and driven
from their homes a lot of inoffensive
white people? What terrific howl
would have gone up for not only JUS
tice but vengeance throughout the
south. But because these dead,
wounded and homeless people were
only "niggers," the affair was passed
over with but brief comments, the
matter was hushed up as much as pos
sible, nobody was punished, and the
brave and puissant president, who
could discharge whole companies oi
colored troops for not answering to
suit him said not word and did not
do a thing to uphold the constitution
and laws and the rights of these citi
zens.
The recent affair in Mississippi was
of good deal the same character as
mentioned last week, and so are
others characterized as race riots
engendered by negroes. The fact is
that advantage is taken on frequent
/ opportunities of some crime or misde
; meanor of a black man to organize
/, among white hoodlums, miscreants
( hobos, thieves and various kinds o.