Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1907-05-03
THE COLOR LINE IN TIE NORTH.

The New York World publishes a dis
patch from Oleau, N. Y, of the most eI-
tnordinary character. 1t ia as follows:
Fred Hitchcock, white, who permitted his
daughter Dora, aged 10 years, TO be married
TO Arthur Jones, colored, by the Rev. W.
f. Cofly, the pastor of the African Church,
few days ago, was tried tonight before
Justice Charles Carter and jury. Hitch
cock was found guilty OF violating public
decency and sentenced TO serve six months
in jail and pay $50 fine. A large crowd
cheered the verdict. The girl, who is hand
some, was in court. The clergyman has al
ready been held for the grand jury for vio-
lating the marriage law.
Olean is town in Western New York OF
some 10000 population. 1t is in the coun
try where the abolition sentiment was most
pronounced in the days of slavery. West
ern York supplied the first abolition candi-
the money which financed the John Brown
raid came from Western New York, and
after the capture Of Brown at least one dis
tinguished citizen of that locality took refuge
in Canada. Not far from Olean is the city
OF Rochester, in which stands an imposing
monument to Fred Douglass, Maryland
negro, who married white woman. The
prevailing sentiment In that part Of the En-
pire State In which Olean is situated has
been altogether so favorable to the negro
race that the outbreak over this interracial
marriage is somewhat surprising.
1t is not merely local and unimportant
incident. 1t is full OF meaning and big with
import. 1t means that the race question
has spread from the South to q large part of
the North. And If the Northern people de
sire TO stop the marriage of their daughters
to negro men the first step and an essential
step is to break up mixed schools. II white
girls are sent TO school with negro boys, to
sit beside them, TO regard them as their play
fences that can be imposed will be ineffec
tual TO prevent marriages with them. The
punishment Of the father of the Olean girl
who consented to her marriage with negro
seems to have met with public approval
and to have been done in response 70 popu-
lar demand. The reason for this is the in
flux OF negroes In the North. When there
were only few Of them, and they strangers
In the land, there was no danger, and the
Northern people could not understand the
feeling in the South. Now it is coming
homo TO them, and they are getting an in
sight into the question.
There are at shis time nearly $1,000 Vir
ginia negroes living in the State OF Pennsyl.
vania alone. A Philadelphia paper complain
ed the other day that the balance OF power
at the polls in Atlantic City, N. j., is held
and exercised by 1900 negro walters. who
gather into the hotels from various Southern
States. The negroes who emigrate TO the
North are usually the most active, inteli-
gent and best educated Of their race. And
yet nowhere do they find a welcome. This
has moved Booker Washington TO declare
more than once that the South is the best
place for the negro. But the emigration to
the North, which is going on in an ever
increasing tide, has had one admirable result
1t has given the Northern people better
understanding OF the situation which con
fronts the South, has aroused their sympa
thy, and mas perhaps, more than any othel
cause, iu1uced the North 10 keep hands Of
4d lei he South deal with the matter II
It's own N'ay.