The advocate. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1901-1913, 1907-04-11
FOLLOWING.
80 -----------. = i. ~
s..f -
The Color Line
A Review of Ray Stannas d
Baker, Article On he Re-
s ssS.::,sSsnt . .Masss t.sa
groes at Atlanta
By JAS. CUTHBERT CAMPBE4,

BY JAS. CUTHBERT CAMPBEad..
In the April Number tttha AgaSri-
can Magazine. MrssRsy Standard yBa-
ker contributes another 9t his highly
Instructive and Interesting articles,
FOLLOWING The Color Line" con-
nnshg the narrative u i'd u TIE pientYd
accompanying illustrations to u the
horrible and shameful race riots
whlch took place in Atlanta, Septem-
Der. 1906. This particular article
from Mr.. Bakers prolific and versa
tile pen, he terms "A RaceTRiot, And
After"
During the more sober and calmer
period following that great social
storm, when Atlanta's nerves had be-
come quieter and the tension relaxed
somewhat, Mr. Baker a. visited the
scene of that bloody conflict for the
purpose OF making an honest and
thorough examination of the
causes leading W to and pro-
IN the writing referred to is the result
OF that investigation.
ne also takes up and discusses in
MS characteristic manner the period
OF reconstruction, as he calls it or
that prior just after the riot when
order was being restored, showing
the good work done, and the symDa-
thetic feeling Of the better class of
white people in the South towards
the better class of colored people.
7 Mr.. Baker is indeed a most
competent and entertaining writer,
and in handling this very COM
pick subject of racial relation
ships in this country, he exhibits
knowledge of eolored people
that is seldom, If ever, displayed by
the thousand and one other white
people, who attempt to treat>this sub
1ect. One of the commendable fea-
lures of all of Mr.. Bakers articles
dealing with colored people Is his in
ciination to treat them Justly and
fairly. He can get closer to the col
ored mans view point and write
from his side of the question with
less ego and prejudice than any other
white person whose pen has done
work along this same line.
He dosen't hide the good In the
colored person nor does he make
mountains out Of their bad traits,
and in all he has the moral courage
to tell the white people of the South
OF their wrong treatment of the col
ored man: 1t would certainly be an
excellent thing if all the people both
white and colored could read this ar
ticle =
Of course, Mr.. Baker, as do all
Others of the opposite race, writing
on this subject of the colored man in
the South, or as 1t Is so often termed
''The Race Problem" has much to
say about the worthless Negro" the
'shiftless Negro" and the Criminal
Negro" We hear more of this Negro
than any other sort of Negro.
The presence Of this unfortunate
class Of citizens can not be denied
and he Is as much an "eyesore" to the
colored people as he is to the white
people OF the South. But Mr.. Baker
and seemingly all the white people
have forgotten the source and the
conditions which gave us this
worthless, shiftless and criminal
Negro as he, is so abusiyely charac-
teriZed today. We wonder whether
or not the white people, while con-
demning and abhoring this class Of
Negroes, ever stop to think that this
':worthless, brutal, criminal Negro"
is nothing more than the finished
product Of his own, the white mans
hand. We wonder If he doesn't real
iZe that this Negro Is nothing more
than the logical and natural result Of
brutaliZing and criminaliZing Slav-
cry, SO recently past, that it's fruits,
typified In him, has not yet, in the
natural order OF things, been haryes-
ted. 80 ..>' -. -,
The brutal, criminal Negro" Is a
part OF the harvesting Of brutal
and criminal slavery and his pres
ence at this time should not be sur
prising. What else could we expect?
Do the white people look for a
perfect enlightment and all law abid-
ing people to come out Of a debasing
brutaliZing and ignorant slavery into
which not one ray OF the civilizing In
fuence was ever permitted to enter?
How soon we forget. All this hys-
terra about the worthless and Vici-
Gus Negro" is about aS reasonable
and as unkind as those men were
who abused another for getting wet
after they had bound him hand and
foot, and thrown him into the sea.
doubt very much whether there are
another class of people who dep1ore
| the presence Of the worthless class
Of colored people more than the col
ored people themselves, because he
| is more Of menace ia their well
| fare than he Is to the peace and
| happiness Of white people, and the
rapist, they bewail above any other
class Of criminals. And just here
wish to add word further concern
| ing Mr.. Bakers article. 1t is often
charged that the colored people har-
Dor aud shield criminals. In this ar
ticle it is shown that the arrest Of
many Of the Criminals just, before and
during the Atlanta riot were made
upon information furnished by color
ed people, thus showing that there is
absolutely nothing in the argument,
taat these people protect their crimi-
1 nal le1ass. =, ~ r.
But : the, worth fesgt brutal land
lcrirninal Negro is lfefeA-2aI cruel. VI
cious and brutaliziDg condition gave
thifn to u.s.. q conditions 30r,rR bich. che