The Semi-weekly leader. (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1905-1941, 1907-11-16
FACING A CRISIS.
GOV. VARDAMAN CALLS UPON OFFIC.
ERS OF THE Law.
Negro Must be DiSarmed.-- Tigers,
Cocaine Dives and Pistol TOterS Re-
quire Heroic Treatment
at Once.

The following proclamation
lately issued by Gov. VardamaL
has the right ring and should re.
ceive due consideration by public
officials:
TO the Officers of the Law ol
Mississippi:
The terrible crimes which have
been committed in this state re-
Gently, by negroes especially.
calls for extraordinary vigilance
on the part of the law officers, ano
a more rigid enforcement of the
laws generally. The blind tiger
and cocaine dive must be extir
pated, and the pistol toter ano
vagrant sent to Jail or the county
farm where they belong. Most
of the crimes committed by young
negroes are inspired by the spirit
of the blind tiger. The cocaine
dive furnishes the recklesness
while the idle brain of the. va.
grant affords a fertile soil for the
propagation of all forms of dia-
boIism. Within the last few
weeks several very excellent
white men, some of whom we're
faithful public servants, have met
death-murdered in cold blood
while in the performance of their
official duties, and a number OF
poor, unofending white women
have been the victims of the lust
of these black brutes in human
form. The young negro, crazed
with blind tiger whiskey or stim-
ulated by that deadly drug CO.
caine, is utterly desperate, as be
is absolutely constituencies. He
will commit the most fiagitious
crime with the least provacation
and then never feel tinge of re-
morse. Something must be done.
The situation calls for heroic
treatment and the officers of the
law are the doctors to apply the
remedy. Unless something shall
be done, and done promptly, this
entire state will become pan.
demonium of crime and bloodshed.
The white man is responsible fo1
the good order of society. He
must rule the state. Unfortunate.
ly there are few men living in
the towns and cities, on account
of criminal ignorance or for the
purpose of furthering their own
personal or political interests, in
sist upon pandering to Northern
prejudice on the race question,
which prejudice is the outgrowth
of profound ignorance of Southern
conditions, who continue to pro-
claim to the world that there is
no race problem. - They cry
peace when there is no peace and
permit to grow undisturbed and
unchecked the criminal nature OF
the negro and the white mans
ever-increasing antipathy for the
negro, apparently oblivious of the
disastrous ends to which such a
policy inevitably leads. Such
talk is also balefuI in its effect
upon the negro. The foolish
thing is misled. He hopes fol
the unattainabIe and aspires to the
impossible and the disappoint.
ment when brought face to face
with the realization is disastrous.
both to the negro and ruinous to
the white race.
Men talk of justice and the en-.
forcement of the laws upon the
white man and the negro alike as
though such thing were possible.
Justice must be the aim and enc
Of all, but justice to the negro
does not mean that you must treat
the negro in all matters, even il
the enforcement of the law, as
you would the white man. There
are certain laws that are suited tc
the white man which cannot bt
adjusted to the negro's peculiar
condition. There are certain
things that must be done for tht
control of the negro which neeo
not be done for the government o.
the white man. In spite of tht
provisions of the federal constitu
tion the men who are called upor
to deal with this great problem
must do that which his necessary
to be done, even though it may
have the appearance at times O
going somewhat without the law
The races are not alike and tht
law can not make them alike, mol
is it possible to treat them exactly
alike before the law. 1t has nevel
been done. 1t cannot be done
and it is silly and criminally ab
surd to try to do it. It may ap
pear a little singular that thu
chief executive of the state shoult
give expression to such thoughtl
as these, but it is true, and th'
time has come when the truth il
regard to these Things should b'
told. The problem is the graves
one that ever confronted a people
or tested their civilization. And i
ought to be met in a spirit 0
dauntless courage, candor and alb
solute fairness. Let the officer
of the law see that no negro il
permitted to walk the streets o
the towus or cities or travel tn
public highways in the rural dis
trict, with a gun In his pocket
Watch him closely and Ii he look
like he has gun upon his per
son, search him, aud if you find Ii,
has one, arrest and convict him
Nine-tenths of the negroes in thi
state 60 armed with the very bes