The Aberdeen weekly., 1908-08-21
Reasons for the Rioting.


Discussing the Springfield riot
and the causes leading up to such a
fearful demonstration against the
negro population. a well known no
tel proprietor Of that city gave the
following among other reasons:
The feeling against the coIored
citizens is Of years standing. The
riots, according to old citizens, are
the result Of years Of racial antag-
onism. The so-called black belt
has for years been an eyesore to the
better class Of people. And each
year has seen an augmentation Of
the colored population. 1t Is said
that in the last two years a thOus-
and negroes took up their abode in
/ Springfield, giving the city a color
/ ed population Of about 5000 per
sons
They were getting too bold and
|impudent People outside the city
can not realize Just how offensive
this was The people Of the state
at large will discover that the out
break of last Friday was not the re
suit Of mOmentary irritation, a tenn
p0rary ebullition Of violence super
induced by the heat The under
lcurrent.o of resentment growing for
years needed only a pretext and
/ the assault on a white woman fur
nished that pretext.
The streets are quite now but
/ troops are here, but that is no as
surance that the question is settled
For the most part, the people would
have liked to have seen the matter
settled without the intervention OF
the s6ldiery. The fact that the
trouble is costing business men
! thousands Of dollars daily in loss OF
trade does not help matters. Per
sonally, | think Gov. Deneen s
stand for the protection of the ne
groes Is correct, but the average
working man has little sympathy
with it,
The tone Of this interview is sim
/ liar to that Of others had by news
paper men. BARRIERS, street car
men, miners. Iaborers and the
common run of people met on the
street, talked in a similar vein.
Gen Young himself has had nu-
merous talks with representatives in
all walks Of life, and he has amend
ed his first opinion that a few days
of patrol here would he sufficient
/ to restore normal conditions.
When asked today what he thought
would be the probable duration OF
the stay Of the troops, the general
shook his head He put no limit
on the time.
The exodus Of the negroes from
/ ISpringfield seems to be permanent
A visit to the former black town
brought out the fact that homes so
quickly deserted Saturday are still
vacant and promise to remain SO.
/ There are still a few scattered color
ed families residingin the few
blocks guarded by the soldiers,
but they, for the most part, are
women, children and aged men.
The younger and middle aged
men are very few in number. Oc-
casionly one may see three or four
men standing near a burned home,
but all are making preparations to
leave Springfield, as soon as funds
are available.
The Illinois traction system and
various railroads are now bringing
colored people into the city, but
outgoing. cars are still crowded with
the blacks Decatur, Peoria,
Bloomington and the small or
neighboring towns are having their
colored population increased.
A statement from several prOmi-
nent hotel men this morning brings
out the fact that that negroes are
not wanted as walters, porters and
bellboys at the Springfield hostel
rIeS