Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1909-08-14
snecial Corrc.oondencc.94

| lsSneClui-ar
| r fpNDoN, Aug. or Americans al s. who VIC
[ have lived in the southern states
I = or who have enjoyed any sort of
! colonial experience, will appre-
ciate the apprehension that has been
caused in England by the discovery Of
| d new danger to white men in the Eng
fish colonies in the tropics. It has been
described as ..the new black peril and
is no other than the possibility of the
trial OF white man by a jury COM
posed exclusively Of blacks.
That & 1t is far from imaginary, Is
proved by the fact that two English.
men were recently tried and convicted
on the West African gold coast under
Tthcse circumstances and one OF them
is serving out his three years sentence
today in Portland prison with noiaap-
parent prospect of release.
( The other Englishman, after under
going six months imprisonment. was
only released a few weeks ago. thanks
toEtheadetermined efforts made on his
behalf by Sir Gilbert Parker, NJ. p.
the novelist. a third Eng lishman
would almost inevitably have shared
tho same fate as the other two had he
not succumbed4 to blackwater fever on
the very eve of the trial.
The most amazing feature: of this
amazing case is that the men were not
even present when the offense for
which they We're tried was committed
and the. question of their being Access
sories to it was not even raised.
CASE CREATES SENSATION.
IT the reader can imagine how the
news of the trial of a white citizen of
the United States by jury of negroes
in the south would be received in
America he will gain a faint idea of
this extraordinary sensation that has
followed the discovery of the gold
coast incident. So astounded and con-
cerned is Sir Gilbert Parker, despite his
wide colonia experience, with the con-
dition Of affairs disclosed that he has
brought the whole question of the trial
of white men in British West Africa
to the attention of the house of corn
mons. and the government has ordered
an enquiry 10 be made An amazing
situation is revealed for the first time
by the replies made to Sir Gilbert in
parliament by Colonel Seely. the under
secretary of state for the colonies. In
the gold coast colony apparently IL
rests entirely. with the court to decide
whether or not "a white prisoner shall
he tried by a jury of whites. a jury
composed of four blacks and three
whites or Il jury composed exclusively
OIL elleSTocs. rs
BLACKS TRY WHITES.
Since this astounding case was
brought to my attention said Sir Gill
bert to the writer. 7 have learned Ger
tain facts which give me reason to be- 4
5lieye that the practise of trying white
men by black juiies in British colonies
is not confined To the gold coast but
obtains as near America as the West
indies. j shall bring the whole ques-
ton before parliament again and shall
not rest until such procedures have
been amended. "a lzss5s5i5s=-
81 think / may claim to know little
about the colored man" he said. Il
have studied the aboriginal In AUS
tfala. and Haussa, the Malaan. The
4Asatic Indian. and the negro in South
Africa-the black man, in short. in all
parts of the world. say deliberately.
however. that would ten thousand
times rather be tried by the seyeress