The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1911-08-29
ARE THEMSELVES TO BLAME
This New York Minister Advised His
People to Stick Together and Fight
Fire With Fire"-To Shoot Wher
Necessary
GFrom the New York SUM

Bethel African Methodist EuiscoDal
Church at - West Twenty-filth st,
the largest negro church in New York,
asked his congregation the other day
who Nnched Zachariad Walker al
Gainesville, Pa Ills own answer
was, "Not the cold blooded mob OF
Coates,ille. bu, american public opin-
ion
And later Mr. Ransom said at his
home, II suppose the white race vii.
never be satisfied until it has lynch
ed a negro ON Boston Common"
This public opinion" he said in
church. has been educated for more
than thirty years with all the vigil
ance OF an academician. Its teachers
have been the columns OF the Ameri-
can press, the silent acQuiescence of
the American pulpit and the persist
eut attitude Of the southern states
to repress the negroes.
Negroes Have Themselves to Blame
But the negroes themselves Mr..
Ransom said toward the close of his
sermon. are largely to blame for
the contempt in which they are held
and the impunity with which their
liberties and their lives may be in
vadad. Sheritfs, mavOrs, courts. cover
nors will not take seriously into aC-
count the interests Of people who
have lost or surrendered the right
to retaliate or call them to account
at the ballot box Mobs do not quail
when there is no fear that their wild
brutalities will be answered by a vol
ley of bullets. Men would be slow 10
apply the match for the incineration
of a living victim if it were probable
that the answering torch would kim
die a flame in their midst
Il am unwillngly but slowly com
ing to the conclusion that the snly
way for the negro in particular and
the dark skinned peoples in general
to win and hold the respect Of white
people is to mete out to them a
white mans measure in all the rela-
tions of life. PiouS professions and
solemn proclamationa have little
weight when they come from a peo-
ple whose character has been so clear
ly disclosed"
Mr.. Ransom read carefully from
manuscript the paragraph about met
ing ont a white mans measure and
then said to his six hundred listen
ers. who sat intensely silent except
for Good Good" here and there.
Lose Sight of Psrtisanship.
But you stay inside the law. No
matter what happens YOU stay in
side the law. Then you can demand
that the white man enforce this law
The day the negro becomes lawless
he is doomed. Iiut, you say laws are
passed uniustly discriminating against
us. I reply, agitate for their repeal.
just as the white man would do
Vote for men who pass Just laws.
To do that the negro must divorce
himself from partisanship."
After church one who found it diff
fiCult to reconcile the advice that the
negro heed the law with Mr Ran
sons earlier word about retaliation
was moved to ask the clergyman just
what he meant. He replied that he
had purposely RETAINED from saying
all that was in his mind in order not
to inflame his people
The negro race might as well put
a pistol to its head and blow out its
brains as to start in to fight" Mr.
Ransom said in the interview, bur
I'll tell you that ! meant just this:
When MODS of white men rise. every
body in community knows that
they're coming before they come
When a negro's home is invaded o.
mObs come among negroes for lynch
ing, as they did in Springfield, ILL.,,
if the mObs knew that they would
hn met with a hail of bullets d.
"But let me put it in another way
What would happen to negro mob
that went among white men to string
them up? What would happen? Well
The Power of Site ckine Together.
'At my old home in Ohio a colored
man accused OF shooting white man
Was in the county jail. The news
spread that he was going TO be lynch
ed. COlored men met outside of town,
resolved what they'd do. then scat
tered Some hid in alleys near the