The Appeal. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. ;) 1889-19??, 1915-06-19
1.-THE BIRTH OF A NATION"

The colored people all over the
country have been fighting the mis-
chievous and dangerous prejudice
breeding film, 1.-THE Birth of a Ma
tion." Articles, editorials, etcetera,
have appeared in the papers all over
the country, but the best THE APP
PEAL has seen is the communication
to the Chicago Tribune, written by
Major John R. Lynch, who lived in
the south during the reconstruction
period and knows whereof he speaks.
Major Lynch's article is so excellent
that we reproduce it in full:
Chicago. editor Of The Tribune.)
Speaking of the photoplay called
"The Birth of Nation" you say:
1t is in all essential episodes ground
ed on historical fact, representing the
struggles of that terrible time in the
south when the whites, back from
war, saw their government taken over
by the newly enfranchised blacks con-
trolled by the northern carpetbaggers.
What happened with the Negro
o0SOAAuCAI cIAAu 11OW I1O WA1IO 1SecSL1U-
lished his supremacy is shown with
obvious natural sympathy for the
south, and no doubt with such height
ening of effect as dramatic art has a
right to employ. 1t presents what the
south says and the north of our day,
at least, is inclined to believe to be
| truth
Exactly the reverse of this is true,
| for there never was time when any
one of the state governments of the
south was taken over by the newly
enfranchised blacks controlled by the
northern carpetbaggers
That some mistakes were made dur
ing the progress Of reconstruction will
not be denied. How could it be other
wise? The war had just come to an
! end. Sectional animOsity was bitter
and intense. The Republican party
was looked upon as the enemy of the
south No white man could identify
himself with the Republican party at
that time in any one of the southern
states without running the risk of be-
Ing socially ostracised and publicly
characterized as an enemy to his sec
ton, his state, and his race. Notwith-
standing these things, not less than
| Is per cent Of the white men of that
section-men who were to the man
ner born, many of them ex-Confeder-
ate soldiers, identified themselves
with and became leaders of the Re-
publican party. These, in the main,
were the men that the newly enfran-
ch1sed blacks selected as their lead
ersh1p they loyalty and faithfully fol-
lowed.
do not hesitate to assert that the
reconstructed state governments. at
the south were the best governments
those states ever had before or have
ever had since. There never was a
time when there was actual physical
NEGRO domination" or even carpet
bagging domination, in any one of the
reconstructed states.
The play to which you refer, in
stead of being grounded on histori-
cal facts" is grounded on historical
Misrepresentation, without having a
single actual fact as the basis of it's
existence. It is fiction pure and
simple, painted from diseased and
prejudiced imagination, with false
and deceptive background as a basis
upon which to stand. Such a play
could not be otherwise than mischiev-
GUS In it's inception and dangerous in
It's results, even if the scenes depicted
were truthful reproduction of actual
occurrences. But when it is or ought
to be a well known fact. that the al
legged scenes are pure fabrications
with not single background Of truth
/ RI MT
hardly be less than criminal In the
main they are false, slanderous, and
malicious. They are calculated and
intended to engender and Intensity
race prejudice and race hatred. In
the interest of peace, order, truth,
Justice, and morality they should be
suppressed. No good can come but
much harm may result from them. It
IS, therefore, the duty Of the authori-
ties to suppress them, just as they
| would suppress any other nuisance
that is calculated to incite crime and
| general disorder in the community.
In this connection allow me, as a
| southern man, to say, and to say
whereof know, that there are Just
TWO Classes OF white people at the
south who keep this so-called race
problem constantly before the public
The first class is composed of those
who commemorative race prejudice
simply for the dollars and cents they
can make out OF it. The second class
is composed Of those who utilize race
prejudice for the purpose Of securing
political distinction and official recog-
milton which they could never secure
through any merit of their own. It
makes no difference with these people
how much harm to the public or In
justice is done to any people or race
as long as they can accomplish the
purpose desired. They know there is
not q particle Of truth in anything
I they say or produce relative to this
matter. But what difference does
that make to them? The Office seek
er finds that this is his best paying
political asset. What is the use, then,
OF considering or discussing the tariff,
the financial, or any other subject or
question as long as this mythical race
question viii answer the purpose?
They find that this Is the one ques-
ton upon which they can hold the