The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-05-17


 CO., Texas recently, makes timely the following address delivered by w. D. Weatherford a Southerner, before the Southern Sociological Congress, at New Orleans last month. MT. Weather ford's address made such deep inn pression that the delegates voted unan- imous1y ot give it the widest publicity in the press and to publish it in pam pf1et form.
 MT. weatherford, who is author of Negro Life in the South.'' and Pres ent Forces in Negro Problems,' said in part:
 Lynch law is peculiar neither to the Southern States nor to America a whole, for the practice of lynching has been common in most countries where the Government has been weak, or poorly established ,or where justice has been tardi1y meted out to offend CTS. Fortunately for most other coun- tries, as the Governments have become well established, as legal procedure has become prompt, and as compare tive justice has been meted out to criminals, the habit of taking the law into hand by the mob has practically disappeared. Unfortunately, this has rot been the case in America, partic- uIarly in the South. The return of stable government since 1870 has not done a great deal to- diminish lynch ing.
 s'The causes of 1ynching may be viewed from the standpoint of the Yic- tim; that is, we may ask what provo cation do they offer for such measures; and these causes may be viewed from the standpoint of those who do the lynching; that is, what reason do they find for taking the law into their own hands?
 Why Men Are Lynched?
 Viewed from the first standpoint, we must ask what are the crimes for which men are lynched; and what mo- lives lead to such crimes. It is gen. orally supposed that most people who are 1ynched are so dealt with because they have attacked or assaulted white women. The further supposition is that most such persons are co1ored men.
 Some have supposed that brutal co1ored men attack white women be- cause of their animal passions, but doubt very seriously if this is a suff1- Cient explanation There were very few assaults on white women before the war when the slave men were on every side and where white women were often left completely to the care of colored drivers, housemen and oth- CTS. If it were question of pure an inaa1isnn, no amount of fear or loyalty would have prevented this crime from becoming widespread. This is surely
 
 edlS is one cause of assaults on white women.
 Others have said that Hhe crime against white women is often commit ted out of pure revenge. have heard of at least one case of a young coIored
 man swearing that he would revenge himself a beautiful young white woman, because her brother had done violence to the young co1ored mans girl friend. I think there can be no doubt that a considerable amount of crime on the part of co1ored men | to a spirit of getting even. Not get ting even with any particular individ- uaI, but just an indefinite getting even with the white race.
 Viewpoint of the Lynchers. l ''Whatever the explanation of the l origin of this horrible crime, there can be no doubt that it is greatly increas- ed by the racial antagonisns which have grown up since the war and as vention must of necessity be the re- moval of race hatred and racial in | Justice.
 Viewed from the standpoint of Those who compose the mob, the causes | of 1ynching have been variousIy stated. Some have thought that Iynching was l simply a perverted instinct; that it is a survival of the instinct of the chase and has in it an element of blood thirstiness which is satisfied in war and the killing of game. This may have some Justification but to me it does not seem a, sufficient explanation. | .tOthers have supposed that it is the | appeal to brute force as the only means which men have found ade- quate and drastic enough to awaken hardened and brutal men. Still oth- CTS have defended it on the basis that l il iS fIR 1isnT ho strike terror to the heart of the crim- inal classes and thus prevent further crimes, Again, it has been defended on the ground that it is the only way to punish the criminal and at the same time shield from public attention the one against whom the crime has been l committed, Some have even been willing to defend lynching on the ground that it is the only form of vengeance which will bring any de- gree of relief to the male relatives of the wrenged person.
 However plausible, these arguments in favor of 1ynching' may seem to the | infaIned mind, not one of them will stand the scrutiny of a sober mind. Lynching Does Not Prevent Crime. l "It is a well known fact that lynch ing does not prevent crime. Negroes men; on the way home from a most horrible and revelting lynchiIig scene. It is well established fact that lynch ings tend to repeat themselves in cer- l tain localities. The hardening effect of one 1yncfing tends definitely to the | increase of the most horrible crimes Instead of preventing crime, 1t posi- lively increases it, and he who would be a defender of womankind must face l this stubborn fact.
 | ''It should be noticed first of all that all persons 1ynched have not been men, and all men 1vnched have not heaY1 re- gEoes. The first lsnchtnss in. this caun-