The McDowell times. [volume] (Keystone, W. Va.) 1904-1941, 1917-08-10
BOSTON JOURNAL
ON f. ST. LOUIS
Liberation Of AnPeoples

uDllG.
We venture, alter the lapse Of nearly
month. Ia revert e. tins Outrage. at all
utragsss bss,suse CD The proy-r author
ae- have fsiIesi ~ act e. The horror II
n greater than anyone dreams tS)I
he episode may repeat it-elf. Not.
he riots of last two days at Chester. Ia.
nj Youngstown. D
In East ~ Louis >some dssultory m
uests have been led. No serious efrast
D spPrehend and punish the guilty has
cen made. The President of the l'nited
tstes. commander-in-chiefo f the army.
members of which were actively and
engaged in the slaughter. has
ttered no word.
rom tentative reports, which We know
d In reliable and will Ice puhli-h,~i m
Inc course of time. We quote the follow
ng excerpts
The number of victims l.
openly admitted 10y all lis probably
nearly 80. The :. casualties An
nounced include only tho-r Nern~.
shot nm the street who's. bsii.-s were
recovered. More than Ssb Negro
homes have bsSn burned, whole
blocks where nothing wAs left. and
II - impossible IL estimate eNartly
the number who persisted in tn.
ilame-. tine gIrl ws- -tand
ing at "A window of white wonans
hOu-s m which she w.rke,i Her
arm wa- shot away. A policeman
and "A soldier, slIr said, did tllr shoot
INK An old woman, fright
fully burned. dying IN hospital.
Was asked II the mob had done IL
and replied: No, they les set tire
Ia my house and burned myself
trying To- get out One OF
the II. Louis reporters said that lac
knew exaetly how people felt WHO
had seen atrocities abroad and were
trying To- get then across' to the rest
OF the world, although lee added.
not even Belgium probably has any
thing quite AS horrible To show
About ten blocks of Negro homes
We're burned, and the moips stood ont
side and shot and stoned those who
tired 10 escape The mob
seized "A colorrd woman'- baby and
threw II into the lire. The woman
Wa then shot and thrown nm.
We do not expect all our readers Z.
believe the-e details. Their gruesorne.
ness- strains even our war-harirn,-l
cre'iulity, but these and other facts viii
Ice fully atteste,i by various investigation.
now IN progress.
The question is-what are We going q
10 about il? We are engaged in a grea,
war Ito make the world sale for democ
racy.' In tine words Of the President.
We fight for the liberation of all peo.
plies We Of the Journal believe this
We believe that this is "A war to abolish
sutocracy and 70 make tlle world
safe at least from the greatest visible
external menace---for the rights and self
of smaller nations and weak
Pr peoples. To this cause the country l.
defeating It's young men and its treas
nre- But what abont the problem nearer
home Are the cclOred people in this
Americans---not from choice.
bu; from cOmpulsion---excepte,l from the
line phrases and lofty sentiments of the
head?
IL n no overstatement 10 say that the
East It. Louis massacre IL tile supreme
barbarity Of the age. Nothing in the
European holocaust exceeis. if. indeed
& equals, this unparalleled butchery.
language tails adequately t. cateyorize
a. IL has infinitely LEES Justification than
the shooting Of hostages in Belgium and
northern France, than the pogrorn. of
Dbl Russia, than the Turk slaughter al
Armenians. In all these, either var. or
4rschient religious hate, or the admitted
y uncivilized status Of the peryetrator-
If II did not excuse. The
Times. And this u no foreign problem.
To quote again from the erninently ap-
plicable words Of the Presidents war
The wrongs against which ue
now array ourselves are not common
~rong-; they cut - the very roots q hn-
nan life"
Who j. to blame2
The fault il not easily aptortioned. In
4 certain sense Il rests upon all Of ~
Americans---ss much upon those who
peaceinlly scguiesce ~ those who openly
encourage the Determinations and the
nJustIces which have created a situation
m this land of freedom and s.,ualitv
winch makes our treatment Of the color
sd race the su.,rene snahroni-fn Of civil
zation. Our handling 81 the problem
represents the nadir the world over IN
Inc Application II the INST elementary
principles Of Christianity. humanity. de-
oeDcy. We repeat, the guilt rest- viii,
All Of us--On the President ~ tie Tinted
-tates. on the Negro. hating officials O.,
ihe south, on tie employers II the whole
country who refu-e employment ~ Iual.
.ied and worthy blacks lecau-e Of tl,ei,
rolOr, on labor union worker. Who 10.
bar man from earning hi- bread q,
their side becsuse Of du-ky skin.
Common jn-tice and common sense Do.
nsnd an earnest Effort at -ettling thi.
grave problem. And What better time
~ isce tins question honestly and -olr.rl,
than IT time wien TIM entire nation.
including ~ colored citizenro. 10 oiIerins
u liie-biood d make the world safe FOR
iemocracy2