The McDowell times. [volume] (Keystone, W. Va.) 1904-1941, 1917-09-28
Open Letter to President Woodrow Wilson By
Kelly Miller, A. NJ, Dean Of the College of
Arts and Sciences, Howard University, Wash
insten. D. C.--This Letter Appeared in The
Congressional Record Of September 18th as
Public Document

WV '"'"<' AZ ft-t - i-ohis- 1 under
stand that you arr -ympathetically dis
I-o-s>i toward thi= investigation by Fasi-
rrsl authority such investigation 10 i'm
p"rtant only to tine extent that it implies
tariy recognition of national responsi-
bility Tor l"'al lawle~sne~- There 10 uo
expectation that any additional e ompre-
hensivr Information will result. Yor
may rs-t assured that there will be q half
dozen simllar outbreaks tefore this in
Ne-tlgatlon Is we'll under way Indeed.
since thr last ~. Louis atrocity there
have already leen lynciinys in Georsis.
Louisiana. i'enn-ylyania amt Montans.
Every intelligent American knows -
much about the ESSENTIAL csu-- of thi.
conflict ss lac will know alter long and
trdlons investigation. The vital issues
involved are apt to be ob-s.ur-d by tach-
meal wrsngiinT- over majority and min
"rit, reports. What thr nation needs 10
not Investigation oi "l,, 'o.s fart. hut de
termination and avOws~i ,iexlarHtion ON
ti'r part oi the President st~sk ing tor
the Isopi~ of the United ~tat.- u put al
end u la~le--ne-- wherever Il raise. 10.
hide"u heal.
know that u has b,~.n steadily main
tanned that the Federal Governments In.
u" authority over lynslnng. amt local
ra'e ""niiIcts. Tins ~ not . political
'"ntrnit"n. Tins view ~a- maintained
un'irf tl'- administrations uf Harrison.
Cleveland. Mckinley. Kas,-ev-lt and
lsit. lndeed, i'rs-rid-nt cleveland. that
great American DrnI.~rat. came nearer
'~"gnDing Federal responsibility inSn,ch
matters than amy President i.efore or
-'n"c. during the ssiniui-trst at Pre-
''~"t Mch'nl~y. AN airucioua rot occurr-
s'i in Wilmington, y. g.. tho city in
which you spent your boyhood - the
-on "i minister ai the Gospel. ncors.
| ~ innocent Negro~~ were killed and
hundreds we're driven from their hous..
But 1t wa- maintained that the Presidsus
i'ad ~" authority u interfere. horri-
l'lr lyn~hing Lr'k place ss Alex andris.
Va - i-~ mi'-- from the White Houss.
winch Tia lr'-i'ient might po~sibIy have
observed through las held gl.ssss. And
yet 20 wa- looked a. S,n 49, - purely local
ALL" l"r wi,'rh the Federal governments
hal "a" responsibility nor concern. You
recall tlIe atrritle- ol the riot IA Attain
Ia, city in ~hIch you spent your young
fnanf''S"i ~ "A practitioner Of Law. Bus
i'err again even President Roosevelt could
bad nJ ground tor interference
Iils'-- outbreaks are not lirnitssd TO the
~out'fn Stat-s. although they occur thers
more frequently than el-ew hers becausr
81 tl'e relatively larger unsnler al Negroes
'n ti'r total population. There have
t"rn iyDciung- aud burnings ln Illinois.
h sns~.. delaware. ono. Indiana, Col
"rAsio and other Northern states. The
rsIl ~ insss-i natl )nal In It's rsnSs and
-'"Is'. aiId the nation must provide the
f-rne'iy. StrIking indeed ~ tile ansloxy
i'~twren tlIr -prrasi Of law ie-sne~- soday
an'i the rxtrn-ion oi ti,- institution OF
slavery t~O generations sgo. Like sisv-
cry, law!e--ns-s rannOt he i..cslieed. A
the nation could not exIst half slave and
hall irer under Abraham Lincoln. % is
cannot continue hall Law abiding and
half lawlezs under WO,drow Wilsop.
The esIl t~ndency overcome- the rood.
just ~ tlIe darker overlsps the brighter
I'i'a-e in the waning moon. II the Ne
gro ~ aliowei - 10 lynched in the South
With impunity. lac Will s,on h,s lynched
IA the North. - easy - the comaunics-
iiiity Of evil ,uzyr-tion. The lynrhinss
81 Negfo-- has bs-.one fashionable in
SOM pArt- II the country. When .
hlaek man aroused Of ~ronxdoins.
Lynch the Negro 10 the cry thai
-pring- spontaneously % the Iips Of man,
woman and child. The fashion 10 rapid
ID spreading throughout the whole me-
ton. u slavery could have besn isolss-
e'i and segregated In the south thss In
-titntiOu nigiIt have exI-tsd even down
- the present town. And -. IL lynch
ing couin l'e iocsll1rd and Limited % ths
southern Stste- the nation ~ Q whole
would have le-- prrtext for irprfsrins.
But thi- cannot be done. senstr
Toml's 81 Georgia bOssted that he would
call tho roll ~ hrs slaves under the shsd-
o~ of Bunker IiiIl monument. an smbi-
ton Which. doubtless. might have bsss
grstIfied had not the nation srisen in in
moral right and blottcd out the ipieuis-
ou- Institution sltJxether. Unless Ne
aroused conscience Of the Amencan pso-
pie. efficiently asserting itself through
Federal authority. snail stamp oss ~
spirit Of iswie-snes-, 70 - easy 10 proph-
esy that the Negro will Jet be lynshsd
not only IN tie shssiOw of Bunker Hll
monument, nut On the campus OF -Four
beloved Princeton. Already there have