The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-04-08

l throughout the south, resulting most log
 ically in disorder. the result of all fall
 ! ing on the head of the negro, who though | passive. is often held responsible for all ] that takes place, vengeance is accord | ingly visited on him, and thus the dis
 order grows. Usually when one ventures i to say a word in behalf of the negro, he
 feels that he must prune and trim and | modify and e.sceptionalize till he evacu-
 ates all the kindly sentiment that he may have, Like cat picking it's way among pieces of broken glass, ne feels his way | with exceeding caution, lest by the slip
 of a word the whoile thing will come back with rebounding force on his own | head. It thus comes to pass that any | defence ot the negro is enfeebled and l emptied of meaning, while, on the other | hand, the arrayal of opposition is the strongest and the outcry against him the l loudest. Certain expressions which have | become current, and even proverbal; are not without weight of influence on many | who would be ashamed to acknowledge | the fact. It Is quite common for one to | say, This is a white mans country" The negro must be kept in his place" l He's nothing but a ngger," all of which when taken into connection with expres- | sions like negro supremacy" and social equality frame up film of scare | crows, and act with all the effect of fact and argument. Yet there is no white l man capable of thoughtfulness who, if we will analyze these, will find them as empty as bubble. In the first place, it | is reflection on the white race to talk about negro supremacy, or about this be- 1 ing white mans country. as though l some formidable foe Was lurking ready to spring on us unawares. Those who prate loudest about social equality are those who are the least capable of defin- ing it's delicate qualities. The confound ] rio fct1 taA D,11 ,.to<xt xt,e treatment with social equality, and yet out of all the; white men known to one, to whom he accofds all these natural and homely considerations. there are per haps less than 100 among them whom he would admit to terms of social equality with himself The two spheres lie far apart. and strictly speakng, have noth- ing to do with each other.
 But to many the expression, He's nothing but a nigger" operates with all the force of d principle. Being nothing but a "ngger,' we may maltreat him, abuse him, defraud hifi., shoot, burn, or hang him. We have humane societies that look after the welfare of horses. cat tie. dogs and even chickens. Were a vicious horse taken out by body of men and shot, or hanged and burned, the whole community would revolt, but this may be done with black man and it becomes perfectly proper because lie nothing put nlgger.
 If a negro be found mad proved guilty of capital crime, let him take the con sequences of his act. Let him be duly tried, and if his crime is capital, let him suffer the extreme penalty of the law but let not body of armed ruffians be allowed to take the law into their own hands and besmear the community with a murderous spirit demoralize society. and turn the law into a travesty in taking life by violence. Were I on a jury I should freely vote for the application of the law to any criminal in proportion to his guilt. and his position in society or his rank would not in the least affect me. With the description thus given though quite imperfectly, we are face to face in the south. In its many sidedness and in the enorm,ty of it's proportions it is sufficient to challenge the superior thoughtfulness and intense interest of every fair and unbiased man and woman
 among us. To suffer ourselves to be laughed out of court by the buffoonery and coarseness of the incapable to
 shrink with fastidious sensitiveness from the stern obligation to humanity, how ever debased or degraded. is to show one to be less than man. Coarse braZenry is sometimes called courage when it is the very opposite. To attack any who
 have no appeal or redress, or who cannot
 age. True courage is not the brutal force
 of vulgar heroes, but the firm resolve of
 virtue and reason.