The Wisconsin weekly blade. [volume] (Madison, Wis.) 1916-1925, 1917-12-13
A QUIET SUNDAY IN OVERS.
BURG

lhAopCAoON HuANtiJ NA wv NDN"AA
Sunday quiet reigned in the city.
Some Of the best citizens of
the community participated in
the affair"
The above is a portion of a
news item from Dyersburg, Ten
nessee, reporting the burning of
another human being at the
stake. The very phraseology of
the report shows the depths to
Blade 2
which the people of Tennessee
have sunk-committing a crime
compared with which the vilest
atrocities Of the Germans fade
into insignificance and yet char
acterizing it as orderly. God
save the mark
When men sink so low in the
scale of human vice and infancy
that they regard the torturing Of
a human being on Gods holy
day as an orderly and usual
Sunday quiet, they have reached
the depths Of infamy from which
there is no hope of escape.
There's a pitiable condition.
When one does wrong and is
ashamed of it, there is some hope
of his reformation; but he who
violates the most sacred of God s
commands and boasts Of it can
never be reformed.
And the chest citizens" par
ticipated in this orderly and
quiet Sunday murder. Murder
is no less murder because partici-
pated in by the best citizens, in
an orderly and quiet manner as
a Sunday afternoon pastime. Be
it said to the shame of such
Americans as take part in these
inhuman orgies and Of such 9TH
ers whose duty it is to speak out
against them yet remain silent,
that for many vile atrocity COM
mitted by the Germans they may
at least plead, justifiably or 9TH
erwise, the exegencies of war In
these cases there is no such ex-
cuse; they are but the ebullition
of a murderous disposition and
disregard for all legal restraint.
1t is anarchy and finds an outlet
where the excuse of Negro crlmi-
nails is absent in the killing of
other human beings. 1t is an
easy step from the killing OF a
black human being to that OF a
white human being. The recent
wholesale slaughter of Milwau-
kee police officers, crime we all
deplore, is but manifestation OF
the same lawless spirit, which ii
permitted to thrive may yet
bring suffering to the entire ma
ton. Every traitOrOus word and
disloyal deed, all the present Op-
position to our participation In a
war in which we are already en-
gagged is but an outcropping Of
that disregard for law and order
which, in Tennessee and other
southern states wreaks such ter
rible vengeance upon helpless
Negroes in the custody of the
law. "To hell with the law" is
the slogan of the one class as of
the other and the one is as nee
essary to be suppressed as the
other.
We are not given to prophecy
ing, and we do not purpose to
begin now, but unless the gov
eminent takes definite and deter
mined steps to stop these cruel
and mhuman atrocities by its
own citizens upon its own citi-
2ens the day is not far distant
when the perpetrators of these
ana Otner 0ftenSeS against gov
eminent, grown strong and AFRO
giant with long Immunity, may
yet doubt the permanent stabil-
ity of republics.
AS acclaim can be no stronger
than its weakest link, so a nation
can be no more orderly and law
abiding than its least orderly
part. The city or state that re-
CARDS the murder of human be-
ing by the methods of the savage
as an orderly and usual Sunday
proceeding, surely does not tend
to create respect for law in their
sister cities and states. What
must the harvest be?