Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1918-05-24
ADVICE TO THE NEGRO.

the clVlIlzaLlOn even OF TINS state ant
branding our citizens as lacking il
finer instincts and as being closet!
related to savages.
This is natural on the part of those
obtuse thinkers who mouth about tn,
negro but who show him scant per
sonal consideration-less by far thar
he receives from the people among
whom he was born and raised.
The lynching of the five negroes
near Valdosta was terrible mistake
an outrageous abuse of law and order
a dastardly crime that ought to be pun
ished The lynching of the sixth ne
gro, the one who really committed the
fiendish act which drove the people to
fury, may be defended; for there are
Occasions when even lynch law lis justi-
fable.
When Georgians are denounced fer
participating in lynchings, it is gen
orally true that the victims of the
mob receive a degree of sympathy Yet
there should be no sympathy express
ed for the two hell-fiends whose horri-
bic attacks on white women stirred
the people to frenzy and caused the
community horror and fury to give
birth to that hydra-headed monster
called the mob Taera should neither
be any pity for these fends, even a
lynching IS too good for them.
Governor Dorsey's reply to the Au-
gusta negroes who sent him resolu-
lions of protest is an admirable docu-
ment. Stop the cause of lynchings,
and there will be no more lynchings,"
IS the substance of the governors very
sensible reply.
Whenever the law-abiding ele-
ment of the negro race" says the COM
munication, "shall convince the law
less among them that the guilty par
ties will not be shielded or sheltered,
but will be delivered to the officers
of law, such unspeakable crimes as
those which shocked the state so re-
Gently will no longer occur to stir
race prejudice and resentment beyond
control"
81 am confident further says the
gov ernor, chat the failure of your res
olutions to incorporate this doctrine
was inadvertent, and l am equally sure
that you will be prompt to avail your
organization of the only practical
method by which they can be of real
assistance to the executive department
of this state in its efforts to discourage
iynchings and to maintain the suprem-
acy of our courts"
There can be no doubt CT the fact
that had the law been permitted to
take its course, these negroes would
have received fair trial, anad under
the facts now known they would
have been convicted and executed. But
the fury of the mob brooks no delay
" hen feeling is aroused by two such
cUtrages as were perpetrated near
valdosta and Cordele. No more bru-
tai crimes were ever committed by
negroes in this site, nd the two lust
full brutes received no more than their
due
All law-abiding Georgians-and
those who are not law-abiding are In
the great minority-deplore the re-
cent demonstrations They regret that
their state must be pilloried before the
nation by those who only want some
such opportunity. They are indig-
rant that few men could bring such
disgrace upon the state. They are
unanimous in denouncing the lynching
of innocent negroes, and they want the
members of the mob properly punish
ed. But they also have this word for
the other negroes of the state-a mes
sage which the governor has so strik-
ingly emphasized:
II You don't want to be lynched. don't
co emit the crimes that cause lynch
irgs!