Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1919-08-27
RACE RIOTS HURT
OUR REPUTATION
OUTBREAK IN WASHINGTON BAD
FOR CITY THAT is PULPIT
OF WORLD PEACE.
MANY EXPLANATIONS GIVEN
Most Reasonable Is That Nerves of
the People Are or Edge-MiIitary
Discipline Specify Restored Among
Men in Uniform.
BY EDWARD 3. CLARK.


Wasiiington.-WashingtOn the capt.
tai of the United States, has been tine
scene of race riots. While this city
has been looked to in a sense as the
pulpit of peace for all people, its own
citizens have been at one another's
Threats. 1t is possible that Mexico
and some of the far eastern countries
will look at the spectacle with some
thing like ironie amusement.
Scores of reasons have been adj
vanced for the outbreak. None of
them seems exactly to fit the case, but
perhaps the sanest one is that the
nerves of all the people are o. edge,
and that it has taken only a little
noise 10 send them beyond control.
The riots began on Sunday night.
when the only weapons used were
fists. Comparatively little harm was
done. Some soldiers took part in the
initial disturbances, but discipline
soon took them out of the field. The
train had been fired, however, and
even In the face of military and police
authority men and women battled in
the streets and alleys and even in
the houses of this town which usually
is place of steady habits.
There are men in Washington who
are in position to trace the effects
to their causes who say that the re-
sentiment of the people against what
they have called too drastic punish
nents for military and civil offenses
during the war has had it's natural
result.
The men who hold to this view say
that soldiers and civilians have been
led to believe that, because of the tenn
per of the people toward what they
call excessive punishments, some of
. the soldiers Of the service and some
civilians thought that hereafter only
light punishments would be melted out
for heavy offenses, and that this feel
ing has made men willing to engage
in riots of the kind which have oc-
Cured in the capital of the country.
Probably Due to NERVES"
There may be something In this, but
contact with the soldiers in the Amer
lean eXpeditionary forces and with
those already returned to this country.
and also with the war workers in this
city, leads one TO think that the real
cause of the trouble is supersensitive
nerves made so by war conditions
which have produced an unnatural
atmosphere and in which the soldiers
and civilians have been forced TO live.
On the first night of the trouble
some men in uniform took part in
the disturbance. but military discipline
soon prevailed and the men who were
violating the law became later fore
most in attempts to uphold 1t. Under
the guidance and control of their Of
ficers they did fine work. The main
difficulty of the whole situation arose
from the fact that in the absence of
martial law under which citizens could
be kept I'm their homes, crowds of Gu
riosity seekers numbering thousands
sought the scenes of trouble and be-
came the means of further disturb
ances Many entirely innocent per-
sons, both white and cOlpred, were in
jured during the continuance Of the
rioting. If these people had stayed at
home the riots would have been re-
duced to a minimum and probably
nothing would have happened after
the first nights occurrence.
No Chance for Adjournment.
10 L. fA a mn Sne
sion of congress until late in the sum
mer of 1920 Both Republicans and
Democrats in house and senate declare
freely enough that there seems to be
no chance to get away.
OF course the present session must
end on the first Monday in next De-
cember, but as another session then
will begin, the two in sense will
merge into one This thing has hap
pened before.
What Is the reason for the predlc-
tion in legislative circles Of one long,
driving session? There is not one rea-
son. but n multiplicity of them which
have come together to make the pros
pect for a continuous session bright,
or black, as one chooses to view 1t.
The senate committee on foreign re
lations still has in its keeping the
covenant of the League of Nations,
The committee intends to study every
feature of the document down TO the
minutest item before rendering its re-
port TO the senate.
Debate May Last All Summer.
No one knows how long II will take
to debate the covenant to finish on
the floor Of the senate. Some of the
leaders have said that snow will fly
before the end looms in sight. Others
express the hope that the people will
make their feelings in the matter felt
so strongly one way or the other that
an earlier result may be reached. II
can be said. however. that the major.
ity Of the senators. whether they are
for the league or against it, seem to
he convinced that they have a Ions
debating struggle ahead of them. and
this feeling seems to be shared by the
administration, if one may judge oy
what its advisers say.
Another reason for the belief thai