The Kansas City sun. (Kansas City, Mo.) 1908-1924, 1919-09-13
THE sLuNDER OF RACE RIOTS.
From the Independent, New York.

From the Independent, New York.
Bearing on the problem of Amer
ica's subject race brought to the
front by the race riots in Washington
and Chicago, the New York World,
rated the foremost Democratic news
paper of the United States, published
a striking editorial article, which
said:
One of the most brutal forms of OPP
preston is the punishment of a whole
race for the crimes of individuals.
For many years this has been and it
still is the practice in American
States that do not recognize the citi-
zenship of the Negro. To accuse a
black mar is to condemn him to tor
ture and death, and resentment on
massacres that are complacently dig
nified as race wars.
What we see now in Washington is
more properly to be thus classified
than any other disturbance that we
have had, and there is a reason for it
worthy of serious consideration. Ne
groes are taking part in the hostili-
ties. If they are assaulted or shot,
they are assaulting and shooting in
return. In defense of life, limb and
liberty they are meeting mobs with
mobs.
Deplorable as all this lawlessness
is the response of the black man to
the white man was bound to come
some time. The Negro has long been
free. He has acquired some educa-
ton and property. He has made a
place for himself in industry. The
laws under which he lives guarantee
him equality. He escapes no respon-
sibility that rests upon the white
man. Yet in large sections of the
Union when riot is afoot he is strip
ped of every right and driven either
into hiding or violence.
Is there anybody at the South or
elsewhere who imagines that the
compulsory service of 360 5000 Negroes
in the United tSates Army in many
instances so creditably as to win high
communication, has had no influence
upon them or the mass of their peo-
pie at home? Who is foolish enough
to assume hat with 239. 999 colored
men in uniform from the Southern
States alone as against 10000 white
men, the blacks whose manhood and
patriotism were thus recognized and
tested are forever to be flogged.
l%ynched, burned at the stake or chas-
ed into concealment whenever eau
casian desperadoes are moved to en-
gage in these infamous pastimes?
We grieve over the hardships of
many subject peoples a long way off
and on occasion manifest something
resembling Indignation, but in all the
world there is hardly a population so
God-fOrsaken and law-fOrsaken as our
W blacks. Whether it is agreeable
or not, therefore, the Washington out
break is a warning to all Americans
that their race wars hereafter are
going to be race wars. The Negro
citizen is going to have his day in
court. 1t ought not to be necessary
for him to fight for it.
The New York Tribune and the
New York Sun, both Republican. CON
graduated the World on doing "a
bold thing and a loyal thing" and
urged it to continue it's labor to es-
tablish the principles of the practic-
ally ignored post-Civil War amend
ments to the Constitution. In retoin-
er the World, apparently not altogeth-
er enjoying the compliments, replied
that it had not political rights so
much in mind as the Negroes day in
court-a condition under which a
black man accused of a crime would
be sure of a fair trial. 1t called at
tention to the fact hat no one votes
in Washington, and said that the
North, practically as much as the