Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1919-09-06
EDITOR II. G. SMITH AND HIS
TRADUCERS.

The condition of the colorcd pco
now seems to he about the same In
one section of the country rs ii is
in the other, if We arc to accrcdit &c
ports as to tho attitude Of white citi
Zcns and city officials towards our
, class of people. The latest news in
this respect comes from Cleveland
Ohio, 1t is reported that Hon. II. c.
Smith was called before the Chief of
, Police of that city relative to an edi
torial in the Cleveland Gazette, in
which Editor Smith urged the color.
cd citizens of Cleveland, Ohio to have
United States riot gun in their
homes.
Editor Smiths report Of the inter,
view is as follows:
All day, last Friday few Negro"
employees of tho Davis administra-
ton were circulating the report in
Central Avenue that tho editor of
The Gazette was going to be Jailed
tomorrow for the publication Of that
EDITORIAL and most Of tho next day,
Saturday they were tclephonmg thai
he has been Jailed" All this time,
the editor was in blissful igno,ancc
of 1t all. Not until he reached The
Gazette office at 11:15 a. NJ, Satur-
day morning and found the invita-
ton from Chief Of Police Frank w.
Smith to call and see him, had he
any inkling that anything was I'M
pending. AS soon as he could finish
lis morning mail, the ed'tor went to
the Central Police Station and found
the Chief out at dinner (12:20) Lcav
ing word that he would return In the
afternoon the editor went to his din
ncr, returning to Tho Gazette Office
at p. NJ, where he found tho Chiefs
private Secretary Charles S. Smith,
awaiting him with message irons.
the Chief to come to his Office at
onco. At $3.50 =, NJ, after finishing
his afternoon mail the editor aCcomp
anicd MIR. Charles Smith to Chier
Smiths office, arriving there about
3:45 p. NJ, and being ushered into
the latter's private room where no
found the Chief and his assistant, In
spcctor Graul. For about one hour,
the Chief and the editor discussed
the editorial in question, the Wash
ington, Chicago and East st. Louis
riots, the Bundy case, mob violence,
and lynching in general etc. the In
sptctor joining in occasionally. It
was Il gentlemen's discussion pure
and simple, and decidedly not what
other persons trOuble-mal.ers had ap
parently tried SO hard for two days
to bring about. The Chiefs prompt
and praiseworthy reputation Of the
statement attributed to him in last
Saturdays News is positive proof
OF that. A funny angle Of this matter
Is the fact that that papers publica
ton OF what 1t alleged the Chief said
to the editor was made two or three
hours before the conference between
thcm was held. That is certainly "go
ing some" for a Cleveland newspaper
1t was the rank News publication
that moved the editor of tho Gazette
to call the managing editor OF the
Sunday News Leader on the phone,
Saturday evening and insist upon the
correction which was promptly made.
The editor OF The Gazette certain
ly appreciates the great interest the
great mass Of our people in this com
munity exhibited in the matter and
wishes it were possible for the local
daily papers and all Of our city ana
county officials to have witnessed
their exhibition Of friendship and 10y
atty on Saturday evening, all day
,jr
with "The Old Reliable" and it up.
pl eciates the fact more THAI it can
say. They know we know and every
body else concerned now. knows that
the father" Of Ohio's Mob Violence
or Anti Ilynching law and OF effective
mob violence legislation in this coun
try would not, could not promote mob
violence as some malicious persons
tried hard (but in vain) to make
Chief Smith believe. On the contrary
all The Gazette has or ever will print
is for just the opposite purpose. 1t
is unalterably opposed to the mob
and our readers well know this.
a mans home-whcrc is all that
he holds most dear--is his castle!
Advising him to have protection I'm
that home, whether it be against
thief, would-bc murderer or n mob
ocrat is no crime, is not cOntributory
to the same, is not without the law
but clearly within the law and 6ocd
sound advice. There is hardly an in
telligent bone in this city or In tho
country for that matter, that Is with
out such protection and all know it.
The law permits it, if indeed it does
not encourage it.
The Gazette stands for law and or
der! No agency, among our people of
this community has more constantly
and necessarily for years urged our