The Mena weekly star., 1919-11-06
THE RACE QUESTIoN-N0RTH
AND SOUTH.

Any true citizen OF the Southland
can but take notice Of the course of a
number Of our more important nations
al publications in their recent criti-
cisms Of the treatment Of the negroes.
Several of these have taken occagion
to dc so in connection with the lament
able affair at Elaine, and haze pre-
sumed to refer to this as in the same
category as the race riots in Chicago
and Omaha, and, further back, that
horrible biood-fest at East st. Louis.
These references and comparisons
are unjust It is true that there were
both fighting and deaths at Elaine,
and the community was wrought to
a high pitch, but there was little to
liken this to the riots at either Of the
other points.
At Elaine murder was committed.
Officers, in the performance Of their
duty, undertook to appsehend the gull
ty party. In doing so they ran into a
band Of negroes, organized and armed
to resist. This resistance, in addition
so fatalities, quickly developed the
fact that hundreds Of negroes, whose
ignorance, cupidity and viciousness.
one and all. had been played upon by
white renegrades. were planning an
actual uprising. including wholesale
murder. This uprising was so well
developed and so serious that United
States troops were necessary in order
to suppress it, and were so used And
now, thru formal court processes, the
guilty are being sought and doubtless
win pay the penalty. The sad part is
that but for the vicious propaganda
Of outsiders all the trouble would have
been saved.
But with the affair developed as it
was. little or no criticism can justly be
laid to the people Of Elaine and vicin-
ity for the course pursued And at
no time was it developed that the
whites sought revenge on the blacks,
or showed any disposition to punish
any but the guilty. There was no run
ming wild Of mobs or display of mob
spirit.
In both the st. Louis and Chicago
race riots it was another story. The
trouble was very largely result Of
the determination, or effort, on the
part Of a certain class to get rid of the
negroes in the industries. And, with
the riots started, there was no such
thing as an innocent and inoffensive
negro-the mob ran wild 10 its deter
mination to do away with any individ-
uai with a black skin. And the ne
grocs fought back as best they could.
In Omaha there was different sit
uation. According to reports there
had been repeated assaults on white
women by the blacks, and thru ineffi-
cient police force or politically corrupt
courts, one or both, the guilty parties
either had not been apprehended or,
If caught, very inadequately punished.
And a rabid mob broke loose with a
remarkable display Of the spirit Of re-
venge and utter destructiveness.
In the South, where the negro. his
good qualities and bis bad ones are to
be dealt with every day Of every year,
the problem Ger stssiiily is better ham
died. The good negro is more fairly
treated. The bad one is not given lat
itude and encouragement. When trou-
bic arises. when a black commits that
worst Of crimes, and when, as happens
ali too frequently, lynch law takes
control, the guilty individual only is
sought, and his life is the price he
pays. But there is no race riot, no de-
sire nor purpose to kill the innocent
The fight is not on the race, but only
the individual
The South has its weaknesses and
makes its mistakes, but in the matter
Of dealing with the nagro-the race
question: is far ahead in methods
Of the North. 1t insists on drawing a
line between the races, as it should,
and under this arrangement the negro
is better off, and safer, than he is
where different course is pursued.
Those Northern journals would be
wise to take a second look before they
compare, unfavorable to the South
Land, and its dealings with race trou-
bles with the insane riotings that have
secured north Of the Mason and Dix
on line.
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There was quite a campaign on the
part Of mere men some months ago
to curtain the cotton acreage in order
TO hike the price. Really don't believe