The Madison journal. (Tallulah, Madison Parish, La.) 1888-current, 1919-08-16
RACE RIOTS HURT
OUR REPUTATION
OUTBREAK IN WASHINGTON BAD
FOR CITY THAT is PULPIT
Or WORLD PEACE.
MANY EXPLANATIONS GIVEN
Most Reasonable Is That Nerves of
the People Are on Edge-MiIitary
Discipline Speedily Restored Among
Men in Uniform.
BY EDWARD 3. CLARK.


BY EDWARD 3. CLARK.
Washing1on.-Was the capt.
tai of the United States, has been the
scene of race riots. While this city
has been looked To in Il sense as the
pulpit of peace for all people, its own
| citizens have been at one anOther's
threats. Ii is possible that Mexico
and some of the far eastern countries
will look at the spectacle with some
thing like ironic amusement.
Scores of reasons have been adj
vanced for the outbreak. None of
them seems exactly TO tit the case. but
| perhaps the SaneSt one is that the
nerves of all the people are on edge,
| and that il has taken only Il little
noise to send them beyond control.
The riots began on Sunday night
when the only weapons used We're
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 a place of steady habits.
There are men in Washington who
are i'm a 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
ments for military and civil offenses
during the war has had Its 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
cali excessive punishments, some of
the soldiers of the service and some
civilians thought that hereafter only
light punishments would be meted 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 will
those already returned to this country
and also with the war workers in thi:
city, leads one to think that the rea
cause Of the trouble is supersensitiv'
|
which have produced an unnatura
atmosphere, and in which the soldier
and civilians have been forced to live
On the first night of the trouble
some men in uniform took part IL
the disturbance. but military discipline
soon prevailed and the men who wer
violating the law became later fore
most in attempts TO uphold ii. Unde
| the guidance and control of their OF
ficers they did fine work. The mai
: difficulty of the whole situation aros
from the fact that in the absence o
martial law under which citizens coul
be kept in their homes, crowds of CT
: rioSity seekers numbering thousand
l sought the scenes of trouble and be
| came the means of further disturb
I ances. Many entirely innocent pei
sons. both white and colOred. were IL
iured during the continuance of tn
riOting. If these people had stayed Q
y home the riots would have been r,
, nothing would have happened afte
!. the first nights occurrence.
o No Chance for Adjournment.
\ The prospect is for a continuous sc:
A sion of congress until late in the sun
mer Of 1920. Both Republicans an
Democrats in house and senate declar
freely enough that there seems to b
no chance To get away.
OF course the present session mu
y end on the first Monday in next d
cember, but as another session the
will begin. the two in sense WI
merge into one. This thing has ha
+ pened before.
Is What Is the reason for the predi
ton in legislative circles Of one Ion
driving session? There is not one re
son. but multiplicity of them viii,
J. have come together to make the pro
n pect for continuous session brigf
% or black. as one chooses to view it.
n The senate committee on foreign T
m lations still has in its keeping Il
covenant of the League of Nation
The committee intends to study eve
feature of the document down TO q
:. minutest item before rendering its ]
:, port to the senate.
Debate May Last All Summer.
No one knows how long it will ia
to debate the covenant to finish
the floor Of the senate. Some of {
leaders have said that snow will
before the end looms i'm sight. Othe
Id express the hope that the people "
H. make their feelings in the matter f
IS. go strongly one way or the other tn
le an earlier result may be reached.
can be said. however. that the maj
ity Of the senators, whether they 6
for the league or against 1t. seem
be convinced that they have 10
~ debating struggle ahead of them. Il
|" this feeling seems to be shared by
ne administration. II one may Judge
~ what It's advisers say.
Another reason for the belief q