Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1920-12-17
I think that savin' . little child
And bringin' him to his own
IL q dsrnsd sieht better business
Than foafin' around the throne.
John, Il
The Habit Of Submission

The Habit Of Submission
Had someone predicted half a CEN
fury ago that the people of the North
would fall into the habit OF submis-
sion to the South they would have
been hooted. Yet just that has hap
pened. A white man in the South
has much more influence in Congress
than Is permitted the voter In the
North and West. Nothing is done
about it. The Southern representa-
fion continues to be based on those
eligible to vote Notwithstanding large
numbers of them are not permitted
to do SO. Apparently it has come to
be with Southern people a sense of
duty that the blacks shall be taught
to keep their place." but no protest
has yet been heard from that part of
the country against the unfair adj
vantage this gives to the dominant
WHlVco. IL taCh iCpiCOSAS0eAoA Az
Congress were based on the votes
permitted to be thrown there would
be no need of reducing the repre-
sentation Of any state because Of an
overgrown congressional body. =
We are much concerned about good
government in Turkey and Ireland.
We daily read columns about what is
going on there. This is proper, we
owe it to ourselves to keep informed
Of the worlds affairs. There is
great need Of that sort of informa-
ton. But are we informed about what
is going on at home? That, too, lie
heefful
A book has recently been published
in England. 1.-THE Children of the
Slaves" The author, Stephen Ora
ham. got his material by travelling
on foot through the South. The Eng
lish people are reading this book. If
we would know how we appear to
them 1t might be well for US. also to
read 1t. We there learn that the ne.
gro soldier who returns with sense
Of his importance from the part he
played in the war and displays his
pride is a likely >ubject for a lynch
ing. And what that means the photo.
graphs in the book wildly portray.
one showing the faces Of women and
children viewing the charred remains
Of a negro that had been burned at
the stake. 1t relates how when two
young white fellows chased two COL
0red girls to their home and tried to
break into the house and they fed to
a neighbor's the whites burst the
door. fired shots and terrorized the
people. Then "a worthy negro grand
father of seyenty-two years came out
with a shotgun and fired in defence
OF the women. Ono Of the white men
fired on him. The negro fired back
and killed him. The other white man
fed. Now, for that deed, instead of
being honored as brave man, the
negro was seised by the white mob
and hanged on a high post, and his
old body was shot to pieces. This
man was q good quiet citizen who
went to chapel every Sunday, and
had performed his duty at peace with
God and man for lifetime. The
man who led the .lynchers was a
Christian" preacher. Sworn evil
dence On the matter was taken, but
the officers Of the law in the county
refused to act" 49,.
This is no time to revive sectional
ism but it is always timely to insist
on the decencies OF primitive civiliza-
ton at least. We may understand
the Southern whites adherence Of
black rule, but he likewise should
abhor depraved savagery.
In some parts Of the South efforts
are being made to prevent lynching.
Instances Of brave officials cowing
the mob are very gratifying. We
know that lynchinss are not confined
to the South: that down there they
have . tremendous problem to solve,
but this does not entitle them to
deeds of savasery nor their represen-
tatives in the national government
y F
to the privilege Of representing the
blacks not permitted to represent
themselves. Until. the whites OF the
South md q way TO become amenablc
to law and decency they surely can.
not impress on their black neighboru
respect for the law. And until the
rest Of the country makes some sffort
to insfst on better conditions. until
We shake OF the habit Of submission
to the bad. we better be chary with
our advice to foreigners.
Strange that the authors keep on
writing mystery stories for the mag
:. n a.