The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1921-06-02
DEPL0RABLE AND TO BE
REGRETTED.

gret the most deplorable affair which
brought Tulsa into the undesirable
nnelight when the whites and blacks
clashed in that city Tuesday night and
Wednesday for it is not Tulsa, alone,
which must suffer from the odium,
but all sections Of the state.
1t would be useless to attempt to
discuss the causes which led up to the
rioting between the white and negro
races. 1t had its inception when
white fathers, husbands, brothers, az
sembled and threatened to mete out
summary punishment TO a black who
was incarcerated in the county jail,
charged with that same old offense
committed upon the person Of white
woman. 1t had its ending after the
city had been placed under martial
law and after almost two hundred had
met violent deaths.
There can be no reflection cast upon
the whites of the city of Tulsa for
lGStIllIS llAG VI q
orphaned girl. There can be no voice
raised in protest against those who
would see the women and girls Of the
white race guarded against the lusts
OF the black brutes who have respect
for neither age or color.
But no excuse can be offered, no
logical reason given by the people Of
Tulsa, by the government of that mu-
nicipality for permitting the matter to
gain such headway that it got beyond
control of the officers, while scores
We're killed, some of them innocent of
thought or intent of evil-doing.
The laws of the land were made to
be respected. The officers of state,
Of a county, Of q city are elected to
enforce these laws and when they fail
in doing this they fail in the duties
they owe the people whose votes elect
them to office.
There can be no extenuaing circum-
stances connected with the commits
sion OF the blackest crime by the
black demon whose arrest was the pri-
mary cause OF all the trouble. Such
a crime can scarcely be expiated by
death; such 4 crime is the mort afro
cious known to the criminal annals
OF mankind the commission Of such
crime places the one guilty in the
ranks Of the most brutal Of all beasts,
with the very lowest OF the low. And
the laws Of the land say that
the beast guilty Of this crime must
die, but that he must die at the hands
Of the officers OF the law.
The good people Of all races, OF all
creeds, OF all faiths condemn the per-
petrators OF this heinous offense, and
the good people Of all eolors and creeds
condemn such actions as constituted
the rioting in Tulsa
This is a God-fearing. law.abiding
state. with q majority citizenship OF
God.fearing, law-abiding people. The
wild and woody days Of the border
are past-dead. gone, buried beyond
chance OF resurrection, and the laxity
Of the officers Of any community in let
ting situation get beyond control lie
ono that Is reprehensible in the ex-
treme.
It will be years and years before
the good people OF Tulsa. Will be able
to wipe away the stain, to eradicate the
blot which the riotng OF the past
twenty-tour hours has placed upon its
fair name and smeared across its es-
eutcheon. For years and years which
will come with unborn Time, the name
and fame Of Tulsa will suffer from
this blackening event, from this
deplorable happening which could
easily have been averted had some
one have had the executive abil.
ity and moral courage to have
stepped into breach at the very start,
and placed the strong arm Of the law,
as a restraining tentacle, about those
who sought to and who did take the
law into their own hands. while the
same firm hand, placed in crushing
force upon the shoulders Of the ne
gro ring leaders. would have placed
them behind the bars, restrained them
from power to commit crime and
sa-ea the lives OF half score Of white
men. besides saving the lives OF al
most 200 OF the negro race. many Of
whom were gulltless of intent to break
tae law.
Telesraphic news reports set forth