The northwestern bulletin., 1922-04-08
FALLACY OF JUSTICE

Out on the north side of Minneapolis last
week, white man assaulted little nine year old
her. he seriously scratched and bruised the child
who fought furiously to defend herself. She sue
ceeded until help arrived. Even then the brute
held off the police with threats to kill, until more
assistance was secured.
Our way of telling the story does not boil your
blood because the man was white or black. You
have simply read the outstanding facts of an incl
dent which actually occurred-an incident which
the daily papers failed to say word about If
they did, we have not been able to detect the
story yet.
But now, suppose it had been black man who
assaulted this little nine year old girl out on the
North Side of Minneapolis, the most congested
Negro district in the city. Suppose it had been a
black man who defed the police with threats to kill
them when they came to the child's aid. Suppose
it had been a shiny sweaty black man the police
arrested for brutal assault on this little white
girl. Suppose the facts in the had been heard
by the whites of the north side they did through
gossip and otherwise Suppose these were facts.
what would have been the result? What would
have been the results in Georgia, Mississippi Lou
isiana and even in Minnesota?
First, it was little white girl who was assault
ted-the "heighth of all things" Second, the
scene of the incident was near the heart of Min
neapolis black colony where the least little mshap
malicously done, might cause high feeling be-
tween whites and blacks. Third, when one police
man was unable to make the arrest and was threa-
tened with death, what would he have done?
Fourth, would the daily newspaper have told the
story? What would the black citizens of the
North Side had to do if it had been black who
attacked the little white girl? Undoubtedly some
unpleasantness would have occurred
1t is undeniable by past experience. Some
commotion may have been the result. However,
we only dealing with suppositions A white
fAI
will suffer according to the justice of American
made laws.
Now then, only Wednesday morning did At
toney A. L. Barnett, before the state Supreme
Court, argue for new trial for black man charg-
ed with assault on a white woman, 19 years old,
in Duluth June IA, 1920, while he was employed as
circus hand. The evidence in the case is so smat-
tering that eight of his companions have been ac-
quilted of the same charge. But three paid
three were lynched by the white mob in the heart
of the city of Duluth in the state of Minnesota.
1t was at this time Minnesota went on record for
it's first lynching-bee. Could there be repetition
of this in Minnesota? Officers of the law say mo y
But who knows?
But our point is to show how the
black man is singled out, how his shortcomings
and bad deeds are put before the public how no
masks are used to cover up the facts but instead
every effort is made to play upon the least discred
liable act black man commits, how justice is
distributed, and how the deeds for which black
would be lynched, white man may commit and
simply be scorned by his friends, modest spoken
of by the press, if at ALL and given fair trial in
the courts of justice. Even in Minnesota there
is difference.
So, it behooves us to fight this distinction anG
this kind of democracy in the most intelligent way
we know of. We must ask and demand a fair dea
or the propaganda against us will only serve tc
make the future more contemplate. Justice must
have the same for blacks and whites alike Public
opinion must be moulded to make color" less obvi
Gus, or the freedom, the rights for which tn,
black man is struggling shall not be what we asl
for, but branded, distinctive kind.