Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1923-03-02
A THOUGHT

~ VIII ; AOA u! our OplH-
IONS as to why negroes have left
the South in the past and sug-
gesting what we believed to be
necessary for US to do to keep the
negro in the South.
A Subscriber" a gentleman
Tor whom we have the highest
regard, replies to that editorial as
follows:
Americas, Ga, Jan. 27, 1928.
The Editor of the Times-Recorder
Americas, Ga.
Dear Sir; The writer has no.
ticed several articles in your paper
recently in regard to the negroes
Of this section going North, and
the reasons for their doiag so.
The impression gained from these
articles is that the negroes are
leaving this section because thew
cannot get an education here and
that it is not safe for them to live
here on account Of the abuses nut
on them by the white people. In
fact one article carried a state.
ment from negro that that was
the reason he and his family was
leaving.
Now, it is not the purpose of
the writer to uphold any violations
Of the law, nor to censure you for
your evident desire to help the ne
gro. Neither does he desire to
even appear to be opposed to any
thing that has been suggested for
the benefit of the negro.
But the writer believes this see
ton is being done an injustice in
that It is not true that it is unsafe
for a decent, law-abiding negro
to live in this section. There
are any number of negroes liv-
ing in Sumter county who have
been here all of their lives and
have never been mistreated in the
least by the white people, and it
is ALMOST a cert;tnty that so long
as they continue to abide by the
law that they will not be mistreat-
ed.
But, Mr.. Editor, let me ask you
a question: If. man Violates the
sancity Of your home will you ask
that he be not punished just be-
cause he is white man Or
would you advocate the same pun
ishment for him that you would
for negro? I believe that the col
or of his skin would make abso-
lutely no difference to you.
The writer believes that the way
to help the negro is to teach him
to respect the law in the first place,
and to respect himself and his
people, by having a higher regard
for his moral obligations The
white man cannot raise the negro's
moral standard of living, neither
can he lower it. 1t Seems to the
writer that the question of morals
is the vital cause of the negro's
conditions today, and that it is a
matter that the negro must settle
for himself. So long as the negro
does not repect his marriage vows
he viii not have any regard for
the sancity of the home, and it is
a well known fact that no race or
nation can rise to any level of de-
cency, nor can it even last as
strong people for any length of
time without due regard for the
home life.
AS to the matter of education,
the writer would say that the av-
erage white child does not get to
take advantage of all that is Of
fered TO the negro child of this
section. The obtaining of an edu-
cation rests largely with the in
dividual, and it is something that
cannot be impaired to any one.
1t must be acquired and the OPP
portunity is here for the negro if
ne viii take advantage of it.
If this article may be the cause
of some Of the negro leaders of
this section doing some thinking
Tor themselves, and trying to help
themselves instead of asking the
white man to do everything for
them, its purpose viii have been
accomplished
A SUBSCRIBER.
Our subscriber, as is sometimes
the case, failed to read the .edi-
torial carefully. 1t did not set
forth reasons why the negroes
We're leaving THIS SECTION, but
rather referred to the South as
a whole
Nor did the editorial suggest
that it was UNSAFE for the negro
to live in THIS SECTION. We
do not believe there is a safer
place on the face of the earth for
the negro than right here in Sum-
ter county. We believe that the
white men and white women of this
section realize their responsibility
to the negroes of this section and
that responsibility is not taken
lightly.
However, it is true that just SO
long as we have hasty lynehings
in the South, just 50 long win the
negro in every section of the
South have feeling of.unsafety
1t may be that there are moro
lynchings in the North and the
East than here, but the negroe;
are here and not there, and We
need them, and we do not believe
that lynchings should be tolerat