The Omaha guide., 1947-09-13

Is Murder

There are many people IN LILLE
country Of good intentions, WHOSE
hearts are in the right places
They honestly believe that tht
United States means something
Sometime ago the American pres
made q successful job in working
up righteous indignation agains
the Bataan Death March, the hor
rors Of the German prison camps
etc, but it looks like they yer,
much overlooked the same prac
tees right here under the STAR
and Stripes, and the American
government doesn't seem to b
able to do anything about il.
Some years ago William q
Summer wroteE'Tt would be 6
disgrace to us If amongst Us mel
should burn a rattlesnake or
mad dog. The badness Of the vic
tim IS not bad enough, but be
cause We are too good--t Il
evident, however that the public
opinion Is not educated up to thia
level
Public opinion on burnings and
iynchings is OF yet educated up
to the level where such batbarf.
ties are impossible. The number
Of victims each year has decreas-
ed, Bat the savasery with which
the smaller number Of victims ar
tortured by American mobs is
greater than that at the turn OF
the century. This may be attribdt-
ed PATTY to the effort Of the war
the lust for blood and cruelty. On
the other hand it is safe to as
sumo that had not the war &C.
cured, there would have been
some increase in torture Of lynch
ing.
Lynching in the United States
was first directed against the
whites not Negroes. As late as
1885, more whites than Negroes
were lynched-11O whites and So
Negroes, in 1884, three times
times as many whites as Negroes
were lynched, or 100 whites and
81 Negroes. BY 1890. seven times
as many Negroes as whites were
lynched during slavery. Masters
protected their property and lyn-
cheers we're severely punished.
The lynch orgy which has been
the bane Of American civilization
established a higher record in
1916 than in the previous five
years. The state Of Georgia led
the roster with four lynchings to
its discredit, during July and Au-
gust 1916. The total number
amounted to six. The timely In
Of officers of the law
and interested persons snatched
away from the mob "a intended
victims.
In the last so years there have
been almost 1000 lynchings in the
United States. Most of thu occur.
ed in the South.
The need not be a sentiment
alist to feel that such warping Of
the minds Of the children is by
far the worst aspect Of lynching.
In a community where lynching
occurs there are thousands Of
spectators1including women and
children, the effect upon the
young minds are almost Appalling
to be contemplated. In the unoon.
scious of these immature minds
are thus sown the seeds Of lynch.
ing Primitive impulses to vegea.
ance Of violent character upon
those whom the possessors Of such
minds do like are thus nourished
and form one step to further mob
murder.
According to the moral law
those who actively participate in
a lynching are guilty of sin, that
Is those that concur in and con.
sent to the lynching in any way
by, commanding, persuading, en-
couraging, or melting the lynch.
ers to commit the crime. That is
sheriffs, polieemen, or anyone.
VINO oeilperately IT through Grim.
inal neglect fail to protect the
lives Of Negroes, must bare full
responsibility ITO God for mob
action against their charges.
The lynch mob degrades moi
only itself and Its community. but
it also degrades all Americans
Booker T. Washington wisely said
you cannot hold the Negro In
the gutter unless The white mau
stays in the gutter to hold hin
there
Lynching is but one phase in
the American pattern Of race dis
elimination, just another ASPECT
of a general policy of subjugatine
the Negro, Of denying him his
basic natural rights.
The European newspapers tell
Of our iynchings on their front
pages. The lynchings have forced