Arkansas State press. [volume] (Little Rock, Ark.) 1941-1959, 1947-06-27
We Must
Stop Mob
Violence
BY Lillian Smith
Author of STRANGE FRUIT


am thinking today of the sad
and tragic events that have piled
I'D so tall a monument to racial
hate this past year
Most Of them have occurred
close to my home here in Georgia
Walton County with its four lyn-
ehed -. Greenville, S. c. where
Jury set 26 men free who had
confessed to a lynching NO"
the attempted lynching in Jack
son, N. C.
Three small events that cast
long shadow across the world ,
They were sick men who iyn-
eded that Negro at Greenville.
Sick men composed that jury VINO
threw justice away like cheap
thing. Sick men lynched and SICK
men protected the lynchers in
Walton County. Men made sick
nv hate and fear and ignorance
and by a culture that too often
and too long has given the green
light to mob violence and mob
hate. Every man on that Jury,
every lyncher, every potential
lyncher. will tell you Keep the
rest of the country out of this
this is our business"
Are we going to chalk circle
around each racial crime and tell
the rest of the world to keep
QUIT" Or are We ready now to
take over this emergency and
handle it in mature and sane
manner?
There comes a turning point in
mems affairs when new decisions
must be made to avoid profound
disaster. What We do next about
lynching and mob violence may
well be the test case that will
decide our capacity for coopera-
ting with the world in this time
of desperate need.
4 state, region, can no more
handle racial emergencies alone
than il can handle alone the re-
suits Of a flood or tornado. Our
peoples prejudice has overlooked
the bounds of reason Increased
by world tensions. whipped on by
loose floating hate that is
sweeping across the minds Of
men everywhere. It has reached
proportions SO destructive OF Jaw
and order and justice and human
values chat only the fool or sick
can now say Leave US alone
and well handle It,"
For CO years W. have been say
ing that And during those G5
years we have had i,9S2 lynch.
ings
Only I percent Of these lynching
has received a sentence, even Of
mildest nature. And nearly every
sentence has baon suspended
This is the picture of Justice
melted out 10 mob violence that
America holds up for the rest Of
the word to look at
And now? -Four mon and wo.
men lynched last summer In Ga
NO ONE PUNISHED A lynching
in South Carlonia BY cab drivers
who con essed their guilt 40
ONE PUNISHED Despite the
personal courage Of Judge and
prosecuting attorney tho Jury re.
fused TO punish Now new Ign.
ching in North Carolina.
There is one right thing TO do
and We must do It. WE MUST
STOP MOB VIOLENCE IN THIS
COUNTRY. But we in the South
are not strong enough to swing
this job alone and we must face
up to our weakness. We need
the full cooperation Of our entire
nation.
We are asking our own people
to help us now, Americans like
ourselves, whose concern It Is &
who should share in this respon
sibility. Only by our securing q
Federal bill against lynchlng can
We draw fully upon the resour
ces Of our government and our
Federal courts to help us meet
this cultural disaster
Together We American citizens
north and SOUTH can and must
see to IL that such bill Is pas
sed The Case bill against lynch
ing Is now before Congress-. II
Is sane. moderate, not vindictive
nor vengeful. This bill should be-
nasspd We can write letters tc