Jackson advocate. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1939-current, 1952-03-01
RAIGHT
AHEAD"

NEW YORK - (GlobaD - All
the Negro needs to do, it seems,
is to keep on battling for his
rights, and stay on Gods side. He
is still getting an awful pushing
around in this country, but the
mills are grinding fine.
The other day in North Carolina.
the FBI moved in on ten members
of the Ku Klux Khan who have
been charged with kidnapping and
flogging. No, the victims were not
Negroes, but that doesn't matter
too much. What is important is
that we know now that the FBI
can act and act effectively if it
wants to.
AS for the Khan, its mistake was
Its choice of victims. They were a
white man and a white woman.
This may be the beginning of it's
undoing. AS long as the Khan flog-
ged, kidnapped, and terrorized
Negroes, it held some kind of i'm
munity from punishment, as the
recent Florida bombing so forceful-
ly illustrated But such sport is
not to be INDUCED in with whites
as the victims.
1t took the kidnapping of Charles
A. Lindbergh's baby to bring dras-
&c action against kidnapers, and
me recent North Carolina incident
nay result in some positive action
against floggings and other forms
If mob violence. One of these days
another mistake is going to be
made and the Khan, or some of it's
compatriots, are going to lynch
the wrong man or woman, and
We'll promptly get an anti-lynching
law.
1t is quite understandable
though, how the Khan and its kind
can remain active in the South.
It's men like Governor James
Byrnes and Governor Herman Tai
madge who give encouragement to
them. 1t must, however, be terribly
embarrassing to these officials
when they see these night riders
venting their wrath on white folk.
The real sad note in the North
Carolina case which ought to in
terest the nation, is found in the
reasons given for the floggings.
From all reports it appears that
the couple, apparently not married,
were found together one night last
October, awakened, bl;nd-folded,
driven across the State line and
logged. 1t seems a terrible way
to attempt to regulate the morals
of adults. 1t was reported that in
one instance a, potential victim, a
woman, was told the name of one
man with whom she could have
dates, and was warned that if she
were found with any other man
"steps would be taken"
No wonder the world looks down
on us as hypocrites. Surely, there
are many good things about our
country that could be talked about,
but in journalism it is the depar-
ture from the normal that makes
news i. which explains why
Fayetteville, n. c., Minis, Florida,
Cicero and Cairo, Illinois get more
space and prominence in the world
press than items of an uplifting
and complimentary nature.
This will always be true as long
as we have free press. In coun-
tries where bigots such as those
who have been terrorizing Negroes
and whites have come into power,
they have muzzled the press.
While these atrocities are fright
full, and do us incalculable harm
overseas, they nevertheless prove
to some extent at least that our
press is still, for the most part,
free.
The fact that the press reports
these things is all to the good; the
trouble is they fail to arouse pub
lie opinion to the point where the
people will "do something about
Them"