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| Indianapolis Times, 22-June-1924 |
Educator Booker T Washington was very influential in the African American community and in the wider culture in the early 20th Century. When I was growing up, his reputation had diminished, but I believe that he did a lot of good things for America.
SOUTHERN LYNCHINGS
NOTABLE STATEMENT BY BOOKER T.
WASHINGTON, OF TUSKEGEE.
He Shows that Mob Justice Has Not
Decreased the Number of Crimes
Charged Against Negroes.
AN APPEAL TO THE COUNTRY
FOR CREATION OF A SENTIMENT
THAT WILL MAKE LIFE SAFE.
He Also Urges the Arousing of Such a
Sentiment Against Criminal Assault
as Will Prevent the Crime.
BIRMINGHAM, Ala., June 21. -- Booker T. Washington, president of the Industrial and
Normal School at Tuskegee, to-day furnished the Associated Press with an elaborate
discussion of the race question in the form of a paper. Professor Washington begins
his paper by saying that, while it is true there are cases of lynching and outrages
in the Northern and Western States, candor compels him to admit that by far
the most lynchings take place In the Southern States and most of the persons lynched
are negroes.
"With all the earnestness of my heart," he pays, "I want to appeal not to the President
of the United States, Mr. McKlnley, not to the people of New York nor New
England, but to the citizens of our Northern States, to assist in creating such a public
sentiment as will make human life here just as safe and sacred as it is anywhere else in
the world."
The paper then offers a review of the appeal that has been made through tho press
by prominent men that the negro problem be left to the South. He recites that the whole
country, from the President down, has been inclined to do this. "By the policy of
non-interference the South has been given a sacred trust," he says. I fear but few
people in the South realize to what an extent the habit of lynching or the taking of
life without due process of law has taken hold of us and to what an extent it is not
only hurting us in the eyes of the world, but injuring our own moral and material growth.
Many good people in the South, and also out of the South, have got the Idea that lynching
is resorted to for one crime only. I have the facts from an authoritative source.
"During the last year 127 rersons were lynched in the United States; of this number
115 were executed in the South and none in the North and West; of the total number
lynched 102 were negroes, 23 whites and 2 Indians. Now let every one interested in
the South, his country and the cause of humanity note this fact, that only 21 of the
entire number were charged in any way with the crime of rape; that is, 24 out of 127
cases of lynching; 61 of the remaining cases were for murder, 12 for being suspected of
murder, 6 for theft. During one week last spring, when I kept a careful record, 13 negroes
were lynched in three of our Southern States and none was even charged with
rape. Let us take another year, that of 1892, for example. During this year, 1892, 241
persons were lynched in the whole United States: of this number were lynched in
Northern and Western States and 186 in our Southern States. Of the 241 lynched in the
whole country 160 were negroes and 5 of these women. The facts show that out of 241
lynchings in the entire country in 1892 but 57 were even charged with attempted rape,
leaving in that year alone 184 persons who were lynched for other causes than that of
rape. Within a period of six years about 900 persons have been lyncned in our Southern
States. This Is but a few hundred short of the total number of soldiers who lost their
lives in Cuba during the war.
CLASSES OF CRIME.
"If we would realize still more fully how far this unfortunate habit Is leading us, note
the classes of crime during a few months which the local papers and the Associated
Press say that lynching has been inflicted for they include, murder, rioting, incendiarism,
robbery, larceny, self-defense, insuiting women, alleged stock poisoning, malpractice,
alleged barn burning, suspected robbery, race prejudice, attempted murder
and horse stealing, mistaken identity, etc. The practice has grown until we are now at
the point where not only blacks are lynched in the South, but white men as well. Not
only this, but within the last six years at least a half dozen colored women have been
lynched and there are a few cases where negroes have lynched members of their own
race. What Is to be the end of this? Besides this, every lynching drives hundreds of
negroes from the farming districts of the South, where they make the best living and
where their services are of greatest value to the country, into the already crowded cities.
"I know that some will argue that the crime of lynching negroes is not confined
to the South. This is true, and no one can excuse such a crime as the shooting of innocent
black men in Illinois who were guilty or no crime except seeking labor, but
my words just now are to the South, where my home is, and a part of which I am. Let
other sections act as they will; I want to see our beautiful Southland free from this
terrible evil of lynching. Lynching does not stop crime.
"In the Immediate section of the South where a colored man recently committed
the most terrible crime ever charged against members of my race, but a few
weeks previous to this five colored men had been lynched for supposed incendiarism. If
the lynching was a cure for crime surely the lynching of five would have prevented
another negro from committing a most heinous crime a few weeks later.
"We might as well meet the facts bravely and wisely. Since the beginning of the
world crime has been committed in all civilized and uncivilized countries and a certain
amount of crime will always be committed both in the North and South, but I believe
that the crime of rape can be stopped. In proportion to the news and intelligence of
the South there exists a little more crime than in several other sections of the country,
but by the lynching habit we are constantly advertising ourselves to the world
as a lawless people. We cannot disregard the teachings of the civlized world for 1,800
years -- that the only way to punish crime is by law. When we leave this dictum chaos
begins.
NOT FOR NEGROES ALONE.
"I am not pleading for the negro alone. Lynching injures, hinders and blunts the
moral sensibilities of the young and tender manhood of the South. Never shall I forget
the remark made by a little nine-year-old white boy, with blue eyes and flaxen hair.
The little fellow said to his mother, after he had returned from a lynching: 'I have
seen a man hanged; now I wish I could see one burned.' Rather than hear such a remark
from one of my little boys I would rather see him dead. This is not all; every
community guilty of lynching says in so many words to the Governor, to the Legislature,
to the sheriff, to the jury and to the Judge: I have no faith In you and no respect
for yon. We have no respect for the law which we helped to make.
"In the South, and at the present time, there is less excuse for not permitting
the law to take its course where a negro is to be tried than anywhere else in the
world, for, almost without exception, the Governors, the sheriffs, the Judges, the
juries and the lawyers are all white men, and they can be trusted as a rule to do
their duty, otherwise it is needless to tax the people to support these officers. If our
present laws are not sufficient to properly punish crime, let the law be changed, but
let the punishment be by lawfully constituted authorities, is the plea I beg to make.
"There is too much crime among us. The figures for a given period show that in the
United States 30 per cent, of the crime committed is by negroes, while we constitute
only about 12 per cent, of the entire population. This proportion holds good not
only in the South, but also in Northern States and cities. No race that is so largely
ignorant and so recently out of slavery could perhaps show a better record, but we
must face these plain facts. He is most kind to the negro who tells him of his
faults as well as of his virtues. A large amount of the crime among us grows out
of the idleness of our young men and women. It is for this reason that I have
tried to insist upon some industry, being taught our young people in connection with
their course of literary training."
Professor Washington concludes his paper by appealing to school teachers, ministers
and the press to arouse such a sentiment regarding the committing of crime against
women that, no such crime will be charged against any member of the race. He says
the negro has among the Southern whites as good friends as he has anywhere in the
world, and advises him to stay here and work out his salvation.
