IS A "NIGGER" A MAN?

Otago Daily Times, Issue 9391, 2 April 1892, Page 5 (Supplement)

IS A "NIGGER" A MAN?

Strange as the question may at first sight appear, it is not without justification. It has ever been assumed that a great day had dawned for the negro portion of the human race when Lincoln, standing upon the steps of the Capitol, proclaimed that from now, henceforth, and for ever the black man is free. But is he free ? and if so, what is freedom? Within the shadow of the Capitol itself are to be found hundreds of people who view the negro as morally, socially, politically, and in every way their inferior. They will neither eat, drink, ride, or live with him. Special carriages are attached to the railway cars in some portions of the States for the negro's use, and he dare not ride in any other; he canuot eat at the same table as the white man; he cannot run a

business in his own name; he cannot rent or buy a house without causing the one on either side to be forthwith vacated. I have encoun-' tered in the public prints numerous cases, some of the cruellest kind -as when, for example, the successful competitor for a scholarship was denied it when it was discovered she had the

"negro taint" in her blood —in evidence of my statements. Nor does the negro bear it passively. He has education, he has numbers, and he has a vote. It is this latter that will yet make him a power for good or for evil in the land. That he intends to exercisu it is questionless.

At the present time the negro is working up a strong agitation against the proposed appropriation of 5,000,000d0l from Congress to the World's Fair because he, being a "nigger,"has not in any way been recognised in connection with this great exposition of peace, brotherhood, and amity. Yet when the nigger is caught, as he frequently is, in the perpetration of some of the more or less fiendish crimes for which his class have gained a miserable celebrity, retribution is swift and deadly. Hatred of the nigger dispels all other passions. In such hours he is treated with a punishment greater, if possible, than his offence merits. It is not a lone death he then has to fear, but a death beyond measure horrible. Such an event transpired last week. As it is conspicuous for its barbarity even in this land of strange happenings, I record it.

BURNED AT THE STAKK

was the unusual heading of a telegraphic despatch from St. Louis on the 20th ult. , It narrated an event that had occurred in the town of Texarkana, in the State of Arkansas, a. few hours before. It appears the wife of a respectable farmer had, during the absence in town of her husband, been called upon by a. negro named Coy, who, after having assaulted her, dragged her from the house to a barn, where he again repeatedly outraged her. He then escaped. On the husband's return the alarm was given, and speedily the whole country was alive with search parties. Signals were arranged, means of communicating the one with the other opened up, and in a few hours the wretched being was caught. He was brought back to the town.

The whole place had by this time gathered there and upwards of 6000 men and women were soon marching forward with their prisoner to Ms place of death. But, how to kill him was the question. To hang such a monster seemed too easy a method, and, gradually," from whispered mutterings, the cry arose o£ "Burn him! Burn him." A citizen, at this point, mounted some elevation and begged the people for the sake of their wives and children.

if they intended so to kill their prisoner to take him outside the town. This was done, aa old tree trunk served as a stake. The victim was bound to it, his rags—for his clothes were torn to shreds—were saturated in kerosene, and then his victim was pushed forward by the wild mob of men, and made to apply the match, which set him in a blaze of fire, and within 10 minutes, reduced him to o heap of cinder.

Intense horror and indignation were created at the manner of the death, but none at the killing itself, whilst the perpetrators justify themselves upon the grounds that desperate diseases require desperate remedies.

UNPUNISHED CRIME

is of so frequent a character, when the criminal has to answer for his or her guilt in the ordinarycourse of law, that many are apt to extend a measure of sympathy to the prompt meting out of punishment by Judge Lynch. That this is no mere statement of individual opinion a. perusal of the figures I submit will prove. It has been found that the average term of imprisonment to a murderer who has been sentenced for life is six years—a term less thaa that for many crimes against property. There has been no white man hanged in this city since 1888, although over 100 murders have been committed, whilst two years elapsed between the conviction and execution of the last man hanged. Nor are the figures for the whole country less remarkable. In the year 1891 there were 5906 murders, but only 123 executions, and these, too, for crimes committed prior to 1891. In the same period, however, there were 195 lynchings. The murder record for 1891 is, indeed, a ghastly one—exceeding, as it does, the death record for any battle in the history of the United States, including even Gettysburg, the bloodiest battle of the north and south, where the total was but 5662. It is when such figures as the above are fairly considered that one is apt to pause for fear of passing a too hasty condemnation upon Chief Justice Lynch and his myrmidons.

THE WORLD'S FAIR

is still booming along. Great preparations have been made, and are now all but completed for the dedicatory services in October next. Twenty-five thousand dollars are to be expended on fireworks on this occasion, and a magnificent choir and orchestra have been arranged. The best artists available in the continent are to be there, and invitations will be issued to all the Governors and chief officials of the 44 States of the Union. No charge for admission will be made to the musical portion of the dedication, nor to the grounds, but a small price will be asked from those who attend to see the fireworks. This ceremony must not be confounded with the opening of the great show which is fixed lor April next year.

In the meantime every State has made arrangements to have its own State house, so that, what with the main building and the foreign buildings, and the manufacturers' house, that alone covers 43 acres, there will be exhibition upon exhibition comprised within the area of Jackson Park, where the Exposition will stand.

Japan intends to occupy two acres with a Japanese village, and to erect permanent buildings thereon, which will subsequently be handed over to the authorities of Chicago as a token of friendship from the people of Japan. Four thousand workmen are at present working night and day upon the huge pile. A PREMIUM UPON FRAUD appears to be offered by the peculiar methods of the Customs House officials here and at Washington. A few weeks since it was discovered, by the merest accident, that a large and wealthy firm had for years been passing the richest and finest of silk goods as linens, thereby defrauding the country of vast sums of money. In fact, it admitted to having " done" the revenue for about 150,000dol; and yet, in the face of this, a compromise of 100,000dol was accepted, and there was no j>rosecution. In another case a brewery firm was proved beyond doubt to have robbed the people of 26,000d01, and in this instance also 12,500d0l was taken in settlement and no prosecution. And yet a third case, this time unearthed by the reporters, recently came forth. A firm of Japanese importers had, in conjunction with other similar houses, been for years in the habit of using false invoices. The sum the country has lost is estimated at about 100,000dol. The firm, when confronted, " owned up," and offered to "square" the matter. No definite decision has been given as yet in this case. The price of Japanese goods has, however, strangely enough, gone up since the discovery. Such are a few of the cases this highly " protected " nation has to submit to. That there are many, many more is well known, but how are you going to stop it ? ITEMS. Of 1238 vessels jcarrying grain from New York to Europe in 1891, only 25 were under the American flag. A special from Montreal says the sum of 100,000dol was received at different times by Mercier, Pecaud, and Langevin, in addition to sums already disclosed. The "boodle" came from the railway. Arrests may follow. There is talk of retaliation upon the part of China, if the proposed Chinese Exclusion Bill becomes law. Sir Edwin Arnold lectured here on Monday last. He sailed for Japan the following day. A monument is to be erected, in memory of Parnell, in the Golden Gate park. The telegrams report that Talmage's Tabernacle is to be sold by auction. A firm of contractors has a lien upon the building for some 56,000d01, which latter is not forthcoming. It has been proved that advertisements have been inserted in European papers for 3,000,000 working men for the World's Fair. Prompt steps are being taken by the proper authorities to contradict such.a cruel piece of lying. The three months' export trade — viz., October, November, and December 1891 — nearly equalled any one year's exports prior to the year 1870. . The Deacon-Abeille case, owing to the high social position of the Deacons, is causing great interest here. A couple of columns a day are cabled from Cannes to the papers. Sympathy is entirely with the husband. His miserable partner, who is a very beautiful woman, has not even the poor excuse of having yielded herself to a man either physically or intellectually superior to her husband. The French comments are curious. Deacon, they say, should either have let his wife ;go—as she preferred someone else—or have shot them both, but not having done either, he is a miserable coward and brutal assassin. Certainly they manage these things rather differently in France.