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284      THE CRISIS

MANUFACTURING CRIME
PEONAGE IN THE SOUTH

The Savannah (Ga.) News in an editorial throws a peculiar light on methods of handling crime in the South: 

"The Charleston News and Courier quotes from a letter the preacher, the Rev. Frank Weaver wrote to the Edgefield Advertiser about a homicide that occurred at his church recently.

"He wrote that it had been his experience that nearly all of the crimes committed at Negro churches were the work of Negroes who had been 'bought out of crimes,' and he predicted that 'as long as these bad boys are paid out of bad crimes and sent back on our good people we cannot hope for much better times.' The inference is that Negroes who sell their labor to white employers in exchange for fines paid the courts for their freedom think they can commit crimes right and left and escape chaingang terms because their labor is in demand. Of course, they prefer to work out their fines in freedom than on the chaingang, but the preacher protests that they are free, while working out their fines, to commit other crimes and that they do not fail to commit them."

"The colored women of Princeton are entitled to much credit for their patriotic efforts to erect a tablet to the memory of Oliver Cromwell. This is not the Cromwell of English history, but the humbler Cromwell, a Negro, who fought in the War of the Revolution. His habitat was in Mercer and Burlington counties; he fought in the battles of Trenton, Princeton and Monmouth, and in the picture, 'The Passing of Washington,' hanging in the old barracks in Trenton, is the figure of a black man on horseback, supposed to be Oliver Cromwell. His discharge from the army was in Washington's own handwriting, and for several years he received a pension. His death occurred in 1853, but as yet no stone marks his grave. Here, indeed, is a 'Cromwell guiltless of his country's blood,' not only, but one who imperiled his life and gave his best services to Washington and the new nation that did but little for him or his race until ten years after his death. 
Newark News.

[[two photographs of toddlers labeled with names of States]]
[[image - OKLAHOMA]]
[[image - TENNESSEE]]

ALONG THE COLOR LINE    285
MOTHERS IN COUNCIL
[[image - group of 8 women in center of page and writing]]

AT the Los Angeles meeting of the National Federation of Women's Clubs a color bar was erected against colored women and it was decreed that clubs of colored women could not join the federation. Jane Addams and a few others fought desperately against this disgraceful decision but New England, and especially Massachusetts, women deserted her and the decision stood.

As a result the colored women formed their own federation and for the last 20 years have been held ten bi-ennial sessions. There are connected with the federation some 700 or more clubs, practically all the work of social uplift and social reform among ten million people is being done by these clubs. They are conducting hospitals, homes for orphans and the aged, reformatories, kindergartens, day nurseries, and other institutions, beside doing work in study, literature and art. Several states have state federations of clubs notably Illinois, Colorado, Alabama, Mississippi, Kentucky, etc.

The last biennial session of the National Association was held at Wilberforce in August and brought together 500 women. It was an interesting occasion and they were interesting people. There were few visitors present (Zona Gale, the author, being almost the only white woman). The sessions were strenuous, almost too strenuous, one would say, being continuous from 9 o'clock in the morning until 10 or 11 at night, for three days. Practically all the work was done in full convention which meant large audiences and much difficulty, especially among the visitors, in

[[image, bottom of page - MOTHERS IN COUNCIL (Over)]]

Transcription Notes:
Not sure how to format the last words on first page-('Newark News') I assume the image on the second page with no label is Jane Addams? Is Alabama on the second page meant to be written A l a b a m a, as well as August