Atlanta Daily World

The Beginning Of "The Last Roundup"

It was inevitable that somewhere the Scottsboro debacle had to come to an end. Over six years ago nine colored boys were arrested for an alleged attack committed on two women during a hobo ride through North Alabama. That day begot for Alabama its fixation on the headlines of our newspaper and some notoriety which she does not now relish. On one occasion while the famous case was being jerrimandered from court to court, costing the state thousands of dollars, Alabama closed its schools for the lack of funds. In her dire straits, in spite of the fact the south has long spurned governmental intervention or help in the public schools, Alabama was the first of the states of the union to sound an SOS call to the federal government for funds to carry on its educational program.

That case bled Alabama white, in money and in judicial prestige. In spite of one of the women's confession that the rape was framed by them in order to avert their arrest in good old style, Alabama carried steadily on.

The turning loose of four of the boys merely marks the beginning we hope of the end of the ugly procession that has fanned race prejudice and heaved into a bottomless pit the money of the taxpayers of the state of Alabama.

The "Scottsboro boys" should be eternally grateful to those organizations and persons who came to their rescue. They should take a long lesson from the terrible ordeal of being in prison for nearly six years. They have learned much of the technique by which their forgotten kin have been bound since "hell was a hatchet."

The case after all has served another purpose. More than any other occasion it gave a look in at the type of justice that many unfortunate people, for the lack of friends and funds have been forced to accept.

The unfortunate thing about the whole affair is the dogged persistency—crying no compromise, accelerated by the late Attorney General Thomas Knight, whose political ambition caused him to run riot with the case. His efforts drew a question mark about the whole structure of the judicial procedure obtaining in these parts when colored brethren are involved. But for some of the cheap and immoral methods by which many demagogues are allowed to ride into office this case might have been closed long ago. Mr. Knight, who might be termed as the "patent owner" of the "Scottsboro case" was seized in his first rung towards Alabama's governorship (the place of lieutenant governor) and gathered unto the bosom of his fathers.

All organizations and individuals that contributed effort toward the termination of these cases which have done untold damage, are to be congratulated.

Let us hope that the rest of the cases will be likewise disposed of in order that the ugly spectacle might cease forever the most unsavory and benighted pen that ever crawled across the pages of history.