St. Louis Tension

Since war started the chief city of the border state of Missouri has had small incidents and tall talk of racial tension but no real race trouble--until last week.

St. Louis Negroes who work downtown carry their lunches because they know no restaurant will serve them. Negroes are segregated in the city schools--but mingle with whites in public conveyances. Trouble came on one of St. Louis' big rattling streetcars.

A Negro objected to a white man's smoking in the next seat. The smoke drifted back on the Negro's wife. The smoker put up an argument. So with a few well chosen blows of his fists the Negro killed him, and got off the car. The same night, four Negro women were arrested on another streetcar. One of the Negroes was reported to have struck a white soldier's wife and her 4-year-old son.

St. Louis, with a Negro population of 115,000 (13% of the population), remained cautiously calm. Not only the leaders, but the people of both races seemed genuinely anxious to avoid any big outburst.

The judicious Post-Dispatch, cheering over the fact that St. Louis has never had a major bloody race riot,* called on the citizens: "It is better to bring this ugly thing into the open. It is better to avert a crisis before it happens than to weep about it afterward. St. Louisans, white and Negro, let's act like civilized human beings! Let's put hooligans of both races--the lunatic fringe--in jail to cool off when they begin flexing their muscles in public places! Let's continue our old tradition of decent relations between the races!"

* Two 1917 race riots just across the Mississippi, in East St. Louis, Ill., ended with more than 100 Negroes dead, $400,000 in property damage. St. Louisans have been highly sensitive to race tension ever since.

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