Question

assertion that there are white women in the south who love the afro - american’s company even as there are white men notorious for their preference for afro - american women.
there is hardly a town in the south which has not an instance of the kind which is well known, and hence the assertion is reiterated that “nobody in the south believes the old thread bare lie that negro men rape white women.” hence there is a growing demand among afro - americans that the guilt or innocence of parties accused of rape be fully established. they know the men of the section of the country who refuse this are not so desirous of punishing rapists as they pretend. the utterances of the leading white men show that with them it is not the crime but the class. bishop fitzgerald has become apologist for lynchers of the rapists of white women only. governor tillman, of south carolina, in the month of june, standing under the tree in barnwell, s.c., on which eight afro - americans were hung last year, declared that he would lead a mob to lynch a negro who raped a white woman. so say the pulpits, officials and newspapers of the south. but when the victim is a colored woman it is different.
guiding questions
question 3 of 9
wells argues that white southerners...
a are equally concerned with all rape cases, regardless of who the accused or the victim is.
b are more concerned with social class rather than with race.
c only care about rape cases when the victim is white and the accused is black.
d are too busy to seek justice for falsely accused and imprisoned black men.

Explanation:

To solve this, we analyze the text:

• The text says the claim that "negro men rape white women" is a lie, and notes that white Southerners' actions (like lynching) are focused on cases where the victim is white and the accused is Black (e.g., Governor Tillman would lead a mob for a Black man who raped a white woman, but the text implies different treatment for colored victims).
• Option A is wrong as the text shows unequal concern (different treatment for colored vs white victims).
• Option B is wrong as the text focuses on race (victim/accused race) not social class.
• Option D is not supported; the text is about selective concern for rape cases based on victim/accused race, not about being busy for falsely imprisoned.
• Option C matches: the text says the lie of "negro men rape white women" is repeated, and actions (like lynching) happen when the victim is white and accused is Black, showing they only care about such cases.

Answer:

C. only care about rape cases when the victim is white and the accused is Black.