The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1884-02-07
my. independently
Tie ApOlogetics Of Judge Lynch'


former character he assumes to rea-
son. and in the latter claims for HIM
self good motives. In neither charac-
ter does he like the doctrine OF Inc
independent. We are not at all sur
prised at his dislike; for we never yet
heard of man who had any special
fondness for being hanged, even for
the crime Of murder. All murderers
agree in not liking the gallows tor
themselves; and in this respect Judge
Lynch shows the instincts OF the class
to which he belongs.
'tLynching," says the sage and pa
triotic friend Of justice and good Or
der, sis the expression Of an intention
to make, sure Of punishment to
wrong doer.n Civil society, operating
through its courts and proceeding &C
cording to the rules of law, cannot be
trusted to do this; and, hence: law
less mob, proceeding without srlal,
without evidence, without any defense
on the part of the accused, not repre-
senting the people as body polltlc,
but representing nothing except It's
own mad and insane passions, with
out any authority of law and against
such authority, must now and then
step in and actually commit the crime
of murder in order "to make sure OF
punishment to a wrong doer. Such
is the logic Of Judge Lynch In one OF
his recent utterances. We think that
it would be a thousand times better to
have the ''wrong doer" now and then
escape altogether, rather than to have
this logic put into practice: The way
to find out whether man IS wrong
doer'' or not is to try the question judi
icially; and the experience OF the
most enlightened nations of the earth
is that there is no better machinery
for this purpose than court OF JUS
tice, with its Indictment to be tried,
with its Judge to expond the law,
with its Jury to find the facts, with its
prosecuting attorney to hunt up the
evidence and with its counsel for the
defense to show and to say all that
can be shown and said in favor OF the
accused. This is the best way to
make sure Of the punishment OF the
wrong doer": and, although it is not
absolutely perfect, it is immeasurably
better that any other way.
Judge Lynch further says: Lynch
ing is really protest against the bad
administration of the lava sort OF
blind one, grant, but one which sem
sible men should heed after all.
1t influences sensible men to correct
the evils which incite to lynching.
And on this account, it is not so bad
after all as at first sight it might seem
to be. Turn your ''guns" upon these
evils and correct them; and then
Judge Lynch, being reformer OF
rather radical type, will stop business
These horrid lawyers stupid judges
and faithless jurors, by their omissions
and perversions Of justice, make the
occasion for his work. Set them
right, and Judge Lynch will set him.
self right. His disposition is so sweet
and gentle that he never does any
harm until he gets thoroughly pro-
voked; and even then what he does is
in the way of protest. that "sensi.
BILE men may open their eyes and give
him no further occasion for being
provoked.
Let us say in reply that we do moi
believe in mob-murders as the means
Of "a protest" Neither the law o1
God nor the law of man sanctions
them; and no right reason can evel
apologize for them. They are crimes
Of the very highest grade; and if civi
society winks at them, it will do so a
its peril. They are not punishment
any more than the assassination ot
President Garfield by Guiteau was ;
punishment. They belong to th'
category Of lawless and prohibitet
acts; and the proper method OF deal
ing with the actors is to punish then
for protesting in this way. Thes
actors, morever, are but the meres
fragment of society, -and general,
men of "the baser Sort; and the,
have no commission, except tina
which they extemporize for them
selves, for breaking into jails, drag
ging out prisoners who are in the Gus
tody Of the law and hanging them b.
the necks, on the theory OF maxim!
'.a protest against the imperfect ad
ministration Of the law.
Judge Lynch finds an excuse TO
his deeds Of blood and murder in tn
work of the San Francisco Vigilanc
Committee in the early days OF tina
city, forgetting to observe that tn
two cases are not at all parallel. Thi
committee was the product of a gener
al uprising Of the people, for the tim
being, to put down crime, and repre-
sented the people of that city
Though the process was irregular, a
is the fact with every revolution, j
was. nevertheless. sustained by tn
voice of the people at time whe
there was almost no law in San Fran
cisco. and assassins and robbers ha
full swing. The uprising was for sell
preservation in the circumstances a
then existing. The mob-hanglngs 9
Judge Lynch, that have becom
alarmingly frequent, present no ana
ogy to such case, and have none
its features. No condition of thing
exists in any state Of this Union fo
which such a mob is the proper "pre
test" There is no laxity in the reg
ular administration Of justice ths
cannot be better cured without it tina
with it.
The simple truth is that Judg
LYNCH is not, after all, reforme
He is not even a revolutlonlst' an
more than is house breaker or
highway robber. He is a lawles
murderer. pure and simple; and b
confesses the fact by usually seekln
the night season for his crime, an a.!
concealing his identity under a On
guise. The Independent is compelle
to adhere to it's previously announce
theory as to the remedy for lynchin'
The lynchers should be treated a.
cording to law; and this consists