The Palatka daily news. (Palatka, Fla.) 1884-1888, 1886-05-23
Law i'm Florida.

yond reach that ordinary men resort
to lynch law. In certain wild see.
tons iinpa,Icnce OF RESTRAINT and saw
age self assertion may hurry the
needless into rash attempts at the
viulication Of right. bu, when the
accused is "lynched' IN Florida
there exists some-leeper reason than
tina, which dictates the summary rx-
ccuiion u! horse thief on the from
tier.
la speaking of the late popular
murder IN neighbofing town a
thoughtful cotemporary says:
The circuit court convenes in
Polk county mex, month, bu, the
people of the county know the rep.
u,a,ion Of Florida courts and grand
juries too well to allow such scenes
as the above one and such bloody.
thirsty demons to exist in their
limits waiting for the law to deal
GU, justice. Lynch law is the best
law in such eases, and the safest
in the state of Florida. Polk county
should feel proud that she boasts Of
SO many men with IN iron nerve
Now, il the Ocala Free Press re.
fleets the public opinion on such
a subject, then il behooves all good
citizens to eradicate the cause of
such impatient disregard of the for.
malities of law. The machinery Of
our courts has been steadily and
,houghtiully improved by the expe.
ricnce of ages, and in the perfection
of their methods We have had SO
much faith that our patience under
wrong has been like that of job.
But all signs indicate that at last
the forbearance of onr people is Civ.
ing way. 1t is not only that the
murderer caught red-hanacd has es.
carcd punishment, the thief goes
unwhipt of Justice and the wrong
doer sits in the high place Of honor
aud deiies his victims under the pro.
lection Of those sworn to execute the
law and paid by the people to guard
their interests. These facts lie pat.
ens To be seen Of every observer in
nearly every county in the state,
and grand juries bring their pre-
sentiments in vain when the shield
of authority protects the robber OF
tho people, the thief whose pockets
are lined with the plumber CT the
poor, the orphan and the widow.
Exposure has been made till We are
shamed before the world and still
the eye of authority cannot see, and
the criminal hides under the erinine
Of the Judge.
For the law is not all at fault for
the present condition of things
When Putnam county alone can
number at every successive circuit
court murderer after murderer in.
adequately punished or turned loose
on the community to repeat his
crime, we cannot consider our laws
alone at fault. The wrongs under
which We suffer could be 50 heavy
upon MS only by the connivance OF
lncompetency of public prosecutors
and the carelessness or criminality
of judges. Did those sworn to look
after the interests of the people dc
their duty, We should not see OF
every hand the robbery of the deat
mans children, the disappearance oil
the public money, the escape of thu
criminal and the prosperity OF thu
villain. These things exhaust ,h'
patience of the citizen. urge thu
workman to strike, the good mar
into violence and impel the masses L
exact for themselves the justice 0
which they have learned to dispair il
court. Aud the Legitimate fruit o
such feelings wrought on by sucl
wrongs was seen when the old mai
took down from the tree in Eartov
the bodies of his two sons and wen
Borrowing homeward. Let us abat,
the causes, or trees will bear sucl
fruit in other sections. Let us not
like the Pharasee, bless God tina