The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1889-02-19
at IS A CONDITION AND NOT A
THEORY WHICH CON-
FRONTS U.s."

|H Et -
Law and Good Order Must be Sustained.
TT is a plain duty of the State to
preserve order and to secure to the
citizen the peaceful exercise of his
rights and privileges, and to guaran-
tee to him/the peaceful possession Of
his property. 1t would be criminal
in the highest degree for the State to
neglect to provide against violence
and disorder. If the law shall not
command respect and obedience, the
State should provide ample means for
the enforcement of the law. The SUI
premacy and majesty of law must be
recognized or there is no safety. That
there is an under-current of unrest
infammable elements in u social
condition, none can deny. When we
consider and analyze the relations, So
cial, political and industrial, between
the two races in the South, the inner
emit consciousness of superiority on
the one hand and the natural jeal-
ousy for magnifed rights on the other,
and the necessarily intimate contact
of the two races, the wonder is that
outbreaks and conflicts are not of
daily occurrence. The good order
that prevails and the good feeling that
usually exists between the races, lisa
standing refutation of the slanderous
charges so freely INDUCED In certain
quarters against the white people of
the South. III.
But we cannot shut our eyes to the
fact that we have reached the point
where "eternal vigilance" on the part
of the State is the price of peace and
good order among its citizens. And
while it is humilitating to confess it,
yet candor requires that we should
say hat in our judgment, to no. one
cause can we more directly trace VIC
lence and outbreaks and d~isgraceful
scenes than to the manner in which
trials are conducted in the courts.
But it '.is a condition and not a the
DRY which comforts us" and we must
meet it as become men of wisdom and
discretion. If the law and the safe
guards which it supplies to the civil
authority be not competent to guar
antee good order, then the State must
supplement it with a power that will
do so.
Lynch law is becoming fearfully
respectable and it must be checked.
Let us come back to the time when
outraged people will seek redress at
the bar of justice in our court houses,
rather than through the beforehand
broken doors of our jail houses. The
recent fearful slaughter of citizens in
Birmingham should not be forgotten.
We witnessed the sullen sorrow and
grief of that smitten people and talked
with many of them, and we are firmly,
of the opinion that the horrible and
disgraceful scene could and would
have been easily averted, If proper
precaution had been exercised. We.
are firmly of the opinion that if @Birz
mingham had had a good military
company, well Offered and well dis
.ciplined, and had placed its jail in the.
charge of the company, not a gun
would have been fired, and the awful
butchery of its people would have
been averted. The moral effect of the
presence of such a force would have
disarmed the Infatuated mob, and it
would have recoiled from any attempt
to force the jail.
If North Carolina were able, we do
not think it would be wise to spend
money lavishly on our State Guard,
but we do believe that our military
should be made efficient, and be stuff
GENTLY strong to meet any emergency.
Let us do the best we can in our
Strengthened financial condition, and
we know that it will be appreciated
and met by such men as F. Cameron,
Glenn, Anthony, B. Cameron and 9th
.ers in a true and patriotic spirit, and
they will give us an efficient and val
liable service. These noble men can
not give their time and service for
nothing, and it should not be expected,
but appreciating as they do the situal
ton, they will cheerfully and patriot
ically make sacrifices to secure to the
State and its people this very impor.
tant and indispensable service of
safety.
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