The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1891-03-24
THE LEssuN OF THE LYNCHING.


New York World
The reputable citizens of New
Orleans who on Saturday put to
death the persons accused of the MUIR
der of Chief Hennessy have need TO
do a good deal of serious thinking.
tiThey should reflect in the first
place that the worst possible way by
which to repress crime IN commun-
ity is by the commission of crime.
They no doubt believe in all sincerity
that their act of Saturday was a nee
essary one for the protection of their
city against banded lawlessness. They
sre convinced that the men they put
to death were assassins and members
of an organized secret and cowardly
hand of assassins that their trial by
the courts was traI 1sty of justice
that the escape of the men fir m judi,
cial condemnation was secured by
bribery, and that the only salvation
of the community from the direct
domination of organized lawlessness
lay in the temporary resolution of
society into its elements and the swift
melting out of justice at the hands of
the people themselves.
And in a way all this is true. The
provocAtiOn to violence was great. IL
was not only that the assassins bad
escaped justice but that the eommun-
ity was insulted and defed by their
friends and sympa hizers, who openly
placed the American flag at hali-mast
over their places of business and
fi,untsd a foreign flag above it. This
from men who were believed to be
fellC w-members with the criminals in
an organized conspiracy of asssssina-
lion formed to strike at the vi,als of
law and society, might well have ex-
cited less sunburnt people than those
of New Orleans TO assert the SUI
premacy of law by lawless violel ce.
But how has it come about that the |
courts of New Orleans can not be |
trusted to administer justice with an
impartial hand? Whose fault is it |
that secret and cowardIy sssassins
against whom the evidence is conviu-
cling can not be convicted How is
it that courts and jurors are so cor.
rupt that the best citizens of the town
find it necessary to call msss-meetings
and take into their own hands the
work of determining guilt and infict.
ing punishment?
New Orleans is governed by its
own people. If Its courts are corrupt
and Its administration of justice a
mockery are not these very citizens
who so biooiily express their con-
demnation of this state of things them
selves responsible for it? Have they
done their full duty as citizens ? Have
their political activities been directed
with proper earnestness to the uproot-
ing of corruption and the mainren-
ance of sound and good government
And DO they mean to rest here?
a rebuke Of corruption by their act
of violence? Are they not going to
bar themselves together for construc-
tive work for the reform of their local
Is it not quite true that no good
ever comes out of this kind of viol.
ence. In extreme cases lyuching has
acted as deterrent infu-
ence upon lawlessness when no less
violent means would have sufficed.
But the remedy is a drastic one at
best. and the organized community
which finds IFS application necessary
condemns i self, ,or no organized com
NUDITY can fall into stale to justify
or even to excuse such resort unless
its people, and especially its infiu-
entail people, have betrayed their
trus. as citizens and:negligently allowed
corruption to honey-comb their
public Offices.
The good citizens of New Orleans
have much of profitable reflection TO
dojust now.