The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-07-08

negro shot his Swedish white wife to
deathat Spokane on Monday evening. The
murderer was promptly arrested and
| placed in jail. If the Swedes who threaten
10 lynch the prisoner attempt TO execute
their purpose we hope the sheriff viii
prove himself worthy of his place and de-
fend his Jail as calamity as did the sheriff
of Montgomery. Alabama, q few years
ago. when he made it warm for the lynch
ing party and held the ground while the
governor sent troops to his aid. A Ken
lucky sheriff stood his ground with
equal courage and conscience few
years ago, but with these exceptions
the ordinary sheriff seems to be sheep or
q scoundrel in collision with the lynchers
when they arrive. The sheriff st New Or
leans made no serious attempt to defend
his Jail: and the lynchers of Edwards in
Oregon and of Hunt in Walla Walla found
the sheriff either coward or a compIais-
ant knave. It is difficult to say which
was the most contemplate, the military
inefRciency, stupidity or indifference OF
Colonel Compton, or the civic spiritless-
ness of the sheriff who opened his doors on
the threat of dynamite.
The proper answer to such q threat
would be for the sheriff to shoot the first
man that approached his premises to
carry out such threat. Let US hope that
the sheriff of Spokane is a man of true
stuff, who viii do his duty and make it
dangerous to any man to interfere with
him in its discharge. No man is obliged
TO be sheriff. but when he accepts the
Office he accepts it with all the dangers
that its grave responsibility implies, and
no sheriff, who is a man of honor, will
suffer any mob. however respectable. to
murder any prisoner, however contempt
ible or guilty or friendless that prisoner
may appear.
For lynch law there is no justification in
civilized community the remedy is worse
than the disease, for lynch law is always
followed by further lawlessness. There
were Log lynchings in the country last
year and Ia of them were in the
Southern states, eight of them in
Louisiana and twenty-four in Texas
Where lynching is not resorted to
there is the largest security for life and
property, the most perfect peace and or
der; where there is the greatest readiness
to resort to lynching there is the most law
lessness, that is, lynching does not cure
the disease of lawlessness. The most
imperfect administration and execution
of legal and judicial machinery is better
than mob law. The mob is not the people.
and If the leaders of a mob can put one
man to death for one reason they can put
another man to death for another reason
or rob third. The New Orleans and Gin
cinnati riots impeached their community
just as the supremacy of the Tweed
ring impeached New York city. Every
community is responsible for the condition
of its judicial tribunals If there is q cor
rupt judge or corrupt jury the response
bility is with those who placed one on the
bench and the other in the jury box.
The remedy is to endure your own ma
chinery which you created until you can
reform it, as you made it, at the ballot
box. II free government is not failure
then lynch law is not necessary or excus-
able, and it cannot be resorted to as nee
essary without conceding the unfitness of
the people for free government.