The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-04-30
Mob Law.

|
IDENTIFY colored man. who finds fault with
two or three short articles in the MORNING
NEWS In which the efforts OF northern
republican papers to make political capital
out OF the lynching Of black men, charged
with crimes Of one kind and another, is
commented upon. AS a rule communica-
tons from unknown writer's are not pub
lished. The names of writers should &C.
company their communications, not for
publication, but as an evidence Of their good
faith.
| In this instance the communication is no.
ticed because it deals with matter to
which the MORNING NEWS has frequently
called attention, and which is now being
| brought into prominence by northern re-
publican papers, viz: The lynching Of
| blacks.
The writer Of the communication COM
plains that the MORNING News denies that
blacks are lynched in the south. The COM
plant is without foundation, and shows
that the writer Of the communication does
| not read the MORNING NEWS iuteligently
The MORNING News never misses an op-
portunlty to condemn the lynching of either
white or black men, and to urge the pun
| ishment of those who are guilty of taking
human life without authority OF law.
What the MORNING NEWS denies is that
the lynchings are for the purpose of terror
izing the blacks, and thus preventing them
| from exercising their right to vote. The
northern republican papers are trying to
make it appear that the lynchiugs have
political purpose. They speak of them as
southern outragesn and assert that the pur-
pose OF them is to enable the whites to re-
tain control Of municipal county and state
affairs Even the writer of the communica.
tion referred to. who, by the way, resides
either at Waycross or cambridge, says "the
better class of whites of the south ride into
office through these outrages, and that is
why they do not try to put a stop to them.
1t is absolutely untrue that the Iynchings
have any political significance whatever, or
have any influence in politics. They are
not in ended to have. They are the result
of sudden passion aroused by crimes of the
most horrible character II any one will
take the trouble to investigate the lynchings
it will be found that in each case the per-
son lynched was charged with committing
rape or murder, the penalty for either in
this state being death. And it is doubtful
If an instance of an innocent black man be-
ing lynched con be cited.
| Not very long ago a we1l-known man of
this city was brutally murdered by five ne
gro youths for the small sum of money be
was supposed to have on his person. The
| murder was such cold-blooded one that
there was strong talk OF lynching the
criminals. Better counsels prevailed, how
| ever, and at considerable expense to the
| county and the murdered mans friends
| they were tried and convicted. Had they
been lynched, it would have been said they
deserved their fate. although the lynchiug
would have been condemned. Had they
committed the crime in some thinly settled
| county where justice Is slow and the people
believe their safety demands the speedy
punishment Of those who commit horrible
crimes they would have been lynched In all
probability.
| Mob la " is to be condemned in the strong
est terms. The MORNING News has always
condemned it, not only because of the
| danger of lynching the innocent, but, also.
because it lessons dependence upon and re-
spect for the courts. The law should always
be permitted to take its course. The pun
ishment Of criminal in legal way has a
much greater restraining influence upon
those who are vicious and bad than an ex.
hibition Of mob fury.
1t is wholly unjust to the south to assert
as some of the northern republican papers
do, that the lynchings are intended to pre-
vent the blacks from voting or seeking office
White criminals are dealt with just about
as the black ones are. For attempting to
assault girl white man Of considerable
prominence was sentenced In this county
this week to twelve years in the peniten-
tiary.
The crimes that are punishable with death
are committed much more frequently by the
blacks, and that is why more blacks than
whites are lynched The lowest class in the
south is black, and like the lowest class in
any section of this country, or any other
country, 1t furnishes the most of the crimi-
nails.