Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1893-03-10
Is Lynclling Permissible?
It's dangerous to rouse the lion,
Terrific is the tigers tooth. =
Yet the greatest is OF "a II the horrors
Man III wrath aud rage. torsooth.


tackled and there being no other
means of saving his own life, except
by taking the unjust aggressor's life.
The right over life or death has
God only and the lawful authority.
Every act of killing man besides
the above mentioned case, is there
fore, murder. This is our moral law.
Consequently lynch-justice is murder,
and all those participating in lynch
ing either actively or through mere
consent, becomes guilty of such 4,
murder Not long ago it was main.
tanned by some high ecclesiastical
dignitary that the American people
We're catholic in their mind If that
were the case the thousands who
witnessed the ferOcious butchery in
Texas are surely to he excepted.
How can our lynch practice be
broughtin harmony with the Christ
ian doctrine of the love of our en-
emies, with the model of Christ dy-
ing on the cross and praying for
forgiveness for his savage execution
ers, although He had legiOns OF
angels at his command to avenge
the Outrages committed against
Him.
If we wish to be counted as true
Christians we must believe in an eter-
nal state of future re ward and punis H.
ment and also that our future woe
and veal depends on the condition of
our soul at the M oment of it's depart
ure from the body. How then can I,
true Christian'dispatch his fellow man
in such a manner nto eternity with
out giving him sufficient time to pre-
pare for the inevitablc?Oris their any
proportion between the loss of ones
temporal life and that of the immor-
tai soul? But, some might object;
is not the unjust aggressOr and the
murderer exposing the soul of his
victim. to the same danger? Granted
this to be thus, Is not this very refer
ence one of the aggravating accom-
panying grievances of the crime of
murder?And on what Christian doe
trine will you base your right to
avenge crime by cOmmitting the same
The princes, viz: EVERY legal au-
| thOritv bears not the sword in vain
For he is Gods minister, an ''avenger
to execute wrath upon him that
doeth evil Rom. NH, T.
Some say, lynch justice is executed
during the excitement only and that
it is condemned by everyone in prin.
ciple. Anyone having cast but {,
short brief glance into the papers OF
the past five weeks must have
found such not to be the case, but in
the contrary, that lynching is gen.
eral and particularly that case in
Texas did meet with the hearty ap.
prevail of entire multitudes. Even
among the socalletl true Christians,
one may often hear the words, 81
should have done precisely the same
thing.' That there is sad spirit
and one leading into error no one
can deny.
! 'The end never justifies the
means" And what is the purpose
of lynching? The proximate one is
to satisfy the feeling of revenge and
to give vent to the heated and boil
ing passion. A very sad and un.
christian end, indeed. Another scope
is the intimidation of the criminal
and the prevention of further crime
This purpose, however, can by nc
means be reached through the prac
tice OF lvnching. Facts prove the
truth. The more lynch-murder, the
more other crimes.
because every lynch murder
incites to vengeance of such an
outrage upon justice and society
For every sin and crime drags Other
sins and crimes in it's wake Fol
this is the curse of the evil deed, that
in continuous generations it is
begetting otherevils ''-Schiller.
In view OF all of this we mnst come
to the conclusion tina t the foundatiol
OF this called lynch justice is grounded
in the defective moral training OF the
people. The people should be taught
the truth about lynching, that it is
murder pure and simple. But where
should the people receive instruction:
The average American cares little OF
nothing about the church. The
children should be brought up with
this idea in the schools, but oul
public schools aleforbidden to speak
to the children of God, heaven OF
hell. For their might be attending
children of Atheists denying the
existence of God, OF Freethinkers and
so-called, BROAD Christians" deny.
ing the christian doctrine of hell as
a place of eternal punishment, and
of other numerous christian den0mi-
nations
And yet the belief in God and the
Immortality OF the soul and in a
state of future rewards or punish
ment must be supposed in the mind
of him to whom you wish to impart
the conception OF murder. The
papers too, should exercise their
influence. For every American
takes a paper on which he will
take an oath at any time and in
which he believes, though he may
not recognize any other authority
besides. But ourpublic papers while
not teaching morals do rather adapt
themselves to the trend and caprices
of public sentiments. And le'ides
there is many newspaper man
afraid Of saying something
that might not be in full sympat thy
with the public feeling, for fear he
might some fine day be swung up
himself.
However. the cause in question be.
ing Il good one and a christian one
at least the christian papers should
frankly, firmly and precisely defend
the ten commandments, positively
the fifth
And suppose even it should hap
pen to some editor to get swung up,
what harm would it do him after all -?
In such case he would become a