The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-11-13
The Pardon of the White Cans.

/ When Gov. Northen pardOned those
eight Carroll county white caps the MoRN-
ING News took occasion TO observe that
/ IL was an unfortunate thing for the state.
/ There is no question about the governors
/ action having been conscientious and
1 based upon n peritorious petition. At
/ the same time the public at large aud
| the people inclined to whitecapism, DO not
understand that. Whitecapism, an In
diana exotic transplanted in the south,
has become all too prevalent. 1t is a
menace 10 free government and deter
rent to material prosperity. IL is q form
Of lawlessness that should be ranked
with arson, burglary and manslaughter
Whitecapism is frequently a conspiracy
to burn, to deprive the victim of property
values. or to assault with weapons, for
the purpose of establishing mob rule. 1t
is more despicable and dangerous than
socialism. for it moves in the night time
with a masked face, whereas the socialist
propaganda operates chiefly on the
stump, in public prints and in legislative
halls
There was rejoicing in Georgia
whirecaps were convicted. The
conviction was equivalent to no.
tice served upon the lawless element
that their practices would not be toler-
ated in this state; that the courts were
competent to deal with mobs; that Geor-
gia iuries would convict and Georgia
judges would sentence such violators of
the law. At the same time it was no
tice to citizens that they would be pro
tected; to property owners that the
courts would uphold their rights, and to
foreign investors that they might, with
safety, put their money in Georgia enter
prises. The act of the court was, there
fore, greatly beneficial But the bene-
fetal effect of that act has probably
been destroyed. The Pittsburg Dispatch,
commenting on the pardon, says: The
deduction from the pardon of the white
capsl is evident that Georgia, like some
other states, is eminently locality for
people who prefer to have their persons
and property protected by the law to keep
away from" The Dispatch is a careful
and reliable paper, and has the confidence
of Pennsylvania investors. 1t is not
likely therefore, that Pennsylvania in
vestors, after reading such comment,
would be inclined to place their capital
here.
Not only has the pardoning of the white
caps worked an injury to the reputation
of the state, but to the reputation of Gov
Northen himself. The Dispatch, further
commenting on the incident, says of the
governor: ellis act makes it indisputa-
BILE that he is the sort of politician who
curries favor with the lawless class, and
buys votes with the price of an executive
act of immunity for cowardly and unjusti-
fable crime. The consequence is that
any person in Georgia, who is not in favor
with the whitecaps, may as well give up
any hope of protection from the law, and
either leave the state or rely on his own
fighting qualities for protection"
The people of Georgia know that this is
an Incorrect estimate of Gov Northen,
and an unfair statement of the situation
here. But how are we going to convince
outsiders that it is all wrong, when they
have before them the facts upon which
the conclusions were based, Georgia
needs more white workingmen and more
money, but we shall have hard work at
securing either, as long as there is reason
for outsiders To believe that we are TEN
porting with lawlessness.