Mississippi leader. (Jackson, Miss.) 1892-1895, 1893-08-22
TIMELY WORDS
Against Mob Law and Carry
ing Concealed Weapons.
d" Mississippi's Yesterday, Today
and Tomorrow"
An Eloquent Extract from Bish-
Op GallOway's Starkville
Speech.

The following is an extract from
the address delivered by Bishop
Chas b. Galloway, before the Ag
ricultural and Mechanical College
of Mississippi. His subject was,
mississippi = Her Yesterday,
Today, and Tomorrow" E"
"The homicidal spirit of our
section is humiliation and calam-
ity. We need not resent the state
ment or deny the fact, because
narrow partizans make political
capital out of it. Nor is it any
defence to reply that other sec
tions are equally guilty and as
shamefullv disgraced. 1t is a
mournful fact, and demands
speedy correction and counter
action. We need to eXccrate and
forever exile that silly sentiment
that wounded honor is to be aveng-
ed by the fatal trigger. To con-
done it is to cheaper human life
and put premium upon brute
courage. 1t is a sad commentary
on our civilization to see the aver
age young man, in defiance of law,
but sustained bv a debauched pub
lie sentiment, promenading the
streets us walking arsenal, and
going to and from his place of
business Il hip-pocket defender of
his imaginary reputation. 1t hum
bles our national pride to be told
that, with the exception of Italy
and Spain, the proportion of
murders to deaths in the United
States, is not exceeded on earth,
where statistics are taken. Out
of every 10000 deaths in Eng
land, seven are murders. Out of
every 10, 900 in the United States
twenty-one arc murders. Dur
ing the past four years there has
been an aggregate of "a 557 known
murders in this land of the free
and. home of the brave.
''But even more disgraccful to
our boasted Christian civilization
is the spirit of mob violence abroad
in the land. When courts are dis
regarded and lynch law reigns, the
people may well put on sack-cloth
and ashes. There is no guarantee
for life and property. The same
defiant murderous spirit that de-
mands the life of one man without
right of trial by jury, will wreak
like vengeance upon another ii
there be a supposed provocation.
One such outrage will make each
participants an outlaw, and ever
thereafter he will have Il contempt
for tedious processes of the courts.
Lynchers are always law -despis-
ers. There are no crimes or cir
cumstances that justify resort to
lynch law. Its effect in deter
ring criminal classes from like
deeds, is lost in its deadly infu-
ence upon the participants them
selves. Without going further
back than last year, | can give you
figures that will bring the blush
of shame to every one proud of
being an American citizen. In
1892, for the 6,791 murders COM
mitted 107 persons were tried by
law and executed, while 236 were
lynched by mobs, 231 of them be-
inc men and five women; 1919
more persons were lynched last
year by mobs than were executed
under the law And a full and
shameful share of these were i'll
our own great State of courts and
churches-of homes and schools.
In the name of God and humanity
let us sustain the forms and maj
esty of the law. Pulpit and press,
church and school, must thunder
an eternal protest until mobs are
unknown, constitutional law sa-
credly enthroned, and the infa
nous pistol forever prohibited. y