The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1894-09-27

! The Galveston News OF ldeU ouhdoJ
used to excellent purpose the squlb IL
TIE STATESMAN referring to the out
rage of sworn officers Of the law en-
eaging in lynching as in the KerryIlle,
TeLn., case. 1t pointed out very
clearly how many influences, acts Of
commission ard commission on the pact
of officers OF the courts and OF citizens
generally lead to execution oil
lynching, even though none OF these
officers or ciUizens may be Immediately
IMPLICATED in the overt act. While
/ lynch law is so common in enforcement
and as the evil is so radical and dan
gerous we reproduce the excellent de-
ductions of The News in full. After
quoting our squib editorial The News
said;
This is all forcible and true, but the
phrase ''engage in lynching" may be
applied to even more alarming eX-
| tent, The official who makes a mur-
der possible and easy by arresting and
holding IN manacles the victims to be
assassinated Is engaged in the lynching
Just as others who encourage, excuse
or acquit the murderers in it, The
grand jury that refuses to tind truo
bills against men who have taken the
life of helpless victim without trial
or chance, when the facts and lynch
ers are known of all men, are engaged
in the lynching. The sworn ministers
of law and justice who smile at such
assasslnations and who manufacture
campaign capital by continuing cases
from term to term and by lets
ting the prominent and popular
butchers down easily and safely in the
end are engaged in the lynching bust
ness and are using the blood o. muir
dered victims as their political capital.
Even the law-abiding citizen OF the
community who remains silent and in"
active and thus excuse the outlawry by
which his neighborhood is disgraced is
after his manner engaged in the crime
which he cowardly or seltishly declines
to condemn. The community that
willingly and persistently affords har-
Dor and immunity to criminals is en-
gagged in a crime and is really merely a
school of outlawry in which the young
idea will certainly be taught to shoot.
The unpublished and prac ticallylicensed
criminal is the most eloquent man in
any community, He speaks and shoots
for himself ana for the whole neigh
borhood. The politician who glozes
over the weaknesses and olfenses of his
hearers III order TO please them and &C.
cure votes and Office is engaged in the
lynchngs which he eXtenuates al d
justifes. So it is with IA newspaper
that treats lightly and excuses openly
desperate disregard of the law. EN-.
gagged in lynchingw 1t were well for
every good citizen who is moved with
noble and patriotic inspiration to
leave to coming generations a land
and home of safety and peace to cares
fully examine his own hands. 1t is
not necessary that he should have sup
piled the profanity, the whisky, the
powder or the rope. He may
not have been present at all He
may not have known OF the bloody
conspiracy until he beheld the liteless
body dangling over the road leading
to the school house, the church or the
court house If in some former and
! similar instance he has refused to find
a true bill, has joined in easy verdicts
of mot guilty" has voted for the cam
didate whom the vicious elements pre-
ferred, has excused and encouraged
the criminal and the lyncher, then he
is a party to subsequent crimes of the
same kind and the lifeless body of the
victim hangs before his own door. 1t
would be wise unto salvation for
every patriotic citizen to examine his
own hands and to strengthen his de
termination to punish criminals and
suppress crime before his friends, his
brothers or his sons bring the blood OF
some innocent victim home to him