The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-12-05
: Message ON Lynehing.

The special message which the governor
sent TO the legislature yesterday. calling
on that body for legislation to put a stoI
10 lynching in this state. ought TO be acted
upon at once. There is yet time enough &c
! pass such,a law as the governor thinks is
/ absolutely necessary.
There is no doubt that the governor IS
/ very much in earnest in his efforts to put
a stop TO lynchings. He understands that
I they are doing the state a great deal Of
I harm. and that If strong measures to
/ check them are not adopted. the number
of them will steadily increase. For the
participants in recent lynchings he has Of
fered unusually large rewards, and all his
acts and utterances Indicate a determine
ton on his part to use all the means at
his command. and all that may be given
him by the legislature. to prevent the good
name of the state from being further in
jured by these horrible crimes OF mob vio-
lence.
We do not see how the legislature can
hesitate moment TO act upon this mes
sage of the governor. Even while II has
been in session there have been three
lynchings-one in Clinch county, one in
Montgomery and one in Dooly. That one
in Montgomery was. in some respects, the
most horrible outrage ever committed in
the state None Of the participants in any
Of the foregoing lynchings has been ar
rested. We are not sure that an effort has
been made to discover and arrest any Of
them beyond the offering of rewards for
their apprehension. 1t seems TO be taken
for granted that such crimes can be COM
mitted with impunity. The public senti-
| ment against them, in the communities in
which they are committed. is not sufficient
~ strong to induce the officers to make a
thorough inquiry for the lynchers. or TO
encourage the law abiding people to lend
the officers a helping hand. 1t is true that
| a mass meeting was held at Mount Vernon,
and resolutions adopted denouncing the
| lynchers of Prof Perdue. That was a step
in the right direction, because the meet
/ ing will strengthen public sentiment
| against mob violence but it would be a
| longer step in that direction If every man
who attended that mass meeting would
pledge himself to become a detective and
help the sheriff discover and arrest the
! lynchers.
The governors message will help to
create a stronger public sentiment against
! lynchings, and if the Legislature does what
the governor asks Of it we may reasonably
expect that an agitation against lynch
| ings will be begun by order-loving and law
abiding people that will result eventually
in entire dependence upon the courts.
The governor also in his message calls
attention to the deplorable state of affairs
that exists in Screven county. There two
men indicted for killing the sheriff OF the
county are at large. We don't know how
vigorous the efforts to arrest them have
been. but they have not been arrested, and
yet they are seen at their home and-in the
vicinity Of, their farm. We must expect
lawlessness If lawless acts go unpublished
The only safety of society is in compelling
compliance with the law. Let the legisla-
ture and the whole state join in holding
up the governors hands in his efforts to
bring law breakers to justice.