The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1896-11-27
LYNCHING.
Its Cause, Remedy and Effect Upon
Society.

Its Cause, Remedy and Effect Upon
Society.
The Social Science Club held very
interesting meeting Tuesday, the
subject for discussion being Lynch
ing-its Causes and Remedies" The
paper was read by Mr.. B. G. Taylor,
who presented the question in clear
and concise manner. He said that
during the last five years there have
been 43,9O2 homicides and covering
the same period 1913 legal executions
and 111S lynchings. This large num-
Der of lynchings ia excess of the lega
executions was, he thought, a sad
commentary on our boasted civiliza-
tion. He reviewed the reasons given
for lynchings, holding that they in no
case justified the crime thus COM
mitted against society. The larger
share of the lynchings take place in
the south and the negro is the victim,
and such atrocities meet the apprOva
of the people there, as they claim that
the punishment prescribed by law is
not severe enough to prove effective
in having a restraining influence upon
the blacks. He thought. however
that the southerners are not wholly
blameless and that the remedies they
are attempting to apply will not re-
suit in the greatest good to them
selves
He further showed that the figures
showing the number of homicides and
the number of legal executions are
very misleading, as there are large
number of convictions secured where
hanging is not the punishment in
flicted. He called attention to
the fact that most of the lynchings
take place after the officers OF the law
have captured the accused and the
law is likely to be enforced. He be-
lieved that in the south, the white
people in countenancing negro lynch
ing are only storing up future trouble
for themselves, as the time is not far
distant when the negro will resent
such treatment by forcible and cor
respondingly unlawful means.
AS to the remedy, he believed that
much of it rested with the officers of
the law In behalf of this he cited
the case of Gov. Tillman of South
Carolina, who, when first inaugurated
declared against lynching and an
nounced that he would prosecute all
lynchers to the full extent of the law.
But one or two cases of lynching oc
Cured in the state during his term
At the beginning of his second term
of office he changed face and declared
he would, under certain circumstan-
ces head a mob to lynch negro, and
lynching again became common.
Under no condition whatever could
he find Justification for lynching in
a civilized community. Mob law is
an education in brutality. The drunk
enness. ieering, shouting and oaths
that ordinarily accompany lynching
are debasing in the extreme, can it be
doubted, that such a proceeding, where
the worst passions of mankind are un-
bridled and allowed full sway. has a
base and degenerating effect upon all?
and is It supposed that such lawless-
ness can be conducive of greater good
than the slow, silent and solemn move
ments of judicial prOcedure?" ''Mob
law is anarchy. If it is tolerated, So
ciety goes to pieces" Hence it can in
no way be justified.
DR.. E. D. Steel opened the discus
sion. He agreed with the paper that
on the whole lynchlng is not good
thing for society but thought there
were instances when it was good
thing and worked for the betterment
of society, and that such instances
could be found in the south. Thought
that many times lynchings were in
spired by the laws delay and the re-
sort of lawyers to technicalities.
In the general discussion which fol-
lowed several agreed with the senti-
ment expressed by DR.. Steel that
there were occasions when lynching
exerted a healthful influence upon
society, and the early days OF the
west and the work Of vigilance COM
mitteeS was cited. The tread Of sem
timent of the club, howev +, was
against lynching on any occasion and
that it could not under any condition
be justified. 1t was also neld that
the action of the western vigilance
committees and mob of lyncheIs
were considerably different and that
while the first was not always right,
as rule they attempted to enforce
law and order where none existed,
while the latter was in defiance of all
law.
The next meeting will be held on
Tuesday evening, Dec. Sth, when Mr.
Geo. T. Barr will read paper on
"Arbitration international and In