The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-10-28

offense with which he was charged. Anoth-
er fled from the mob to the executive Of
nee, and asked for protection. and a trial
by jury. They were given him. and II de-
veloped that he was not guilty of the
charge for which the mob endeavored TO
take his life.
To what extent this practice has been or
will be used for purposes other than the
alleged reason given to the public viii
never be known. In one instance, not long
ago, it was stated and accredited that a
man who had been charged with rape
came near being lynched. When the truth
became known it brought to light the fact
that the purpose in preferring the charge
was to have him lynched in order to sup
press his evidence against parties who had
been violating the prohibition law. In an
other instance man, charged with an as
sault upon a woman, escaped the mob,
which was in pursuit, and established the
fact that the charge was made against
him to defeat the collection Of a debt. Had
the parties been lynched it is not probable
that their guilt would have been question
ed.
These things serve to emphasize the inn
portance of adhering to law, and of your
so legislating as to suppress this evil, and
guarantee to every one charged with crime
a fair and impartial trial.
Responsibility for the crime of lynchng
rests not only upon actors. but upon the
community which shuts its eyes to the
crime and permits and tolerates 1t, and
upon Legislators who refuse to enact laws
to suppress it.
1t can and will be stopped when the bet
ter element who deprecate mob law, ag-
gressively condemn and determine 10 sup
press the practice.
1t is no excuse to say that the northern
people, who have less to provoke them 10
it, lynch. Let us not take them as a stand
r. a fNriAp NJ fiN
ilization in our state, and erect here
standard to which they may aspire.
LYNCH FOR WHAT CRIMES.
Lynch law has not been restricted to
cases where the charge was an outrage
upon a female. In Texas a man was lynch
ed simply to suppress his evidence; in
Kentucky because he was Objectionable 10
the neighborhood, and in Indiana five men
were lynched for burglary. In our state,
in the last three years, seven men have
been lynched for murder, and one man
and one woman because they were sus-
pected of arson.
WHEN CHARGE IS RAPE.
Even had it been confined to offenses
committed upon females it could not be
justified.
To adopt 1t, in these cases, is to put the
life of every man in the power of any
woman who might for any reason desire
his death. When such crimes are charged
the passion of the people is more deeply
stirred than by any other and the mob
is quick to act.
Yet viewed from the standpoint of rea-
son and not of passion, there is less ex-
cuse for lynching in such cases
than in any other. Delay can
not be given as a reason, nor a
fear that justice will be defeated Al
Monticello and Columbus the men were
taken out of the court room during the
fria al nd In ar
taken from the custody of officers of the
law, when they know that the court will
convene and give speedy trial. For this
offense, above all others, the courts are
quick to try, and if guilty, the juries GER
tain to convict
1t is not then that they fear delay Or
the acquitLal Of the guilty, but 1t is de-
fance of law 1t Is a desire to substitute
passion for evidence and vengeance for
justice.
There being no excuse to be found for
fear of either delay or failure of justice,
but one reason Is left, and that Is the
objection to the outraged victim having
to go into court and relate the horrible
story. That this is a terrible ordeal every
one must concede, but human life must
be valued even above this trial. She should
undergo this trial, not as a sacrifice to the
guilty, but to conform to the rules of law,
which centuries of experience have demon
protection of the innocent. The truth can
not be had save by having both sides
heard before an impartial tribunal.
To remove this objection, however, our
law provides that, on such occasions, the
judge may order the court room cleared
of all save the jurors and lawyers en-
gagged in the case on trial.
There is therefore no justification nor
excuse for a resort to lynching. even In
this class of cases, when the defendant
is charged with the most dastardly ana
horrible of crimes No man doubts In
these cases that the law win punish the
guilty, and if he did he could not find a
remedy by making murderer of himself
The remarkable fact exists that in ma
tority of instances the party lynched Is
taken from the custody of officers. / can
understand how near relative of the
victim of the lust of a human brute who
secs before him the man whom he believes
has committed the outrage, and in the
heat of passion, Stays him, can enlist the
interest and sympathy Of a community
but how any one can fail to condemn those
who are guilty of the cowardly act of
taking from the officers of the law a man
who is disarmed and helpless, and hang
ing him without trial, surpasses my COM
prehension.
EFFECT OF LYNCHING.
Both capital and worthy immigrants
frequent occurrences of lyching win adj
vertise ours as a lawless state and as a
half-civilized people,
1t sacrifices the innocent brings law
into disrepute, creates lawlessness, inn
pedes material growth, and in the eyes of
all the world lowers the standard of our
civilization and degrades the character of
our people.
This barbarous practice does not de-
crease, but increases crime. Having stain
ed their hands in blood, its perpetrators
are more easily led to again violate law.
Recently a man tried on the charge of
murder and convicted of shooting a citl-
zen through the window, as he sat by his
own hearthstone at night confessed also
that he it was who tied the rope around
the necks of the two men who were lynch
ed In Columbus In 1896 condemn 1t and
will not apologize for such lawlessness.
70 exterminate the practice il must be
made odious and dangerous. The penalty
should be the scorn of the people and the
punishment Of the law.
DUTY OF DEMOCRATS.
There Is no room for debate upon this
question. If there is, there is none for
democrats. With them the question is set
tied. There Is but one position the mem