The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1897-10-09

rnitfed upon their women, Of the calm
and Judicial processes Of the law. We
nay preach patience and condemn re-
taHation. but there is no man worthy
the name who does not appiaud sum
mary vengeance. Il is proper to preach
that when q man receives q wanton
insult be should turn 10 police officer
ard not respond with a blow; il is the
duty OF newspapers published il civ
fIized community 20 tell q wronged
husband that he must school his anger
and plead before the court for dam
ages; it IS the duty OF the governor OF
the state OF Kentucky to warn the
man whose wife WIS torn away from
him bv eleven brutal scoundrels that
they win be kept IN comfortable cell
for a few months, IL after an impartial
trial IL shall be found that by some
lucky chance the information made
against them IS in accordance with
the statutory description Of the o1ense
with which they are charged. and that
they should have been prosecuted By
information and not By indictment;
but in all these cases, il there Is no
higher law dominating on this earth,
then mans notion of adequate retriou-
ton is not in accordance with the
written code OF justice.
There are offenses for which no law
has ever been framed. There is case
pending in which il almost seems as
r the Law had undertaken to be so
vide in its efforts TO be comprehensive,
that It has left loopholes in the meshes
large enough for escape. There are az
fronts which would only bring upon
men the contempt of all their kind II
an attempt were made 10 have them
expiated through attorneys and courts.
There are offenses against the whole
OF society, like that reported from
Kentucky, which even due process OF
law falls short OF ayenging.
There is no virtue in indignant pro-
tests like that of Gov. Mount, OF IN
diana. on a recent occasion of SINH
lar character. so long as the officers Of
the law fail in their duty-not only TO
arrest criminals after the act, but to
protect peaeeable citizens from dan
ger Gov. Mount says these outrages
upon the law must cease" The out
RACES upon the law should cease when
the victim is a law-abiding person and
the outrager is a criminal of the worst
kind: but the indignation Of high Of
ficiais seems only TO come when the
victim is a scoundrel caught in the
yilest crime known 10 man, and the
perpetrators of the outrage are
wrathful but otherwise orderly citi-
gems stung into self-protection.
The only cases wherein the law
should be tardy and hesitating as to
punishment is where the testimony Is
entirely circumstantial; and there
must necessarily be a doubt as TO the
guilt of the accused. When a man is
caught redhanded in the act, the pun
ishment should be swift The daily
newspapers for the past few years have
given evidence that no ordinary means
suffices TO deal with crimes of char
acter to which the women of the South
seem to be peculiarly liable.
The death penalty in Kentucky is
provided in such cases. There is a
prejudice. which ii is well to eneour-
age. against roasting alive or boiling
in hot oil. but there is very little OBJ
lection to the lawful punishment being
applied just as soon as the punishment
itself can overtake him as to whose
guilt there is not a shadow of doubt A
little redhot indignation upon the part
Of the people occasionally and judi
ciously applied. is not without its ad-
yantases. There are lynchings which
We deplore IN ali good faith, but which
leave no sympathy FOR the victim and
very little condemnation for the lynch
ers.
It will be observed that there is
never a lynching without a very ex-
asperating spur being applied TO mans
wrath; there is never q lynching with
out 8 subject whose offense has sug-
gested that as the only adequate retri-
hutton.