The record-union., 1897-08-23
HOW TO STOP 1T.


The English agitation against lynch
ings in America appears to have died
out. But how to put an end to the form
CT mob law has not ceased to be dis
tressingly interesting question with the
credit to our hearts that there is no in
telligent American who would not ap-
plaud effective means to do away with
lynchings for it is conceded that mob
method is d shame to our civilization.
Augmenting the certainty and increas-
ing the celerity of the operation of our
criminal laws would go far toward les
sening the liberation of lynch law. That
these ends viii be achieved must be ad-
mitted, else the scheme of our civiliza-
ton is a failure.
We cannot continue a civilized people
and permit the substitution of ven
geance born of hot mob passion for the
orderly processes by which guilt is as
certained and deterrent punishment in
fiicted. Under this conviction society
continues to discuss remedies for what
all deplore, the continuation and growth
of lynchings. Latterly, this vicious ex-
pansion has been mainly manifest in
the victims: We say brutal because if
the concurrent accounts are true, these
victims of popular rage have been Of
tenders with force against the chastity
of women.
For the first time of which We have
any knowledge, there comes from a body
of negroes and from the south a sug-
gestion in the nature of a remedy for
negro lynchings. A negro religious
organization in Virginia, known as the
Bannister Baptist Association has spok-
namely that negroes cease from crime
If this is not original, it is at least
coura geous, and proves that not all ne
groes hold lynch law victims to be inno-
cent because black.
The association has said that if ne
groes do not want to be hanged or shot
TO death by white mobs they must
| cease committing the usual crime" ="
| The resolutions of the society recite
that it is a fact that brutes of the black
race are guilty of this usual crime, !"
| blacks of the south must bend their en-
! ergies in a common effort to stop these
outrages. This is manly expression; it
| is a deliverance that white and black
alike, having regard for human rights
win applaud TO the echo.
| The association declares this usual
crime" to be the most "dastardly, in
famous and cowardly known to society.
This infamy has increased to an alarm
| ing degree. 1t threatens"-the resolu-
tions run onto create and perpetuate
the greatest alienation of the whites
and blacks, and it is also destined, if
not stamped out by the good and law
abiding citizens of both races, to cause
the inoffensive and law-abiding citizens
of our own race to suffer in various
ways"
There is admirable prescienee in this :;
it is clearness OF foresight. alarm and
Indignation combined. The resolutions
run on I'VE stamp our most emphatic
condemnation upon any and all of this
wretched and infamous class, who have
been, or may be, found or known to
have committed such an outrage
against society, and pledge our willing
ness to cooperate with the whites to
bring to justice any and all who have,
or may be guilty of such a revolving
crime" This is fine; it is full of hope,
| but what follows is better still for the
adopted resolutions to the Richmond
papers said: ''This is but the begin
| ming of what promises TO be united
| action on the part of the self-respect-
| ing and law-abiding citizens of color
in this grand old commonwealth. to CO.
operate with the whites to stamp out
the infamous crime of assault upon de-
fenseless women
If now the negroes of the south who
are law-abiding join in voicing such de-
Iiverance and act upon it, black brutes
are given notice that they will find the
hands of their own race against them,
we may reasonably expect that such
deterrent influence will be exerted as
VIII render occasion rare for convenins
the court of Judge Lynch. To the
Bannister Baptist Association let the
credit be given of having proposed the
best of all remedies TO stop the lynch
ing OF negroes for criminal assaults
upon women. namely let the negroes
cease committing the crime
FARM INDEBTEDNESS IN THE
WEST
Probably no economic question has