The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1897-10-31
A VALUABLE STATE PAPER.

A VALUABLE STATE PAPER.
The message Of Governor Atkinson. Of
Georgia. to which reference was made in
The Times a few days ago deserves
more than passing notice. 1t was one
Of the n.,st interesting and most forceful
messages that we have seen fer many a
day.
That feature OF the message which is
OF general interest relates TO crime and
lynching In The state Of Georgia The
Governor makes the startling statement
that the increase IN the prison popula-
ton OF Georgia has been from GIG in
1874 to 1851 in 1897. This does not In
olude the prisoners in the county chain
gangs. numbering about 1850. This In
crease is almost entirely from the ne
gro race. In 1871. Is per cent. OF the con-
victs were white. in 1897. per cent. are
white. During this period the number OF
blacks in the penitentiary Increased 6W
per cent. The number of negro convicts
in recent years. says the Governor. is
much larger than II was during the pc
Rod Immediately following their eman-
cipation. More negroes were received
into the penitentiary in the year 1896 than
The whole number Of convicts received
from the establishment Of the peniten-
tiary, March 10. 1877. to October &c, 1856,
period of forty-nine years and seven
ha tof.
ceived during the four years from 1894
to 1897 inclusive was 2,3o7.
This Is indeed a most remarkable ex-
hibit. This increase. as has been said.
is from the negro race, that too in spite
Of the fact that within the period men
toned the State Of Georgia has expend-
ed 100000 on negro education.
We pause here to remark that this ex-
hibit is not Necessarily discouraging
from an educational standpoint. 1t
may be, and we think it not at all i'm
probable, that the number Of negro con-
victs would have been much larger had
the education Of the negro been entirely
neglected.
1t must be always kept in view, how
ever, that education is a dual process and
must be Of the heart as well as OF the
head. Education of the mind does not
necessarily improve a mans moral con-
dition. Indeed, a born criminal Will SIM
ply have his capacity for crime enhanced
by educating his head TO the neglect OF
his heart. The negro needs moral edu-
cation. He needs TO be taught that re-
ligion means morality and that it Is not
as many of them believe, license TO en-
gage in immoral practices.
Governor Atkinson touches upon this
point and emphasizes the fact that the
greatest care should be exercised in the
selection Of teachers that those Of good
moral character and those only be select
ed to teach the negro.
The Governor next comes TO speak OF
the crime of rape and the frequency OF
mob violation which it provokes. He
says most truly that this crime has be-
come so frequent as TO terrorize those
who live In the rural districts and has
so aroused their fear and resentment that
il has been impossible in many Of these
cases to induce them TO await the action
Of the courts.
During the past three years there have
been twenty-five lynchings in Georgia,
twelve of which were for criminal as
sault and all Of the latter. save one
were negroes. The Governor dwells on
this point at length and his argument
against lynching is over-powering. There
is no excuse for lynching, he says, and
he lays down this broad principle, that
if there is evidence to convict. the courts
will punish, ant if there is not, punish
ment should not be inflicted. The mob.
he says. is not a safe tribunal justly 10
determine any case, and he adds:
Not long since in this State it is said
that a mob which had gathered. failed to
take action because of division in their
own ranks one portion wishing TO
hang a man who had not been tried and
the other, TO liberate one who had been
tried. heard in all the courts and senten-
ced to be hanged for murder.
The mob judges without a fun and COM
plete hearing from both sides. Its mem
bers are not the most capable of judges.
II decides in passion and, too often, in
whiskey. How can 1t fail to make mis-
takes and sacrifice the lives of the limo
cent?
The Governor believes that several in
nocent men have been lyrched during
his administration, how many he can
not tell. and he says that in one case a
man believed to be guilty was shot TO
death by a mob and a question as 10
his identity having been raised, he was
sailed down like a hog, shipped to the
location Of the crime and found to be the
wrong man-an innocent man.
Surely this is a terrible arraiglnent Of
lynch law. 1t shoulG cause every citi-
zen to pause and reflect when the Cover
nor OF a State makes such startling dis
closures.
Another feature of lynch law to which
Governor Atkinson calls attention, and
we do not remember before TO have seen
this suggestion, is that when an inno-
cent man is lynched for crime 1t serves
to protect the guilty, for the reason that
the members OF the mob, their friends
and sympathizers seek to impress upon
the community that the right man has
been punished and so the guilty goes I'M
sought ard unsupported.
We cannot fOrebear to recite two other