The Brunswick times. [volume] (Brunswick, Ga.) 188?-1900, 1897-10-28

pal2nS should De made direct TO tn 9 party
officials, and no man not q resident of a
county should be permitted to contribute
to the county election. To prevent undue
influences of money from this source,
such contributions should, in congress
sional campaigns, be given to the district
committee, and in state campaigns to the
state committee. to be by them expended
where they think best
To encourage worthy men who do not
| possess wealth, to secure fair submission
to voters of questions involving govern
| mental policy and personal merit, TO
avoid the debauching of politics by the
| power of money, to guard the purity of
the public service, that government may
merit the respect and confidence of the
| people, earnestly ask that prompt action
be taken to avoid the disastrous results
| which must follow the evils to which /
have called your attention.
THE INCREASE OF CRIME.
| The increase of our prison population is
a matter for serious consideration. In
1869 there were only 1903 convicts in our
penitentiary; in 1871, 1856; in 1874, 616; and
now they are 1857. This, of course, does
not include those in the county chain
gangs, numbering about 1850.
The number in the penitentiary would
be even larger but for legislation by your
which large number who were convicted
of felony has been sent to the county
chaingangs.
In 1871, Is per cent of the convicts were
| white, and in 1897 per cent are white.
During this period the blacks in the peni-
| tentiary have increased 900 per cent
While the increase in white convicts has
been small, our penitentiary has been rap
| idly replenished from the ranks of the
negro population. The number convicted
in recent years is much larger than just
after they were given their freedom. More
| {,N{< h. to-
| year 1896 than in the years 1869, 1870 and
| 1871 combined. The whole number of
convicts received from the establishment
| of the penitentiary, March 10, 1917, to
Oct. 49, 1865, period of 40 years and seven
months, was 2,O29; total number received
during the four years. 1894 5-6-7 was q 307.
This result has been reached in spite of
| the fact that In addition to what has been
! done by towns and cities supporting local
| school systems we have spent within that
time about S4,000,000 in an effort to edu-
cate the negroes, that they may become
better citizens
am not ready to admit that this has
| been a waste, or that the race has retro
| graded In spite of the effort of the state
and philanthropic individuals to afford
them educational advantages.
1t is PROFESSIONALLY true that large
number of the race have made great pro-
| gress intellectually and morally. While
| this condition exists among the better ele-
| ment, a considerable per cent of them have
| no regard for law or morals, and from
this element the penitentiary is being re-
| plenished with alarming rapidity. How
to correct this decentralization and elevate
| this people to better standard of citizen
ship is problem which must call into
requisition the nobility of character and
| the wisdom of the Anglo Saxon. | cannot
| discuss this question now, further than to
make one suggestion.
! To educate this element without, at the
| same time, giving them moral instruc-
ton is an injustice to them and to society.
| 1t is, therefore, the part of wisdom to look
| more to character In selecting the teach
ers who are to receive our money for SER
| vices in the schoolroom.
| The best of the race, intellectually and
morally, should be selected to teach in
public schools. The law should require
the school authorities to look closely into
| the conduct and character of each appli-
cant before license is granted to teach.
This provision should apply alike to white
and black. In every way possible we
| should endeavor to improve the morals OF
the people by imparting through the
schoolroom correct principles and pure
morality. The teacher should not only
train the mind, but build noble charac-
! ters.
This suggest as one o { the factors that
would aid in reducing our criminal popu-
| lation.
This, however, must necessarily be slow
in having its effect, while present condi-
tions call for quick and repressive meas
| ures
GOVERNMENT, CRIME AND LYNCHIN9.
The graver crimes are of alarming fire.
ouency and more seriously affect that por-
ton of our population who reside outside
the towns and cities In these sections,
| the crime of burglary, arson and rape have
become more frequent than in the years
| of disorder that followed the civil war.
| There are now in the penitentiary rs con-
victs for assault to rape, and 81 for rape.
| Of all crimes known to our law, these two
| are the most villanous. Their frequency
| has terrorized the people residing in rural
| districts, and so aroused their fear and
resentment that it has been impossible in
many of these cases to induce them to
await the action of the courts.
| Since Nov. l. 1894 there have been 12
negroes lynched who were charged with
| rape and assault with intent to rape, and
one white man who was charged with rape.
| In addition to these, there have been
| seven negro men, one negro woman and
one white man lynched who were charged
| with other offenses. Total for three years.
%, or little more than seven per year
These occurred In the following counties:
Appling, Clinch, Dooly, Habersham, Mon
roe, Montgomery. Spalding, Muscogee,
| Talbot, Colquitt, Twiggs, Jasper, Cal
houn and Bib.
1t is the duty of government to protect
its citizens, and to do all that can possibly
be done to prevent the commission Of, not
only, the offenses which have provoked
the people to resort to such reprehensible
remedy, but all otfenses, and to guarantee
to every citizen charged with crime trial
before an impartial tribunal, as guaran-
teed by the constitution.
In dealing with this question the people
of the southern states are, of all people, in
| the most trying position. Here a large
| per cent of our population has been clothed
with the rights and privileges of citizen.
ship before receiving the training neces-
Sary to prepare them for the duties and
responsibilities of so important position.
| If the same population had been placed
among the people of any other section of
the Union, they would have the same
problem to deal with which now confrontA
us, and would find just as much human
nature among their people as is exhibited
| by ours
| Notwithstanding the anomalous condi-
ton which exists here, our people deplore
mob violence but should be more deter.
mined in insisting upon leaving TO courts
and juries the punishment of violators of
| the law.
If defects exist in the law, the remedy is
not to ignore and violate the law, but to
amend it. The citizen cannot be justified
in trampling upon law and assuming the
| fnn1fiOna If i1drya f,,r