The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1897-01-20
DEBASEMENT
AND DISGRACE.
Penalties of Lynching to the
People Who Commit It or
Tolerate It.
"A STRONG LETTER.
To the Editor Of The State

only retarding the material prosperity
of our State, but. what is of far
greater consequence, is ipjuring the
morals of our people / make no
comment on any particular case aud
except no particular crime, for the
root evil is the same in all (; and so
long as the officers of the law aud
public opinion tolerate any case OF
lynching. there will be frequent oc-
curreuces, some of them in the mode
Of capital punishment prevalent in
civilized communities. and others
with tortures that characterize saw
ages. ! write with 10 feeling of pity
for the accused If this death and
his suferings we're the only conse-
uuence, would be silent, but, alas J!
the evil to him ends in short time,
while the injury done by the perpe
traitors to themselves and to society
goes on indefinitely | will assume
that in every instance the victim has
been guilty of the crime with which
be was charged and that in no IN
stance has the treatment of death or
torture, from his standpoint, been
worse than the enormity of his crime
deserved. But / assert that in every
instance all who participated have
violated the laws of God and man,
and have done that which tends to
debase their own nature and TO dis
grace their own people, and their
Immunity from prosecution has les.
sened respect for law and thus weak.
ened the power of the State to sup
5press crime. Indeed, lynching logi
cally induces crime, for if it be con-
ce9ed that three, twenty or hun
dred men may lawfully determine
that a crime has been committed
worthy of death. that the captive is
the guilty one and must die, and the
death penalty is inflicted by them.
why may not one man lawfully so
determine and so execute ? The one
man has as much right as mob of
men, but ,.either has any right at all
This right belongs to the govern
ment The whole people have SO
delegated it. and it's exercise by
fraction of the whole is without au-
thority of law aud tends to anarchy.
No Legislature would enact law
declaring it lawful for number of
citizens, in case of the commission of
certain designated crimes, to capture
and summarily execute the person
whom they believe to be the perpe
TRAITOR We dare not put such an
enactment on our statute book. And
vet that would be far better than to
sanction BY acquiesence such execu
ton at the will of the people of the
neighborhood, without Legislative
permission With such popular
sanction or even toIeration. the ten
3ency will inevitably be to add to
rape, the crimes of murder, arson.
burglary and larceny. and, perhaps
general bad character, as ofenses to
be punished by the neighbors with
out trial-and sometimes, experience
iustifes me- in saying, to put to death
after cruel torture The death pen
atty is function of gov rnmen,, and
if the machinery of government is
defective, it can be remedied aud
made more effective. If courts are
dilstory, require of them more expe
di,ion if proper material is wanting
in the jury box, change the mode of
drawing jurors-the ante-bellum
mode will correct tha; evil If ap
peals enable too muoh g. 'Ny, the
legislature can easily apply tie cor
rective But under no circumstances
should any number Of people AXE
upon themselves the functions the
courts and the executive, without
promptly feeling the strong arm OF
the law. 1t should be distinctly un
derstood by all that the intentional
killing of a human being, however
wicked and guilty he may be, other
than by legal sanction, is crime by
the law Of God and man. and that
she State officers charged with the
suppression of lawlessness, will bring
10 trial every one who participates
therein
Is lynching TO go on without res
train. Many of our citizens de
plore it aud every instance of it and
the convention Of 1895 has, in
strongest terms, declared it to be un-
lawful and ye; the sentiment of the
people as whole is misjrdged be
cause of their seeming acquiescence
in this crime against civilization. 1t
should be prevented The governor
of the State, if SO minded, can Go
much to stop it, as governors have
done in other States. but for his ef
forts to De efectual, public opinion
,ore+ encto;p him and iDdOlnG from