People's party paper. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1891-1898, 1897-11-19
A DANGEROUS PLAN.
That OF Governor Atkinson Debating
Rape Legislation.

4Hdb Oh GOVeruOr ACk1nSOn D1cCaLAuS
Rape Legislation.
have lived more than three score
lie of the United States of America
while in it's infancy
For sixty years, have observed the
action of governments, state and fed
eral, and have SINE times seen the
people startled and alarmed at the as
sumptions of officials. l have seen
demagogueism In high aud low places,
and legislation polluted for party pur
poses.
And have seen the veto power of
executives. fagrantly abused. and the
assumption, severely rebuked. even, by
legislators of the presumptuous, exec
utives own party, when he had at
tempted to defeat the deliberate action
of the majority. 1 have known execu
tives to be very urgent in their lawful
recommendations of certain legislation
But never, till very recently, have ]
heard of a governor of great state
who was so ignorant of its organic
laws, which confer and limit executive
powers, and so wanting in propriety
and decency, as to assume, under the
power to recommend legislation, the
authority to dictate the pet schemes of
a crank, and demand their enactment,
under the compulsory threats of VITO
ing necessary legislation not conform
ing to executive dictstion and openly
appealing to he party prejudices OF
sworn legislators, to swerve their con
science AID judgment, from the per
Torrance of sworn duty, and drive
them to the enactment of infamous
laws, to prove that they are loyal to
their party, by con 'orming their legis-
lstive action, to their party platform
declarations, which were only made as
bid for the votes of the most degrad
ed. vicious, or minal, and 1awless o
cur population, and which more thar
superlatively fulfilled their mission
What of our future, our patriotism
aud craftsmanship, If to have laws
passed for the suppression of dastsrd
" crimes, and inexcusible lawlessness,'
as the governor charac' erizes certain
acts of our people, it Is necessary for
the gov rnor to command, importune
and threaten legislature of Demo
Gratis, with the dire consequences Of
exposing their party duplicity and
fraud, in making party platforms
Presumptuous assumptions, COUPLED
with stupidity, the great big Atlanta
Constitution calls strong and forcefu
presentation of facts, In that part of
the governors message which refers to
lynching.
Where is there a proud Georgian,
who does not feel humiliated, at such
recommendation of a law by man,
they are compelled to recognise as gov
ernor, that would ,mpel sheriff, or
anybody else, when he captures hell
ish negro rapist not to dissrm him, not
to shackle him, but to unshsckle. and
shoot down, and stab to the heart, tn.
father, the hus band, the b other, or
even the son of the victim, which he
had thousand times worse tlsn mur-
cered, and make the act justifi able
homicide. when any of them should
approach him for Identification or 9TH
erwise.
And again the governor, and the
frie' dis of the rapists, wonld have law
that would hang the father, husband,
brother, or son of the victim, an all of
their neighbors who might hello them
avepge their humiliation, which any
decent family would accept death il
preference to it.
But that is not enough to satisfy the
law aud order governor, he would hav'
the peaceable, ]awabiding citizens OF
the county taxed, to set up the fami
lies of martyreA saints, in high living
"a thousand dollars at least"
No urts have made fwer mistakes
han the lynchers for rspe-nine tent1s
of the christian people approve, wh'n
q case affects them. or theirs. Thew
regard it to be a law written in the
hearts of men by the finger of God
whe they were made the protectors of
women-a law whose penalty should
be the most speedy and terrible. A
law that would not dignity the self
outlawed demon with long and ex-
pensive trial, where female modesty
and outraged CHI .stity would be put to
the blush by the vulgar gaze, and the
FOUL Instructions of vulgar pettifoggers
to throw suspicion on the victims, to
screen the guilty gends.
T. w. f.