The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1897-07-21
FOR THE PROTECTION OF SOCIETY

FOR THE PROTECTION OF SOCIETY.
Law is made for the protection of So
| ciety'; preservation Of public " eii,re is tho
! nFsi law. Mob law does not protect So
| ciety. nor dos 81 conserve the public well
! fare. Were IL So the crime OF rapc IN the
/ southern states would diminish under the
/ frequency OF lynching. Bgt 1t does not
| There are. nj least, three reported rares
! IN the South 20 one s. the North. though
! The Scuth has but about a fourth OF thu
| population Of the whole country. Hence
! u betug clear that lynchiug IS "A blundcr
as vel as hartarisrl. n ~ strange thaf
] n continues 70 be freq1ent.-ChicaRo In
/ ter Ocean.
The Post IS not disposed to become an
sf'ologist for lynchlnE II is deplorable
state OF affairs when mob violence is
thought To be necessary for the protection
Of society. What all good citizens would
be glad 70 sec would be a general rerogni-
ton among all classes that not even the
semblsnce Of an excuse for resort TO lynch
law existed
| But has society with us reached the
point. anywhere in America. where We
can depend with perfect confidence upon
he courts 10 fit the punishment TO thu
crime! Have the statutory laws IN many
! States. IN fact. placed sufficient pun
{
/ deter the oyilly minded and protect society
( In Ohio. for example. the maximum pen
atty for rape appears to be twenty years
I imprisonment. Is that an adequate pun
aaineni for such a aendish outrage-espe-
tiasiy when the chances for pardon OF
early discharge for good behavior" are
..lken into account?
Tho criminal Law is. notoriorsiy. loosely
Administered in this country. Tho delays
deDcy OF a prosecution render the chances
q conviction, and particularly of the i'm
Dcsdtion Of heavy sentence. extremely
i ght and problemaiical. II the law and
tbs courts do not protect society. mus
not society protect itself? Have We sur
rendered our right OF selt-defense. either
fad.yi9ually, or collectively. by becom-
iug citizens or organized society? Shall
bru'ez and social outcasts prey upon lf'
ard female honor with comparative impunI-
I,y2
I, ls Il condition and not a theory thai
contronts ,is We would like 10 see jus
tic.. legally administered on all occasions
nd in swift and adequate manner. But
lia IL - administered anywhere in Thu
Icoun'y2 It is not necessary to stop t
argue az 20 where the responsibility rests
the fart rnuyt be dealt with.
u Is common remark that lynchlng'
DO rot stop the crimes against which the,
O. INVOKED Possibly not But who can
cav that where one dastardly outage i
row committed by black brutes in th
South. and there is our greatest t'onb!e
there would not be dozen II Il
were understood that death would not b
twl't aud terrible? II Is generally ac
cep,ca fart that tho certainty and severit'
Of punishment deter tho commission o
crimes. With tho peculiar conditions eS
listing IN the south me Southern pcopi
hayo to deal with an element that bother
no other American community, an Ignorant
animal and yet lnpsaslOnGblo clement an'
drastic measures become an absolute noces'
sity II Will not do to argue to South
ern people that lynching does not dete
the commission Of rape-thcy know better
whore tho crime is now too frequent
s would become common did not death In 40
D quickest aud worst form stare tho brute
o IA the face
Tho unwr1tton law. therefore. VIII con
,inue to be administered until the write
law and lbs enforcement fully meet tn
e1igoncies OF the situation. And hi
a seems TO be the determination elsewheF
e than 10 tho South.
VT