The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-11-01
GOVERNOR ON LYNCHING
GEORGIA'S EXECUTIVE DISCUSSES
THE QUESTION AT LENGTH.
Legislature Advised that Many limo
cent Men Have Suffered, and a
Remedy Must BE Found.
Atlanta Constitution.

| Atlanta Constitution.
Governor Atkinson discusses the lynching
evil at length. That portion of his message
dealing with the subject is a strong and
forceful presentation of the facts bearing
upon lyncfhngs their cause and their effect,
and contains some highly important recon-
mendations. OF such timely interest is the
discussion and of such value the recon-
mendations that the Constitution presents
that portion of the message in full. 1t is
as follows:
1.-THE graver crimes are Of alarming fire.
quency and more seriously affect that por-
ton of the population who reside outside the
towns and cities In these sections the
| crimes of burglary, arson and rape have
become more frequent than in the years
| of disorder which followed the civil war.
| The frequency of the offense of rape has
become alarming in the extreme, and seri-
/ ousy interferes with the security and COM
fort Of living in the country There are
now in the penitentary seventy-eight con-
| victs for assault to rape and eighty-one for
| rape. OF all crimes known to our law these
| two are the most villainous. Their frequen-
| cy has terrorized the people residing in ru-
raj 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, 1884, there have been twelve
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 ofrenSeS. Total for three years, TWEEN
| ty-two, a little more than seven per
| year. These occurred in the following
counties: Appling, Clinch Do0 9y,a H9 9Ptg
| cogee, Talbot, Colquitt, Twiggs Jasper, Cal
houn and Bib.
TT 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 reprenenSlole
| remedy, but all offenses, and to guarantee
| to every citizen charged with crime trial
! before an impartial tril mai, as guaranteed
| by the Constitution. L. dealing with this
| question the people Of the Southern states
| are, of all people, in the most trying posi-
| lation has been clothed with the rights and
| privileges of citizenship before receiving the
training necessary to prepare them for the
| duties and responsibilities or SO important
| position.
HUMAN NATURE SAME EVERY
| WHERE.
| IF the same population had been placed
among the people of any other section of
| the Union they would have the same prob
lem to deal with which now confronts us,
| and would find just as much human nature
| among their people as is exhibited by ours.
| Notwithstanding the anomalous condition
| which exists here, our people deplore mob
( violence, but should be more determined in
| insisting upon leaving to courts and juries
| the punishment Of violators Of the law. II
| defects exist in the law the remedy is not
1 md xyfnl "a q
| it. The citizen cannot be JUSTIFIED III tramp
| ling upon law and assuming the functions
| of Judge, Jury and eXecutiOner. II is the
| duty of the citizen to leave to the govern
| ment under which he lives the righting OF
wrongs and the punishment of crime. The
| man VINO ignores this obligation ana as
| sumes, with his own hand, to punish crime
| becomes criminal
! ',rhe evil to which / allude is not restrict
| ed to this State or section but is national.
! The frequency of such occurrences within
| the last few years is calculated to alarm
| every citizen who realizes the dreadful re-
| suits to which it leads or the enormity or
! the crime against human rights, govern
ment and civilization To denomlnate th 1ese
| offenses of lynchings do not make them less
..It is an attack upon government itself-a
| conflict between the forces OF anarchy ana
| law 1t is fundamentally wrong, because II
| defies government, ignores law ana pun
ishes without law or evidence, Onue[ our al
| the will of the majority. IL there are IN
| wise laws, the people can repeal; IL neeo TOT
|
| effort to set at naught our laws ana PunSn
crime without and in defiance OF ne law IS
itself criminal IL Is Is w9Tse oman AGAINST the
| majority and against government. IN tne
| discussion OF lynching. let 1T be clearly IN
derstood that 1t is not question as TO
| whether or not those guilty shall pc pun
| ished but whether or not the act OF PUNISH
ing shall multiply criminals Ms ,rs +baro is
I'm a free government Ike ours tneFe -
/ no excuse for lynching. II there IS eVie
| dence to convict the court VIII pumSn; II
| there is not, punishment should not ne IN
| ficted The courts of our state can be
trusted to punish the guilty and protect our
property. our peEsonS' anu on Tue daen1y CON
| cerned for remedy for this evil that we
| NAV save from guilt the men VINO engage
| in it, end protect the innocent WIN "10 wv
| often sacrificed. ..,..
'sThe mob is not a safe tribunal to justly
determine any cause e. MOI , lJ,iS which had
| gathered failed TO take action because OF
! division in their own ranks one
| norton wishing to hang a man VINO had
| not been tried and the other to liberate one
! who had been tried, heard in all the courts
| and sentenced to be hanged Tor lnuroer-
| The mob judges without a full and com
| nlete hearing from both sides It's members
are not the most capable or JudSlng. II
| decides in passion, and too often In WHISKY.
| fee the lives of the innocent!
INNOCENT MEN LYNCHED.
"T feel the more deeply upon this ques-
| ton bacause from the best information /
can secure. I believe that during my adj
| ministration there have been in this State
| several men lynched who were not guilty
| of the crimes with which they were
| charged. How many can never be known,
| for their tongues are Eushed and they are
denied an opportunity to prove their in
rocence. 1 am informed that one man
whom the mob believed to be guilty was
| shot down. A question then arose as to his
|
| hog, shipped to the location of the crime
| and found to be the wrong man-an limo
cent man.
| when an innocent man is lynched for
| crime it serves to protect the guilty. The
members CT the mob their friends and
| sympathizers seek to impress it upon the
| community that the right one has been pun
| ished, and the guilty goes unsought and UNI
| suspected Even during this year evidence
| States victims of the mob have been inno-
| cent men. During my term of office one
| man who was rescued from the mob
| accorded a trial, which resulted in show
| ing that he was not guilty of the offense
| with which he was charged. Another fled
| from the mob to the executive Office and
| asked for protection and a trial by jury
| They were given him and it developed that
| he was not guilty of the charge for which
| the mob endeavored to take his life.
| To what extent this practice has been
| or Will be used for purposes other than the
| alleged reasons given to the public will
| never be known. In one instance, not long
| ago, 1t was stated and accredited that
| man who had been charged with rape came
| near being lynched. When the truth be-
| came known il brought to light the fact
| - in eapl- isoer he pho