The Republican. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1894-1???, 1898-06-17
PRAY BE HUMAN.

Wlefe the bible and the hymn
book are the constant companions
OF large majority of the citizens,
that crime becomes so prevalent
and of such an insolent nature
that the law abiding citizens are
driven to dare desperation, pa
thence ceases to be virtue and as
aresult the fend incarnate is melted
out summary punishment" Many
cases of this kind might be cited
as having taken place, even in the
North among a people noted for
their humaneness. Retaliation is
not only most wicked, but it is
also most savage practice. Mob
law put IN execution is but retail
iation in another form and none
the less cruel and as inhuman.
When mob lynches a criminal it
does SO because the brute force in
each and every one of them is far
in the ascendancy in their mental
and moral makeup. It seems al
most unbelievable, after reading of
all the horrors that the Cubans
have had to undergo at the hands
of the cruel Spaniards-how every
person throughout Christendom
has shuddered at Weyler's brutal
ity-how the hot blood of the citi-
zens of this country has boiled
over and found vent in condemna-
tory resolutions wherever and
whenever any number of them as
sembled together regardless of
their political faiths-how our
congressman from the North, East,
southland west have sent their voices
and utterances ringing round the
world for humanity's e,and how
all this urged our president and
congress to declare war against the
Spanish fends-that crime called
summary punishment" and JUS
tice has been inflicted on an I'M
fortunate human being that would
treble and quadruple any of the
} Spanish horrors of savage butch
cries, in a state in our own
land and country, and that, too,
while the volunteers are assem-
bling about Tampa, but a few
miles from the awful scene, pre-
paratory to sailing for Cuba to
free it from a tyrant's hands.
Just think, in the United States
but yesterday, comparatively
speaking, one thousand men
women and children, who boast Of
! living under the most refining in.
fuences of Christian civilization
, assembled to witness a human
being possibly Of an inferior
type, nevertheless distinctively
l human-burned at the stake
Burned at the stake! relic O.
barbarism and a REPETITION of tn,
days Of the Inquisition. Whil'
the angry flames devoured thu
man helplessly bound with iron
, bands, disciples Of Blackstone adj
monished the onlookers of the race
: of which the tortured man was
= member that if any more of then
. committed crimes a similar fate
awaited them. And thou too
l Brutus! It would be safe to Sal
that each one Of those lawyer
. that addressed the affrighted Ne
. gres looking Old, lecturing them t.
: desist from carnal practices OF
> white women, had color9d para
mours in that motley crowd or they
> rolled in thel ebony arms of sucl
J the self-same night
Gould person in a community
of law-abiding, Christian citizens
in this or any other country com
l nit crime diabolical enough t.
: induce the citizens to bring fortl
l their tender ofsprings to witness
; the burning of human being a
! the stake? We venture the asser
! ton that there is not single com
munity north Of the Mason anC
. Dixon line in this country and no
one throughout all Europe tina
would so punish a criminal, ever
, though he be guilty of blowing W
I a Maine or burning city and al
the inhabitants thereof. o, the
1 times and customs, pray, what are
; they coming to? Either that section
of the country that burns crimi-
I nails at the stake has the wrong
i conception Of Christianity or the
rest of the world that Furnishes
criminals by a due process Of law is
wrong. There is not an Indian
tribe in the United States, yea, in
North or South America that is 50
savage as to subject "pale face
to such a death, however helpless
! he might be, as was the man in
Texas only a few days since.
What silent spell has suddenly
come over that great champion of
oppressed humanity, Congressman
Joe Bailey. He made the welkin
ring pretendedly for Cuba's sake
but finds not a single word
Of condemnation for his constitu-
ents who burn a human being at
the stake in this enlightened age.
The act is unprecedented save only
in the South. It is not even prac-
ticed among the Turks on the
Christians. May the Lord have
mercy on the mems souls who do