The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1899-05-21

what say is this-that it IS never iustl
fable for a community 10 become a public
eXecutioner. When a court sentences a
criminal to death, and the sheriff hangs
him, the hanging is not murder It Is one
Of the stern necessities which cant be
avoided and is demanded for the security
of society, No. that Is not murder. But
when mob takes a prisoner out Of the
jurisdiction Of the court. and out OF the
custody of the sheriff and hangs shoots
CT burns, that Is an act of murder conf
mitted for the purpose of avenging
previous murder"
Hasn't a community right TO bring
a criminal to Justice" asked one.
Yes, through the constituted authori-
ties, but In no other way. was the an
swer. That Is what courts AMI Judges
and jurles are for. Why take their func-
tons out of their hands! rhey can not
he bought or hribed, are not moved ny
prejudice or passion. They sift out the
evidence and when the verdict is rendered
and the sentence executed there Is n1thing
to regret, Abolish the courts aud the jury
system and no man can reckon the coDse-
quenCes.
Il am by no means alone in the position
] have taken We all agree that violence
Is harmful hut about half OF you regarl
It as a necessity. Stils there Is eX-Gov-
ernor Atkinson. who bryyod the mob from
the steps of the Jail, a.pd to his love ior
the South he adds degree of scholarship
and knowledge of what makes n progrcs-
sive community which entitle his opinion
to the profoundest respect. And there Is
Judge Freeman whose Loyalty IS beyond
the shadow of a suspicion. aud whose jul
dicial opinion is worth its weight in gold
Their attitude toward such occurrences. if
.l.,G-
speeches, Is that In tho ionT ran more
good can be accomplished o. he solcmnity
of a regular trial, even in the most eX
treme cases, tnau by any mob violence
which wrests justice from the bands Of
the court, however praIseworthy the mo-
tive for such an invasion may be- II we
have courts let us stand by .hen.'
How about the shooting Of negroes in
Illinois, simply because they sought :or
labor in competition with white inon."
was asked
THAT is pulpablc HIT" I answered,
land freely admit that | am wounded
Hut When YOU made the shot, you gave
the impression that | am talking with
Southerners MS Southerners, AMI that isn't
fair. | AN talking as an american 10
Americans. We in the North don't regard
ourselves as examples of virtue. IL We
We're to do So we should be hypocriIes
Lynching In one section is just as bad as
II is I'm another, We are all living under
the roof of a glass house We have In New
York certain abuses of a heinous character
In our sweat shops both men and women
are slaves on the ragged edge u starva-
ton, | don't set myself N as a man who
has taken the mote out of his own eye.
aud is talking to man whose vision is
obstructed by kindlinG wood. We won't
have any pharisceism in this controversy
II you please"
~, a.
the awfuluess OF Sam Hoses crime, ie-
marked another. "and we pursued the
course which was most likely to acc nm
plish that end. Exceptional crime, eNoep-
tional punishment was our motto"
Good, " was the answer THE principle
will hold but you did II at too great a
cost to yourselves. IL the negroes are hui
man beings with the ordinary elements of
human nature In them, they will not be
so much impressed as eXasperated. You
know more about this than l do, ana l
must respect your Judgment. But ] have
studied this question with considerable
care. During the civil war / was IN Lou
lsiana serving for a time on General
Banks stun Fer months l had charge,
under the free labor law, OF all thu ne
groes, some $4,000, south Of New Orleans.
That gave me an opportunity, of Thich |
gladly availed myself, so | do not speak
as total stranger. nor as sen 'imenlllist
only. ! venture TO make the suggestion,
therefore, that the tendency OF violence
ON the part of the whites will be to create
spirit OF violence on the part OF TIE
blacks As said before, you arc better
acquainted with the blacks than | dn,
but can't help believing that the exhibit
tion OF violence by the majority is an in
centlve to violence or the part OF the mi
hority.
But suppose We put the negro question
aside for a moment. There is another
matter Of equal II not greater importance,
N this connection, and that Is the effect
Of the administration OF Justice by a mob
on the ilok Itself, Exhibitions eg the
lynch lew spirit produce reflex action on
the community. and IL is very iemoralIZ-
ing influence The white man cant ar
ford to hang people for he thereby disin-
tegrates and disorgani2es society. No man
Is made better by holding a hangmlns
rope or lighting the lire which burns the
worst and most vicious criminal. Social
progress dues not lie In that direction.
We OF the North and you OF the south can
safely delegate executions 10 those whose
grim duty II Is 20 fulhll that othse. A
score OF young men, however chivalrous
they may be, do moral injury TO them
selves by torturing even dog. They
can't go through slaughter mouse With
out staining their garments with clOod,
and blood does not fit man for the duties
Of citizenship, unlsss II be shed in a
righteous war. which Is a very different
matter"
''Lynchins is not pastime.' cried one.