The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-01-09

the rottenness of local sentiment and the
weakness of a local magistrate, he gave
them a scare which they will not soon for
get. He has taken hold of the Scottsburg
| lynching with the same promptness and Is
investigating it with the same determina-
ton and with promise of better results. If
he succeeds in bringing the guilty parties
TO justice in this case his administration
will be notable in the history of a State
which, out of hundreds of Iynchers, has
never punished one.
Recent discussion recognizes the fact that
one Of the prime causes of mob law, if not
the principal cause, is the failure of courts
and juries TO do their duty in the admins
tration of justice. If the local authorities
had arrested and the local courts had pun
ished the members of the Reno gang as
their crimes deserved there would have been
! no pretext for the hanging of ten of them
without trial. If the local authorities of
Ripley county had done their duty in such
way as to create confidence in judicial
methods, instead of distrust, the lynching of
five men at Versailles would not have hap
pened. If those who execute lynch law are
I
of law themselves they are quick to dis
Germ the existence of a feeling of dstrust
among the better classes towards the
courts, and OF WEAKNESS and disgust at the
nerveless enforcement of law. If the better
class of citizens do not take part in lynch
ings themselves they are apt to be conven-
iently absent or opportunity ignorant when
their testimony is needed. Thus the feeble
administration of justice weakens the public
sentiment that should back up the courts
and encourages lynchers to continue their
work. The Bloomfield News says: There
| have been a dozen cold-blooded murders
| committed in this county in the last twen-
ty-six years, where there could be no mis-
take of the guilty party; besides. there have
been about the same number of equally bad
murders where there was some doubt as
TO the premeditated malice, but no one has
been hanged and only TWO of the convicted
men are in the penitentiary at this time.
and they will soon be out" 1t was at
Bloomfield that a man, week or so ago,
murdered his paramour on the street in
broad daylight. Can it be wondered that
there were threats of lynching or can any
body doubt that judges and juries in Greene
county have contributed materially to the
cheapening of human life? Without admit
ting that the lax enforcement of law justi-
fies resort to mob violence it does undoubt-
edIy breed that sentiment
As a remedy for lynchings the Governor
recommends the enactment of law MAX
ing the county where they occur liable in
a civil suit for damages, to be brought by
the victims next of kin, and he also recon-
mends that any sheriff who permits a pris-
Oner to be taken from his custody by a
mob should be required by law to forfeit
his office il may be that such legislation
would tend to suppress lynching We do not
know if it has been effective in any other
State or even tried elsewhere, but it is worth
trying. If anything can be done to increase
the power of the Governor to interfere for
the enforcement of law when local authorities
fail in their duty this should be done. But
the only sure and lasting cure for the evil
lies in reformation of our judicial system
and a stricter enforcement of criminal law
Our criminal code, which is largely framed
in the interest of criminals, needs to be re-
constructed in the interest of society. When
that is done then with better judges and
better administration of law we shall
have a beginning of the end of Iynching
The reformation must begin in the courts