The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-03-25

THURSDAYS LYNCHING RECORD.
What a terrible lynehing record for one
day is that Of Thursday last Seven ne
groes are known to have been lynched in
Little River county, Arkansas, and three
in Xazoo county. Mississippi II is not
improbable that as many as twenty were
lynched in Arkansas. because our dis
patches stated that the intention Of the
mob was to lynch twenty-five.
Where IS this lynching business to stop?
Il has been only few days since five ne
efoes were shot to death at Palmetto, in
this state. and several others wounded
These iynchngs are crimes. There IS no
question about that And as far as the
world knows there is no justification for
them. Excuses are offered by lynchers
for their crimes, but 10 almost every in
stance they are not such as have weight
with fair minded men. It Is said in de-
Tense Of the Palmetto lynching that the
negroes, who were shot to death while in
the custody of the officers of the law. had
formed a plot 10 burn the town of Pal
on two occasions. There is. however, no
satisfactory proof that if there was a
plot the negroes who were lynched had
anything to do with the fires And even
If there was proof, citizens were not jusd-
fled in taking the law into their own
hands and dealing out summary punish
ment.
We do not know what steps the Governor
has taken, other than Offering a reward
for the arrest of the lynchers. 10 vindi-
cate the law, but il seems to us that he
should find a way to do something more
than that. He should use every means at
his command to bring about the punish.l
ment of the lynchers. He should send de-
tectives to The vicinity of the Iynchiug with
orders TO ferret out the guilty parties al
any cost, and he should urge the newspa-
pers and ministers to aid him in creating .
public sentiment in the state that would
not tolerate lynchlng.
If the state is to prosper crimes like
that at Palmetto must cease. The Gov
ernor can do the state no greater service
than to put an end to them To let the
Palmetto affair be forgotten without any
great effort to punish the guilty parties
Is simply to invite the commission of sim
liar crimes
oFhe excuse for the lynching in Little
River county. Arkansas, seems to have
oeen an after-thought. A negro shot a
white man, but for what reason is not
stated A mob decided to lynch a number
Of negroes that for one reason and an
other had become obnoxious. The world
was notified that the negroes had formed
plot to bring on war of races 1t is
doubtful if any reliable evidence is OBJ
tainable of any such purpose When the
negroes were attacked they did not resist,
showing beyond doubt that there was no
intention on their part to create trouble
between The races.
In the Yazoo county, Mississippi, case
the lynched negroes had been arrested for
creating a disturbance on a plantation.
and were shot TO death in the custody of
officers who had arrested them. The kill
ing did not even take place in the county
in which the negroes violated the law.
Inc negroes should be punished for the
crimes they commit just as white citizens
are-Ry authority Of law. This way of
dealing with negroes by mob law will be
productive of a spirit Of lawlessness from
which neither life nor property will be
safe. With respect for law swept away
the forces which produce prosperity viii
become dormant. Capital and population
will go elsewhere.
The good and law-abiding people might
as well look at the situation exactly as it
is. If they do not put stop to the law
less acts of the lawless element they will
have to suffer for it. They can stop lynch-
ings by creating a sentiment against them
so strong that there will be no difficulty
in bringing the lynchers to justice. When
lynchers can be caught and punished
lynching win cease.