The Bolivar bulletin. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1946, 1900-01-12


THE State Bar Association
of Arkansas, in session at
Little Rock last week, adopt
ed the following resolution
in regard to the crime of
lynching:
Gone of the evils of the day,
which has grown of late years until
it has assumed alarming proportions,
is the crime of lynching. The re-
sort to mob violence has become so
common that it is beginning to be
regarded as an unavoidable evil. 1t
acts in contempt of all law and au-
thority and represents anarchy in
its last and worst phase. Expe-
rience in all parts of the country
points to the fact that it can not be
repressed by the imposition of pen
alties against the individual partici-
pants, and the only way to reach
and repress it would seem to be the
imposition by law of such RESPONSE
bilities upon the officers chargeable
with the enforcement of the law
and the protection of the lives and
liberty of the citizens as will make
it to their interest to discharge
their duties more faithfully than is
usually done on such occasions. So
far as we are aware there has been
no Legislation in that direction; at
least, if there has, it has not been
such as to attract attention or to af-
ford test of its efficacy. Recent
occurrences in this and other states
admonish us that some action should
be taken by the legislative branch
for the purpose of eradicating this
monstrous evil.
owe would recommend that stat
utes be enacted providing that in
every instance where a person in le-
gal custody is put to death by mob,
the sheriff, who is the principal
peace officer of the county, shall
forthwith forfeit his office and shall !
be ineligible to reappointment or
reelection for the same term.
SIN most cases the mobs who per-
petrate that kind of violence are
made up of the irresponsible classes,
and the mass of the responsible cit
liens who do not approve of their
conduct remain passive, because
they do not care to embroil them
selves with the mob, while the off,
cials whose duty it is to resist usual
ly find it easier and safer, as well /
with regard to their political inter
est as their personal welfare, to COM
ply with the demands of the mob
and in that way it is very seldom
that an earnest or even honest eff
fort is made by these officials to
protect the helpless classes who are
committed to their custody, charg-
ed with heinOus offenses, but who
are nevertheless, entitled to an i'm
partial Judicial trial"
The Association further
suggested, but did not rec
ommend, on account of a diff
ference of opinion among the
members:
"That in addition to the penalty
prescribed against the sheriff, the
of liability on the coun-
ty in which lynching is perpetrat-
ed, to pay $4,000 to the widow and
or, if there be none such,
to the next of kin, of every person
who is put to death by a mob, recov-
cradle by action on the part of the
beneticiaries in any court of COM
petent jurisdiction, and that upon
the recovery Of judgment by pre-
of certificate copy there
Of to their agent, that the same !
be paid in money, or, if there be {
not money in the treasury for the '
purpose of paying the same, that it '
be paid by the issuance of county {
scrip which shall be receivable for S
all licenses, taxes and dues of every t
character payable to the county" {