The Grenada sentinel. [volume] (Grenada, Miss.) 1868-1955, 1900-01-27
An WISE BILL.
A Numbe of Excellent Reasons Why 1t
should Not Pass.

Elsewhere we publish-under the
| head Of "a GOOD BILL-TO KILL,"-a
bill TO suppress mob violence, introduce
ed in the legislature by Senator B. G.
Adams of this district, together with
a logical, fair and unequivocal criti-
cism Of it oy the Clarion-Ledger.
When The paper containing the con-
text OF the bill introduced by Mr..
Adams reached here Sunday, a nun"
Der of our citizens, not endorsing the
provisions OF the measure, expressed II
hope that it was not our B. C. Adams;
but on making enquiry, it was ascer-
tanned that II was none other han him.
While we have no desire to do Senator
Adams an Injustice, being a public
servant whose acts are public proper
ty, and the SENTINEL, exercising the
functions OF its province, deems 1t a
Guy TO its readers TO speak out in
plain laugu aga with reference TO The
official acts OF those entrusted with the
sacred duties Of a legislator. The
SENTINEL has ever oeeu very pro-
%nounced IN its opposition IL mob vlo-
~lence, aid We would Ia God that the
day misnt speedily come when such
things are unheard of; but as long as
tn ire are hrutes IL human guise 10 the
void theic L. no hope
We viii adm hat the policy OUT
lived by CIV Lnngiuo 10 his inaugural
adj ress.auG no" radically Incorporated
J in The bill. W,d- wel, IL theory, but
when placed upon our statutes as a law
nj ne S'a,e T. No4td, "a onr opinion, be
une OF the most drastic. md demorailz-
ing rules OF actiOI ever laid down for a
people since the tline Ol Nero, the ty-
rant Ii il Were not tor the authors
apparent earneslness and sincerity in
the premises, we would treat it As a
huge joke.
A prominent lawyer of this city, on
reading the Bill. remarked that should
the sheriff have in his custody y pris-
oner about whom there was the least
whisper Of mob violence, he would, un-
der such Il law, If he was prudent and
desired to continue ia his Office. sum-
mon twenty men and retain them as
guards for az indefinite period, with
thousands OF dollars of expense to the
tax payers OF the county. Not only
that, but it would be a great injustice
to a., - tha uphnln fa,,tpfy tn nuy tn the
heirs of some wretch lynched by a mob
composed OF a few persons In the i'm
mediate community where the deed
occurred. When All outrage, such as
is cited by the Clarion -Ledger, is COM
mitted, where is there a white man In
whose veins courses that blood that
won for the Southern people the admi-
ration Of the world and caused their
praises to be sung in the unwrittcn
music Of every breeze, who would care
to stay the hand OF those who seek to
slay the despoilcr OF that pure, sweet
girl" whose heart Of spotless purity is
a fit tabernacle for the indwelling Of
the Holy Spirit? Think you, that the
men who followed those old Confeder-
ate heroes as they blazed their way to
glory, would hold a sheriff responsible
for the lynching of such u iend? Nay
verify.
The bill makes no exceptions. Muir
, Ger, nanslaughter, arson and rape are
brought on a level. Whenever a brute
De be black or white, outrages n o
: our pure Southern ladies, the penalt.
is death at the hands Of a mob-it il
# the unwritten law, and all the statute
n ry laws that may be enacted from nov
until that great day when Gabrie
q sounds the trumpet that shall cal
q from the graves the dead of the age
cannot avert it. When that crime i
K committed the people will not stop t
# count the cost. What care they 70
# sheriffs and bounties TO the heirs {
the devil whose black heart conceive
the crime? No, Senator Adams, W
sincerely believe you have taken hol
Of the wrong horn of the dilema. Yo
may legislate crime out of e~xistenc
- but until you do, you will never legis
late mob law out Of existence.
-, AT a casual { reading, the bi
II seems catchy" but if our reade
~ will study its provisions they will rea
lily see that it would be a most distast
y full measu, e when reduced TO practic
We have discussed the bill with maj
- Of the best citizens OF Grenada al
W with q or Two exceptions, they co
VI demned it, and were surprised at Il
u Senator introducing such a measur
u The Grenada lawyers are practical
w. unanimously opposed to it, and
'u' venture to assert that three-fuurths
Go the lawyers of the State are OF Il