The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1900-04-18
CURRENT TOPICS.


The Supreme Court Of Ohio has declared
that the anti-lynching Law, of that State
is constitutional. This law provides
that the ;1eirs of any per-
O''o , nlu sen who is lyncheds may
1'"e".'s la" collect 5000 from the
commissioners of the county in which the
lynching occurs. It will be recalled that
several years ago Click Mitchell was,
hanged by a mob at Iirbana, which made
a great sensation at the time, and j. W.
Caldwell was afterwards shot and beaten
by strikers at Cleveland. A former law
lad been declared unconstitutional be-
cause IL fYed specific amount that could
be recovered as dana ses. Albion W.
Tourgee, who figured conspicuously in the
South during the reconstruction period,
then drew d bill which was afterwards
passed and which simply fixed a maximum
of damages that may be collected, $500
in cases of slight injury, $1,000 in cases of
serious injury, and $500 in cases where
the death of the victim results.
The decision in the Caldwell case is
considered most important Caldwell took
the place of one of the men who went on
a strike at the Brown Hosting Company's
plant in Cleveland. He was assaulted by
strikers, being hit on the head with a
glass insulator, and was shot in the leg.
He held that the commissioners did not
afford him the proper protection and sued.
Caldwell lost in both the lower courts.
The Supreme Court reverses both the low
cr courts.
There is similar law in South Carolina,
and while nobody can say what might
have been the case if this law. had not
been, the fact Is that lynchings have been
very few in South Carolina since the law
went into effect, and we were interested
TO note in the papers a day or two ago
that a negro who had been arrested for
criminal assault, at the earnest appeal OF
justice of the peace. had been carried
to the county Jail to be tried according to
law, although he might easily have been
lynclied by the assembled mon. Inc
Charleston News and Courier is of oPn-
ion that the anti-lynching law has had
wholesome effect.
The Baltimore Sun of this morning gives
an account of a meeting in that city night
before last of the woman's Suffrage Asso-
citation, the proceedings
W "ch.en of which closed with an
"n"' ~ address by the Rev. Geo.
w. Dame, a clergyman well-known in
Virginia.
81 think the true pleaders," Mr.. Dame
began, "for the cause of woman's suffrage
in this land and in other lands should be
the women themselves.
1T is an old question, as old as the
human race; but, after. all, women nave
always been and will continue to be the
real power behind the throne"
He said that if they could engage in the
mercantile life, occupy high positions in
the professions, own property after they
are married and will their own property,
as was the case to-day, there was no good
reason why they should be debarred from
entering politics.
THE arguments N1r. Dame continued,
''for keeping women out OF the ballot-box
are small" Among these he mentioned
the one of not being able to go TO war.
..Old men," he said do not go to War,
but they vote, and young men VINO vote
have failed by the thousands to pass the
enlistment examination because they We're
sickiy If women are denied the right OIL
suffrage on the ground of inability to hight
men should be too"
There is, in fact no sufficient argument
against woman suffrage when considered
from a political point of view, but the
great body of women in this country do
not want to vote and would not vote II
the privilege were given to them. Wnen-
ever they shall rise UP in their beauty
and strength and demand the right OF
suffrage they will get IT.