The leader. [volume] (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1895-1905, 1900-11-07

cess OF law, why not let hfty, or twenty,
or ten, men do it? Why not let each
man be a law unto himselfs You see
there is nowhere to draw the line. There
is another thing for you to be remind
ed Of in this connection. You start
this sort Of thing of violence against
the law. Everybody is outraged; you
go out and hang a man. The best
citizens join in the hanging. Perhaps
something happens that is not quite as
bad. the best citizens do not care to
join 10 the lynching this time, but the
example has been set; the worst ele-
ment in the community is in the sad
die, and the thing goes on. 1t degen-
crates into whitecapism. Let us fer
ret out this thing and punish the gull
ty. No matter who the lynched man
was, he was a human being. Let us
bring to justice evey man who violates
the law.
Another thing, gentlemen you
don't know where this thing is going
to stop. You start out to hang a man
and no man is capable, don't care
of what sort of citizens the mob is
composed judging whether the
man is guilty or not. IL you we're to
be tried for your life, you would not
want jury of those men. You may
be the next victim Of the mob. They
can't tell whether man is guilty or
not. 1t is not a good way, it is not
fair way. have had some experience,
gentlemen; l have been your judge for
five years. Mobs do not accomplish
the purpose for which they were insti-
tuted. At Texarkana a negro was
burned at the stake for nameless
crime. In a few days, within ten
miles from that place, the same crime
was committed by another party.
The hanging of man in the court
does more to keep down crime than
anything else. We need hanging in
Lincoln county, but want it to be
legal hanging. Let the grand juries
stand up and do their duty, and we
will do away with the mob. You neg
lect your duty and people say that
man cannot be hung in this county;
that if he has plenty of money he can
get away, and often men who do not do
their duty as jurors will be the very
ones to complain Of that sort of thing.
BLIND TIGERS MUST BE HUNTED DOWN.
want TO call your attention, gentle
men, further: hear that you have
blind tigers in this county and l am
told that you have some right here in
town. Like the poor, they are always
with US. 1t is the meanest sort of bus
mess for man to be engaged in. | do
not understand how gentleman can
befriend blind tiger at all. If man
had stolen goods and | had bought
them from him, would be particeps
criminis in the violation of the law by
buying from him. The idea of man
who sells blind tiger whiskey dealing
in honor except to barter it as chat
tel; yet the man who buys from him
feels in honor bound not to give him
away. Wheu he is brought up before
the grand jury he will swear to "a lie.
He has bought drink for % cents
and thrown in his soul to the seller
for lagniappe, as they call it down in
New Orleans. A man who would per-
lure himself to save a blind tiger is
not to be trusted. He would perjure
himself about other things.
You have decided here that you do
not want whisky sold. That is the
law. Stand up, gentlemen, for your
law; vindicate it. Don't say the judge
did not do it. | am going to do the
best | know how, and | want you to do
the same | am sure you will do your
duty. :.
LOOK OUT FOR THE PISTOL-TOTERS.
| want to talk to you about live is
sues, so | will speak of another one.
There may have been time when it
was necessary for man to carry pis-
toll in this country, but / hope the
time when the carrying of weapons
was necessary is past-in Lincoln
county, at least. | have heard of men
riding around upon the public roads
and making the public highway
thoroughfare for their violence, put
ting people in peril of their lives. l
would like to stop that sort of thing,
gentlemen. You don't want your wife
and children-for you can't be with
them all the time to protect them
exposed to this sort of thing. Relig-
ious meetings are broken up by men
who take drink of whisky and get
into difficulty. No brave man will
carry a pistol, and let US see to it that
no coward shall do it. You present
them and the court will do the rest.
PUBLIC ROADS.
Next | want to speak of the working
of the public roads. | believe most of
your public roads in this county are
worked by contract. | am of the opin-
ion that if a contractor fails in his du-
ty he is liable to indictment. This is
the law. He is liable if he takes the
public money and fails to keep the
roads in order. 1t is unnecessary for