Evening star., 1901-08-06
ALABA MAS RE MEDY
SHERIFES TO BE PUNISHED FOR
YIELDING TO LYNCHERS.
Ex-GOv. Jones' Eloquent Appeal for
Reform Before the COnstitu-
tionaI Convention.

rentfon, now In session in montgomery,
Ala. has recently so amended the state
constitution as to give the governor
power to remove q sheriff who falls
to do his duty in defending prisoner
against mob violence. While this amend
ment to the constitution was under debate
former Gov. Thomas g. Jones of Montgom-
cry delivered an address, extracts from
which are given, on the subject OF Lynch
Law in the South" It was mainly Ex-Gey.
Jones address which resulted in the adop-
tion Of this amendment. Among other
things, he said:
Let us be frank with ourselves. Every
time a citizen appeals for the law some
unmentionable crime. and therefore the
sacredness Of all law must be cast to the
wind. People in Alabama who have not
taken the trouble to keep pace with events
will be startled to be told that In the last
ten years over one hundred citizens Of Ala
bama have been taken by mobs from sher-
ifs and jails and murdered. Yet such Is
our bloody record. And yet over two-thirds
of those people were not guilty OF crime
which l Will not mention, because OF fair
listeners in the gallery.
DereIict Omcers.
why Is 1t Of all men on earth, who are
intrusted with the keeping of others. that
GERS different from all others, and that he
should take no risk? The minister Of the
Gospel who would fail to see the veriest
stranger, much less one of his own oongre-
cation, who Is stricken with a deadly dis
ease. because OF personal fear, would be
outlawed and scourged for all time. We
see locomotive engineers every day stand
Ing by the throttle and risking their lives
to save their passengers. We have seen
captains Of ships standing on the bridge
that the women and children might be
saved. and going down to death In the
waters. What policeman would be allowed
to wear his uniform five minutes II he re-
fused to make an arrest at the risk Of loss
OF life? What man would have respect for
the Alabama state troops, no matter what
prisoner from them? Such a standard
as Is claimed for sheriffs has no recogni-
ton in any laws of honor. 1t is false
standard Of duty, IL may be pardoned for
saying it, a cowardly standard Of duty.
Neglect of Duty.
objection Is made to the word neglect
Neglect about what? A mans life, the
dignity of the law, the honor Of the state.
When a man is guilty Of neglect at all. as
to such matter, he should be removed.
Mob violence Is thing which grows by
what it feeds on. Here and there, search
ing the public records, are cases which all
men admit are excusabe executions. out
side of the forms Of law. In some COM
munities this spirit has grown and grown.
until in some cases the smallest thief Is
shot down In the jail. Who does not re-
member some years ago In Pickens county,
when three of four prisoners, one of them
woman, were shot down in Jail through
the charge of larceny. From that day to
this no officer, or grand jury or power Of
any kind has ever been able to find out
who did it. or willing to declare the names
Of the criminals.
LET us not deceive ourselves Two
thirds Of the executions of prisoners by
mobs are due to one or two things-either
the cowardice of the sheriff; and I don't t
think there have been many cases of cow
ardice-or to a willingness for the mob to
succeed from the false conviction that a
sheriff in fighting them is fighting not for
the law, but for some worthless prisoner.
In county after county everybody but the
grand jury knows who did the deed Case
after case Of this sort happened and con-
tinues to happen, and nobody is ever
brought to the bar Of justice. There is no
prosecution. No strong voice even con-
demns 1t. We owe 1t to ourselves we owe
1t to our children, we owe 1t to our God to
put stop to this base Indifference to
murder and making excuses for men who
will not risk anything for the preservation
Of human life and the honor of the state
We have laws enough. Let US put a pro-
vision in the constitution that will execute
them. Nobody knows who is in the mob
when the authorities investigate 1t. Yet 1t
Is known to everybody else but the officers
of the law and the grand jury.
An UnsayOry Reputation.
1--WE are looked upon, and will not say
with how much Justice, in many sections
as utterly unmindful Of the one great duty
Of government-the sure and steadfast pro-
lection OF the weak and the helpless We
are thought to be disbelievers In the sane
tity Of human life-if that life happens to
be that OF a negro. We are looked upon as
tacitly consenting, II not openly approving,
the right Of any body of men to mete out
death, without trial or evidence IL the sus-
pect can be found. to kill him not for rape
alone. but for any offense against the laws
AS southern men let us ask ourselves how
far appearances Justify the belief. Have
we stopped mobs at rape? Is not the thirst
of mob violence for blood as great in many
lesser crimes? And are not our courts
open? Is justice administered by our judges
or our own juries? How many of these
continued outbreaks and assaults upon Of
f1cers and jails have been punished7 We
know and the world knows. Does 1t not
behoove US to pause and consider? To de-
wise some remedy? To strike some blow
for the sanctity of human life and the hon.
or Of our state?
A Baleful influence.
"These mob executions are brutalizing
our cnndren, bunting our religion and un-
dermining our civilization. Can any one In
the sound Of my voice rise up and say that
this Is not so? We are undermining all
noble ideals Of duty and manhood. When
we surrender to any local public opinion,
which dominates in some places, that
sheriff is not bound to take any risks even
to loss Of life or limb in defense Of pris-
oner, we abdfcate all our past and bow
down and worship false and base standards
of duty. Why should not the sheriff die at
his post as well as the locomotive engineer
or the priest, or the doctor, or the soldier?
eve are setting baleful example to our
young sons, who are coming up around us,
If we teach that when a prisoner Is given
to an officer that officer Is free to desert
his post of duty because there may be dan
ger in it. 1t Is not like Alabama or the
south to tolerate such a doctrine. Let US
declare our faith as to this in our funda-
mental law"
HUSBANDS RETURN FILED.