The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-06-26


 your owr ~fend his person as, you would de.~s- your own-with the tame breath that great State should declare If you go. down to death In that un- dertaking in vindlcating my law, will see to 1t that your wife and your q ..iidreH de net suffer. wifi proyiie for them, say again, it is emineatly proper. 1t is wrong to mob a man, mob-la won't do. A man is arrested, the great law that lays its hands upon him says, you are in my custody, and a hair of your head shall not be hurt until you have fair trial, an impar- tial trial hy jury of the land. You put shackles upon his hands and upon his legs. and you place him Tn the custody of the law, and under the con- trol of your officer. then gentlemen, # 8 band of men what you call q mob forms to release him from that officer, to take him when he is helpless, try him without court and without jury, without law and without evidence and punish him without delay and without mercy. It is wrong, and every time 1t Is done 1t Is proclaimed to the world that there Is power in this land greater than the jaw itself. Now Mir. President. 1t haS been my fortune to know a great many sheriffs of the State of Alabama. I have known them long, 1 have known them vel, have known them from the blue noun tains of Clay and Cleburne to the waters Of the Tennessee, l declare to day that a hraver or a more seif-s1c- rificing, more earnest band of oftic ,rs exist not in this land than the sheriffs of the State cf Alabama. They gre nearly all men O; families, they are poor men with few exceptions. They are dependent for thelr own support and the support of their families upon their labor. upon the sweat of theIr brows. They do not belong to that class of our citizens who accumulate money and build up fortunes. open handed and generous they have large circle of friends and great inluence in their respective counties. Now gentle men, if these men ever at times sofln to falter in the presence ol an in- ruriated and determined mob, Il Is not from cowardice 1t is not from per soral fear of death. 1t is not from dread of physical suffering or pain. but that same noble, generous, warm heart that gives them the great infiu- erlce in their neighborhood and n tho.r counties asserts itself in the presence of that mob and instinotively the thought arises in their minds: "lf my life is lost here, who will p:ovide for my wife and my children?" That thought, gentlemen of the convention. unnerves the arm, undermlnes the firm resolve, and Is calculated to csuse him to adopt more readily the argu- ment my resistance will acc )mplish nothing anyway" But let the Sta:e Of Alabama come to him and s1y n us great Constitution, we command ! ou to defend that prisoner and vindics te the majesty of the law. and if yoH die we will provide for your family. Say that, and gentlemen the next man that Is taken from the custody of the 'aY and put to death by mob violence in all probability will be followed by two funerals, one will be that of the un- fortunate and may be miserable victim, the other will be that of brave sheriff who died in the discna :ge of his duty. I say 1t will stimulate the officers to the discharge of duty, and It will strike terror to the bosom and to the heart of the mob. Proclaim l.. let US pass 1t, and when you say to the world that you demand the life of your sheriff in the vindication of the law, side by side with 1t let there be the proud declaration that the great State of Alabama will stand by his wife and his orphaned children. when he is gone.
 MT. Hefiin (Chambers) I differ with the gentleman who have spoken on this question, who favor putting premium on the discharge of official duty. I have not known of any instance in the State of Alabama where any man has been coerced into race for sheriff. I have known of no force that the people have employed to bring out n candi- date for that particular office. The office is open to any aspiring citizen of the State. The man who aspires to that office knows it's solemn duties,- he takes that mantle upon his own shoulder when he does it, he does 1t as any other citizen assumes the duty of any other office. q am opposed to setting apart salary for the sheriff to discharge his duty and then to say If you do 1t we will give you this
 Mir. White-May ask the gentleman a question?
 The President-win the gentleman permit himself to be interrupted?
 Mir. Hefiln--Certainly.
 Mir. White-When a man is summon ed on a posse to go with sheriff as I understand, the benefits are ex- tended to him as we'll as to the sheriff. What Is your answer to that?
 MT. Hefiin-I think MT. President, in case like that that 1t is the duty of any citizen of Alabama to go out acd lose his life if need be to uphold the law and to save the life of q fellow citizen. Why. MT. President, we say to the sheriff you shall have so much in fes, so much money will come to you in the office of sheriff, now here is man that the mob seeks. he Is in your custody. you hold this office of your own accord, 1t was a matter of choice with you, you get pay for your services, we say to you back yourself against that jail door, and if YOU get shot down we are going to give your wife and children SO much all0wan e year. If you say that, why not say to the solicitor when he is prosecuting tie son of a prominent man and stands between the State of Alabama anl the Jury. and Is undertaking fearless!y to discharge his duty, and say to him frat if the brother or father of thiS man shoots you in the back while making your speech to the jury. We will set aside an allowance
 MT. WHllc--Aeu Ile ny" many St citors have been shot in the back under circumstances of that sort?
 MT. Hehin-I have not heard of any, will say to the gentleman from Jeff ferson.
 Mir. Burns-Will the gentleman allow me to ask him a question?
 MT. Hehin-I will ask the gentleman from Jefferson how many sheriffs he has known of being killed defending a prisoner from mobs?
 MT. White-We have never yet re- quirei them to do 1t until now. we