The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1902-08-28

RI W
Judging the enormity of crime by
the evil results that can be ascribed to
the commission of such crime, it seems
that treason, political bribery and the
perpetrating of a premeditated murder
by mob Outrank all other crimes.
The traitor by his treason may cause
the death of thousands of his country
men, or the loss of their political lib
erty; the political briber may frustrate
the will of the people and prevent the
adoption of measures tending to the
welfare of the people, or willfully and
knowingly impose laws whose tenden-
cies are productive. of injury to the
people. In both these cases it is the
crime of one, or few, that brings mis-
fortune and loss to the many, but in a
case of lynching\it is the crime of the
multitude that brings sudden and ire
medlable injury to one person and at
the same time lowers the standard of
morality of all the partakers in the
crime and all who shield them or SYM
pathize with them. Nor is this all; the
minds of the children of the lynchers,
OF of the defenders Of lynchers, will be
impressed with the idea that under
certain conditions crime committed
by mob is justifiable and even COM
mendable; and as the notions which
children derive from their parents are
the hardest to eradicate, it follows that
If the father is defender OF lynch law
the son will most likely be a defender
of lynch law also. Thus the evil per-
petuates itself.
No thoughtful person can look upon
the widespread moral obliqueness in
dicated by lynch law with indifference.
There is no excuse for lynch law. The
excuse so often offered, that the course
OF justice is slow and uncertain, is
wholly at variance with the facts. In
the south, for instance, it would be
difficult to select jury that would
fail to adequately punish the Iustful
| or murderous brute who now falls a
victim to the lynch law. And through
out the whole United States it is only
the very rich who have the power or
privilege to delay the course of justice.
Yet how seldom do we hear of rich
man being lynched! Furthermore, lynch
law is inexcusable on the ground that 1T
exerts no restraining influence upon the
criminally inclined. For decades men
| accused of certain crimes have been
burned at the stake, hung, shot, buried
alive, or torn to pieces by infuriated
mObs; yet the commission of such
crimes has not decreased, and to the
student of sociology it is as clear as
anything can be on this terrestrial ball
that the commission of such crimes
will not decrease as long as the present
means are made use of to extirpate
crime.
Violence begets violence.
Disrespect for law and order propa-
gates itself.
IT man were to try to subdue a con-
fagration by adding inflammable mat
| ter, such as petroleum or bitumen, to the
flames he would be considered no better
than a fool; yet lynchers are eyer try
ing to subdue crime by committing
the greatest of all crimes; for the evil
results that follow lynch law far out
weigh the evil results of the most hei-
nous crime ever committed by beast
in human form, who becomes victim
of Judge Lynch.
The dogma which serves as founda-
tion upon which Judge Lynch built
his judicial structure is repugnant to
every justice loving man or woman of
this or any civilized country. The
dogma amounts to about this: Under
certain conditions any number of
men-say a number large enough to
overpower the sheriff and his deputies
have q right to take fellow man
and do unto him as they please. Now,
let it be conceded that the majority Of
the victims Of lynch law are accused Of
having committed atrocious crimes,