The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1903-01-13
Governors Message to
the General Assembly.
CONTINUED from 3rd page.)

ton that lynching for certain specified
crimes is justifable homicide and not
murder. No people organized into a
State has ever yet ventured to do this
and no people ever will. This fact alone
shows that in our moments OF calm judy
I ment we recognize the wrong of lynching.
There ought not to be and rarely is
any danger that the criminals commit
ting the crimes for which lynch1ng is
escorted to will escape just punishment
at the hands Of the law. The only re-
quirement is that there shall be a reason
able certainty of the guilt of the party,
and even a mob engaged in lynching al
ways assures itself Of this fact before
executing the prisoner in their hands.
Without this certainty execution either
by the mob or by the law is revolving TO
any right sense of justice. If the pun
ishment for the crimes not now punisha-
bic by death under the law is inadequate
it is within the competency OF the Leg
isIature to make those p~unishments any
thing short Of death, and | suggest that
the punishment for assault with intent
to commit rape, and for attempting to
poison be made life Imprisonment in the
p~enitentiary at the discretion of the
Judge. The punishment for murder and
rape is already death. If it appears ne
cessary to provide more expeditions
trials for those crimes and for fewer
challenges on the part of the prisoner to
the jury in order to secure a fair trial
to the State as we'll as as to the prison
er, this too is within your province.
Having made the law what it ought to be
in order to secure prompt, certain and
adequate punishment for these crimes, it
1nnp9rS To me- that Won can do no great
er service to the State than to pass such
legislation as will compel a cessation OF
lynching. 1t is of the utmost Importance
that there be an end of violence. 1t
has already affected our standing among
our sister States. Twice since l have
been Governor of the State have %reQuisi-
tions been delayed by the Governors of
other States because of the assertion that
the prisoners if returned to this State
would be lynched. One of these delays
was in a Southern State and one in a
Northern State. In both cases the pris-
oners were finally delivered to this State
and received a fair trial. It ought not
to be necessary for the Governor Of your
State to have to accompany his requisi-
ton with an assurance that the prisoner
will not be lynched. Our character as a
law-abiding people, determined to be sure
to punish the guilty When the guilt is
ascertained in due course Of law, ought
to be such as to furnish a guarantee ev-
erywhere of a fair trial for any prisoner,
for whom requisition is asked. Crime must
be punished and is punished in this State
with as much certainty as anywhere. The
crimes for which lynchings are commit
ted ought to be punished with unerring
certainty. l cannot too strongly urge
upon your Honorable Body, the duty of de-
vising some means for the efficient certain
and speedy trial of crimes, and at the
! same time to make such provision as will
protect every citizen, however humble.
however vicious, however guilty, against.
/, trial by the mob. .
PUBLIC ROADS.
Good public roads are both the evil
dence and means of prosperity. Tested
by this statement, one who has travelled
throughout the State would come to the
conclusion that we are not a prosperous
people. but it is gratifying to be able
to state truly that there has been a
steady growth of interest in this subject
which is now manifesting itself in many
of the counties of the State in we'll graded
and in some counties in macadamized
roads. In January of last year I issued a
proclamation calling a convention of
those interested in good public roads to
meet in Raleigh on February 18th and
18th, 1902. The meeting was held under
the management of Mr.. Martin Dodge,
Director, and in conjunction with the
Southern Railway. A large number of
representative citizens from almost every
part of the State assembled here and the
meeting was a decided success. l trans
nit herewith a copy Of the resolutions
! passed by that Convention. l note with
pleasure from the public press that many
County Associations for the Improvement
of public roads have been formed and
that your Honorable Body will be asked
to pass such legislation for many cOun-
ties as will enable them to improve their
roads. The need for better roads is too
manifest to require arguments in supper
of them. You can do no greater service
10 the people of the State than to en-
courage by every possible means this
goo work.
The last General Assembly passed an
Act authorizing the construction of a
turnpike from Wilkesboro in Wilkes
county, to Jefferson, in Ashe county,, and
directed the States Prison to furnish
%cOnVictS to the corporation formed for the
purpose Of constructing said road, the
State to take stock in the corporation to
the Nd1uC OIL the services OF the cOnVlCtS
furnished. Early last spring the corpora
ton organized and secured subscriptions
to the amount Of ten thousand dollars
for the purpose of building said road.
The corporation then called upon the
State to furnish the necessary convicts.
This has been done and the road is now
being constructed, some five or six miles
Of it having been completed. The road
when completed will be the best in the
State. The engineer estimates the total
cost of the road at forty thousand dol
lars. The convict labor Will probably
amount to ($25. 000) twenty-five thousand
dollars. When his road is completed I
have very little doubt that it will be a
paying investment, but apart from the
pecunlnary returns to the State in the
way OF tolls, the development of the
country into which it goes will add ma
terially TO the wealth of the State. At
present Ashe county is much more con-
nected in trade and otherwise with Vir-