The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1903-06-02
WANTED: BETTER JURIES.

There IS no doubt that there IS profound
distrust of the administration Of law in
North Carolina, and that this distrust is
a growing one. Almost on every hand
you can hear men say, when any person
has committed a crime, ooh well, he vii.
not be convicted if he has got enough
money to employ able attorneys to appear
for him." The writer was on a train in
North Carolina three days ago and, speak
ing OF a certain case, one of the first
preachers of the State, a wise and con-
sentative man, said: well, these men
will not be punished. BY some hook or
crook they will escape punishment. /
have about lost my faith in North Caro-
lima justice. If things go on at the pres
ent rate it Is only e question of little time
when the people viii lose all their faith
in the administration of justice when it
comes to furnishing criminals.
Right or wrong, the sentiment ex-
pressed by that minister of the gospel
prevails very largely in North Carolina.
Tit is right and if justice is not admins
tered in this State without respect of
person, then the good men of the State
owe 1T TO themselves TO right the wrong
and to see to it that the laws are honest
ly and impartially enforced. If the
preacher was wrong, then the fact should
be made known to the end that good
men should not doubt the justice of our
courts.
We publish below an article from the
zen OF the venerable Gamalial of North
Carolina Journalism, Col. r. B. Creecy,
editor of the Elizabeth City Economist.
He feels about this matter of furnishing
men for crime very much like the preach
-er quoted above. He writes:
MURDER! MURDER!
Did 1t ever occur to North Carollnians
that the State is losing its old reputation
Tor conservatism, and to endeavor to find
a cause for its decadence. Our loved old
State is surging rapidly to the front am
IN lawlessness and crime. It's so. We
have never known in the history of the
State such a plethora of homicides and
other outrageous crimes in times of peace
and not perhaps in times of war when the
laws are silent. Its alarming. It's con
tagious. We are a law abiding man and
We hate to carry a concealed weapon.
but a pistol ia very convenient and safe
to carry with you in a State in which
every man carries his life in his hand.
And although l carry a crutch and it is
a good weapon in close quarters, a SIX
shooter is our favorite weapon at long
range. Why is it that we are so rapidly
growing into a hcmicidal State? The con
sideration of the subject has been forced
up us by the dangerous conditions, and
we have concluded that as a people from
Governor down we are too merciful. Mer-
cy is q divine and blessed quality. But
mercy IN excess is license in Disguise. w.
need more hangings. We need less maud.
lin sentiment about the death penalty
We should love a murdered man more
and a murderer less. ''Thou shalt no
kill" sayeth the scriptures. Thou shalt
do no MURDER sayeth the decalogue. Ant
another says, "Whosoever sheGdeth man.
blood by man shall his blood be shed.
The first murderer was cursed BY God
was made an outcast upon the earth, an
might have been hung had there been or
ganized society and laws and enough pee
pie on earth to go to see the hanging
But there was a divine decree that ha
followed a murderer through all time
that he should be accursed, an OUTLAW
q wretched, miserable man with God
curse stamped upon his troubled brow.
1t is perhaps true that we are too mel
ciful in dealing with criminals. This al
plies to jurors, judges, private citizen
legislators, executive, judicial and to a
other branches of government. It is n;
tural, after the first flush of indignatio
upon the committing of the crime, fc
the people to permit their sympathy fc
the family of the criminal to outweie
their sense of justice, and if the perso
indicted Is able to employ expert cou
sci he may safely rely in many ~instanc,
upon the mercIful side of the charact,
of North Carolina people. 1t is true. hoy
ever, that the law is administered muc
more impartially and Justly than Il
preacher above quol.-, and Col. Cree,
seem to think. In a great maiori
OF cases there is no ground for complain
but there have been So MANY glari1
miscarrlages of justice that the neon
are IN danger of losing faith in the a
ministration of law, and at behooves /,