New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1903-08-10
to deal with crime by freeing IL from every
vestige of technicaIity and delay.


a WRONG To THE COMMUNITY
But the fullest recognition of the horror OF tn
crime and the most complete lack Of sympathy
with. the criminal cannot in the least diminish
our horror the way in which it has become
customary to avenge these crimes. and at the
consequences that are already proceeding there
from 1t is, of course. inevitable that where
vengeance is taken by a mob il should fire.
quently light on innocent people: and the wrong
done in such a case to the individual Is one for
which there is no remedy. But even where ths
real criminal is reached. the wrong done by the
mob to the community itself is weHnieh as
great Especially is this true where the lynch
ing is accompanied with torture There are
certain hideous sights which. when once seen,
can never be wholly erased from the mental
retina The mere fact Of having seen them i'm
plies degradation. This Is a thousandfold
stronger when. instead OF merely seeing the
deed. the man has participated in It, Whoever
In any part of our country has ever taken part
in lawlessly putting to death a criminal by ths
dreadful torture of fire must forever after have
the awful spectacle OF his own handiuork
scared into his brain and soul He can never
again be the same man.
TENDS TO GROWTH OF LAwLEssNEss.
This matter Of lynching would be a terribls
thing even If it stopped with the Iynchins OF
men guilty OF the inhuman and hideous crime Of
rape; but. matter OF fact lawIessness or
this type never does stop and never can stop in
such fashion Every violent man in the COM
munity is encouraged by every case Of lvnchine
IN which the lynchers go unpublished to him
self take the law into his own hands whenever
it suits his own convenience. In the same vvav
the of torture by the mob in certain cases
is sure to spread until it is applied more or less
indiscriminately in other cases
The spirit of IavIessnesS grows with what
Ii feeds ON, and when mobs with impunttx
lynch criminals for crime they are GER
tain to begin to lynch or alleged Grim
fnaIs for other causes.
In the recent cases of lynching over three
fourths were not for rape at all, but for murder
attempted murder. and even less heinous Of
fences Moreover. the history OF these recent
cases shows the awful fact that when the minds
Of men are habituated to the use Of torture by
lawless bodies to avenge crimes of a peculiarly
revolving description other Iawless bodies will
use torture in order to punish crimes of an or
binary type.
Surely patriot fail to sec the fear-
full brutaIizatiOn and debnsement which tho
Indulgence OF such n spirit and such prac-
tices inevitably portend. surely all public
he daIIv
cIergymen. all teachers. all who I'm any wny
have "A right to address the public. shoaId
with every energy unite to denounce such
crimes and to support those engaged in put
ting them down. As a people we claim the
right to speak with peculiar emphasis for
freedom and for fair treatment of all men
without regard TO differences of race. fort
une. creed color. We forfeit the right
to speak when we commit eondone such
crimes as these OF which 4 speak
LEADS TO ANARCHY AND TYRANNY.
The nation. like the individual. cannot COM
NIT crime with impunity. II we ara guilty OF
Iawlessness and brutal violence. whether our
guilt consists in active participation therein Oh
in mere connivance and encouragement. wa
shall assuredly suffer later on because OF what
We have done
The cornerstone of this republic, 8 of all
free governments. Is respect for and obedf-
snce to the law. Where permit the law
to be defed evaded, whether by rich
man or poor man, by black man white,
we are by just much weakening the
bonds of our civilization and increasing the
chances OF it's overthrow, and of the sub
stitution therefor of a system I'm which
there shall be violent alterations of an
archy and tyranny.
Sincerely yours.
THEODORE ROOSEVELT.
Hon. Winfield T. Durbin, Governor Of Indiana,
Indianapolis. Ind
STORY OF THE RIOTS.
On Monday night. July 6. the mob spirit which
since Friday had been steadily increasing IN
intensity, reached concert pitch. The county
iaiI was storr1ed and the militia company called
to it's defence by a sheriff fred upon II
answered and seven Iawbreakers and would-be
unurdere-s were killed and four dangerously
wounded Governor Durbtn thereupon promptly
dispatched a battery company and several Cat
ling guns TO the jail. threatening TO come az
once himself and declare martial law II order
was not restored. This prompt action on the
part Of the Governor was instrumental In re-
storing law and order. the mob. after show OF
Intellectual resistance. ultimately dispensing 70
their homes without further violence being at
tempted.
The Presidents denunciation OF mob violence
and commendation of the Governors action look
ing to it's counteraction interpreted as Ie-
ferring not only 70 the incident In Indiana, bur
10 the general lynching epidemic which has re-
.-.,.. ,,-a,,aiIAd IN Delaware Alabama. Virginia