The Kendrick gazette. [volume] (Kendrick, Idaho) 1892-1968, 1903-08-14
He WRITES A LETTER FOR PUB
LEGATION.

commends Gov. Durbin Of Indiana on
His Attitude Toward Recent Occur
rences In His State-Presiden Calls
Mob Violence Form Of Anarchy
and Anarchy Forerunner Of Tyranny.
Oyster Bay, Aug. 10.-In letter, the
publication Of which was authorized.
President Roosevelt coimmends Gov
ernor Durbin of Indiana for the atti-
tude he assumed recently respecting
The president also en-
braces the opportunity to express his
own views in reference to lynching
and mob violence generally, saying
mob violence is one form Of anarchy
and that anarchy is q forerunner Of
tyranny. The president vigorously
urges that penalty for crimes that in
duce resort to lynching shall be ap-
plieds swiftly and surely, but by due
process of the courts, SO that it may
be deemed strictly that the law is
adequate to deal with crime by freeing
it from every vistige of technically
and delay"
Part ct Letter to Durbin.
President Rosevelt's letter in full to
Governor Durbin follows:
"Oyster Bay, NJ, WY Dear Gov
ernor Durbin: Permit me to thank
you as an American citizen for the
way in which you have indicated the
majesty Of the law by your recent &C
ton in reference to lynching. feel,
my dear sir, that you have made all
men your debtors who believe, as all
far seeing men must, that the well be-
ing, indeed, the very existence, of the
republic depends upon that orderly
liberty under the law which is as in
compatible with mob violence as with
any other form Of despotism. OF
course, mob violence is simply one
form of anarchy and anarchy is now,
as it always will be, the hand-maiden
and forerunner of tyrrany.
II feel that you have not only re-
f1ected honor unto the state which, for
it's good fortune, has you as its chief
executive, but upon the whole nation.
It is incumbent upon every man
throughout this country not only to
hold up your hands in the course you
have been following, but to show his
realization that the matter is one OF
vital concern to us all.
"All men must feel the gravest
alarm over the growth of lynch
ing in this country and especially over
the peculiarly hideous forms SO often
taken by mob violence when colored
men are the victims, on which occas
ions the mob seems to lay most weight
not on the crime, but on the color OF
the criminal. In portion of these
cases the man lynched has been guilty
Of a crime, terrible, horrible beyond
description, crime so horrible that
as far as he himself is concerned he
has forfeited the right to any kind Of
sympathy whatsoever.
''The feeling of all good citizens tina
such hideous crime shall not be hid
eously punished by mob violence II
due not in the least to sympathy fol
the criminal, but to very lively sense
of the train of dreadful consequences
which follow the course taken by thu
mob in exacting inhuman vengeance
for an inhuman wrong. In such cases
moreover, it is well to remember tina
the criminal not merely sins agains
humanity in objectionable fashion, blu
sins particularly against his own rae
and does them a wrong far create
than any white man can possibly d.
them. Therefore, in such cases tn
colored people throughout the Ian
should in every possible way shoy
their belief that they, more than al
others in the community, are horrifie
at the commission Of such crime an
are peculiarly concerned in takin
every possible measure to prevent it
recurrence and to bring the crimina
to immediate justice, The slightes
lack of vigor either in denunciation G
the crime or in bringing the crimina
to justice is itself objectionable.
Moreover, every effort should
made of justice In the case of such a
awful crime. But it can not be neces
sary in order to accomplish this to d.
prive any citizen of the fundaments
rights to be heard in his own defens,
which are SO dear to us and which Ii
at the root OF our liberty. It certainl
ought to be possible, by the prope
administration of the laws To occur