Evening journal., 1903-08-10
Mr.. ROOSEVELT
ON LYNCH|NGS
President Praises Governor
Durbin, of Indiana, for
His Attitude
MOB F0RtRUNRER OF ANARCHY

Uob ohhheNuLh ~ " hhhhSh
oyster Bay, n. y. Aug. lO--In Il
letter President Roosevelt commcaCs
Governor Durbin. Of Indiana, for the
attitude he assumed recently respecting
lynching The president al-o embraces
the opportunity to express his own
views in reference TO lynching and
mob violence generally, pointing oIt
that mob violence u merely ono form
of anarchy and that anarchy is, the
forerunner CT tyranny. The president
vigorously urges that the penalty for
that crime which most frequently in
duces a resort to lynching shall be
applied swiftly and surely. but by due
process of the courts. so that it may
be demonstrated that the law is ade-
Quate to deal with crime by freeing it
from every vestige of technicality and
delay"
President Roosevelts letter in part to
Governor Durbin follows
my dear Govornor.-Permit me to
thank you as an American citizen for
the admirable way in which you have
yindicated the majesty of the law by
your recent action 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-being, indeed the very ex-
istence, of the republic depends upon
that spirit of orderly liberty under the
law which is as incompatible with mob
violence as with any form of despot-
ism OF course mob violence IS simply
one form Of anarchy, and anarchy is
now, as Il always has been. the hand
maiden and forerunner Of tyranny.
"All thoughtful men must feel the
gravest alarm over the growth of
| lynching in this country, and especi-
ally over the peculiarly hideous forms
so often taken by mob violence when
colored men are the victims, on which
occasions the mob seems to lay most
weight. not on the crime, but on the
color Of the criminal In q certain pro-
portion OF these cases the man lynched
has been guilty of a crime horrible
beyond doscription-a crime so horri-
BILE that as far as he himself is con-
cerned he has forfeited the right to any
kind of sympathy whatsoever. The
Il feeling Of all good citizens that such a
lhideous crime shall not be hideously
punished by mob violence IS due not
in the least to sympathy for the crimi-
J nal. but to a very lively sense of the
train Of dreadful consequences which
/. follow the course taken by the mob in
: exacting inhuman vengeance for an IN
human wrong In such cases, more
over. it is well to remember that the
criminal not merely sins against hu.
manity in ineXpiable and unpardona-
BILE fashion, but sins particularly
against his own race and does them a
wrong far greater than any white man
can possibly do them. Therefore in
such cases the colored people through
out the land should in every possible
way show their belief that they more
than all others in the community, are
Mortified at the commission of such a
crime and are peculiarly concerned in
taking every possible measure TO pre-
vent its recurrence and to bring the
criminal to immediate justice. The
slightest lack of vigor either in de-
, nunciation of the crime or in bringing
the criminal TO justice is itself unpar-
donable.
"Men who have been guilty OF a
crime like rape or murder. should be
visited with swift and certain punish
ment. and the just effort made by the
, courts to protect them in their rights
should under no circumstances be per
, verted into permitting any mere tech
I nicality TO avert or delay their pun
! ishment. The substantial rights OF
the prisoner to q fair trial must OF
course be guaranteed. as you have sc
/ iustlv insisted that they should be-
: but. subject to this guarantee, the law
= must work swiftly and surely and al
/ tho agents of the law should realize
the wrong they do when they permit
] Justice to be delayed or thwarted iol
Z technical or insufficient reasons. W'
must show that the law is adequate
E to deal with crime by freeing it from
+. every vestige Of technicality and de
j. lay.
e But the fullest recognition Of Tho
] horror CT the crime and the most com
y plete lack of sympathy with the Grim
j. inal cannot in the least diminish ou
e horror at the way in which it has be
J. hcome customary TO avenge thes'
d crimes ana at the consequences tina
/. are already proceeding therefrom. l
is OF course inevitable that where ven
geance is taken by mob it shoul'
frequently light on innocent people
n and the wrong done IN such case 4
o the individual is ore Tor which Their
n is no remedy But even where the rea
d criminal Is reached, the wrong don
e By the mob to the community itself i
3 well nigh as great. Especially Is thi
II true where the lynching is accomps
n MED with torture. There are certai
h hidoous sights which when once see
IT can never he wholly erased from IN
e mental retina. The mere fact of ha'
.t ing seen them implies degradation
/. Il is a thousandfold stronger whe
instead Of merely seeing the deed tn
man has participated in it, Whoevs
.. in any part of our country has eve
r. taken part in lawlessly putting {
4 i f..I a.