Columbia courier. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1902-1905, 1903-08-14
Part of Letter to Durbin.

President Rosevelt's letter in full to
Governor Durbin follows:
"Oyster Bay, N. WY Dear Gov
ernor Durbin: Permit me to thank
you as an American citizen for the
way in which you have vindicated the
majesty of the law by your recent ac-
ton in reference to lynching. l 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.
81 feel that you have not only re-
flected honor unto the state which, for
its good fortune has you as its chief
executive, but upon the whole nation.
1t 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 crime terrible, horrible beyond
description, a 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 that
such hideous crime shall not be hid
eously punished by mob violence is
due not in the least to sympathy for
the criminal, but to very lively sense
of the train of dreadful consequences
which follow the course taken by the
mob in exacting inhuman" vengeance
for an inhuman wrong. In such cases
moreover, 1t is well to remember that
the criminal not merely sins against
humanity in objectionable fashion, but
sins particularly against his own race
and does them wrong far greater
than any white man can possibly dc
them. Therefore, in such cases the
colored people throughout the lane
should in every possible way show
their belief that they, more than al
others in the community, are Mortified
at the commission of such a crime ant
are peculiarly concerned in taking
every possible measure to prevent its
recurrence and to bring the crimina
to immediate Justice. The slightes
lack Of vigor either in denunciation Of
the crime or in bringing the crimina
to justice is itself objectionable.
Moreover, every effort should be
made of justice in the case of such ar
awful crime. But it can not be neces
sary in order to accomplish this to de
prive any citizen of the fundamental
rights to be heard in his own defense
which are so dear to us and which lie
at the root of our liberty. 1t certainly
ought to be possible, by the proper
administration of the laws, to secure
swift vengeance upon the criminal
and immediate efforts of all legis
lators, judges and citizens should be
addressed to securing such reforms in
our legal procedure as to leave nc
vistige Of excuse for those misguided
men who undertake to reap vengeance
through violent methods.
"Men who have been guilty of a
crime like rape or murder should be
visited with swift and certain punish.
| ment."