Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1903-05-02
A srrpY oF LYNcHNos.

A STUDY OF LYNCHINGs.
a post graduate student Of Yale, FL
bert cutler has been engaged IN the
scientific study Of lynchngs. He has
prepared a most interesting table ana
has collected much data The news
paper accounts have been corroborated
by him IN almost every instance, This
table which he has prepared shows that
IN the past twonty-one years there have
been thrty-one hundred and twenty
eight ynchings This Is up 10 January
1 OF this year 1t Is an immense num-
Der but falls far short OF the number
given by others who have pretended 70
give actual statistics on the question.
The years 1884 and 1892 saw the most
lynchngs In the former year the larg-
tr part We're in Colorado and Montana;
in the latter they were greatest In the
South. IN the first case the victims
We're chiefly white, In the other, main
ly negroes In Colorado and Montana
the crimes were depredatlons upon
property IN the South they were
against the person and because Of race
prejudice In this connection Mr. Cut
Ter says
"There is a relation between legal exc
BUTTONS and lynohings. II there are
many executions there are In general
fewer lynchlugs The speedy working
Of the law seems to create respect for IL
and ia act as check for lynchlnRs.
The decrease in lynchlngs since 1892
has been steady, In the South the
ieWest lynchlngs take place In January
February August and November
months when the colored people are
most largely engaged In some diversion
or work In August, the month when
the number Of lynchlngs is fewest the
negroes are all at camp meetings. In
December on the other hand, the ne
groes feel allowed TO take the greatest
liberties Of the year because of the
Christmas season In the twenty-one
years l,S12 negroes have been lynched,
an average OF S9ls year, In that per.
iod l,2j6 whites have been lynched an
average Of 50 O year. There have been
81 women lynched In that period IS
colored and % white, OF them for
murder OF the 6lJ white men who were
lynched In the twenty-one years l0S
were for rape. In the South 1901 ne
groos We're lynched and 593 whites. sta
tstics cannot be made 20 show more
than 81 per cent OF negroes lynehed for
rape. In the West 62S We're lynched In
the twenty-one years, about 43 per cen,
for murder"
It is very doubtful If Mr.. Cutters
comments and deductions are so valu-
BILE as his facts. In truth he is more or
less Of an apologist for the lynchers He
says that the American people are no
Less law abiding than other countries.
but that they have a different attitude
towards the law In the United States.
he says the law lacks long practise and
the growth OF tradition. In a demo-
cracy the people are a law unto them
selves while in a monarchy the officials
who enforce the law are IN no way
responsible to the people upon whom
they enforce Il In justification Of his
arguments Sir, Cutler adopts the plea
Of the lynohers which Is: let a past
crime be met with a present crime to
prevent future crime most falla.
cious argument indeed. II only adds a
new crime to an old one. having no. or
at least little, deterrent effect on pros
pectlye criminals.
Our student Of lynohlngs says that In
a democracy the people are law unto
themselves. Yes, but when they estab-
lish constitutions and make laws IN
pursuance thereof they must IN all
things concerning them as body POI
little, act In accordance with those rules;
not to do so is TO break the Law. The |
plain Implication Of Mr.. Cutters argu-
ment IL that when the people do any
thing no matter how they do ii, It is |
law. FOR in a democracy the people are |
a law unto themselves" In lynchings
the mob, not the people, as a law unto
itself Mr. Cutler fails to distinguish |
between the people and the mob, In |
monarchies 1t is a maxim that "the |
king can do no wrong" Apparently in
a democracy Mr.. Cutler holds that the |
people can do no wrong. A most per-
nicious doctrine. one calculated to en-
courage lynchlnga The value Of this
study. Judged by the excerpts published |
viii be in It's facts and not In its IN
ferences,