The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1903-07-28
TO PREVENT LYNCHINGS
Attorney General Gunter Suggests 4 Plan
Comparison In Crimes III The
State.
The State.

The State
Attorney General Gunter has hit
upon q plan which, if it does not pre-
vent lynchings, he believes will go
long ways toward lessening them.
He called attention to the fact that
since the anti,duelling law was passed
in the State in 1882, the crime has
been virtually wiped off the statute
books. This Law, which reads as fol,
lows, has been of the greatest possi
bic benefit to the State:
"No property qualification, unless
prescribed in this constitution, shall
be necessary for al election to or
the holding of any Office. No per-
son shall be elected or appointed to
office IN this State for life or during
good behavior, but the terms of all
officers shall be for some specified
period, except notaries public and
officers in the militia. After the
adoption of this constitution any per
son who shall fight duel or send
or accept challenge for that pur
pose, or be an alder or abettor in
fighting duel, shall be deprived of
holding any Office Of honor or trust
in this State, and shall be otherwise
punished as the law shall prescribe"
VIRTUE OF TIE pUELLlNG LAWS.
"That law,' said MIR. Gunter yes
terday, "has stopped dueling, and
a similar law might be passed which,
| believe, would 20 long way toward
stopping lynchings. If a man knows
that he is going to be absolutely de
barred from his right to vote or hold
office he will be very apt to think
twice before taking any part in the
crime, especially for the reason that
he knows at any time, in the event
that he should run for office, it will
be comparatively simple thing for
some of the people to bring this charge
against him. The law might be made
even stronger, and even include the
bystanders in the statute. This would,
| think, almost assuredly make it ef
fective."
"How would law like this be
made operative-by Legislative en-
actmentp"
mo. In some States that would
be possible, but here in South Caro-
lima it would have to be a constitu
tional enactment. That is, the leg
islature would have to pass a joint
resolution and then the matter would
go before the people to be voted on
at the regular elections. Then it
would have to go before the legisla.
ture for consideration again. am
absolutely confident that if such a
law is eventually passed it will be
effective and of the greatest possible
value to the State, and also think the
people of the State are ripe for it
at this time"
LYNClIINGs ALONG sEABoARD.
The statement was made recently
that there had been lynching at every
station along the Seaboard railroad
between Columbia and Norway,
whore the negro Evans WAS recently
lynched, and at one of these stations
it was said as many as half dozen
lynchings had occurred in the last
few years, while another of the sta
tions had record Of seven ly nchings
at one time.
MIR. Gunter was asked if his Office
had any reco'd of the number of
lynchlngs that had occurred in the
State in recent years. He replied in
the negative, saying that it was i'm.
possible 20 get them except from the
newspapers.
In tins connection the attorney
general is putting the Office in posi-
ton to furnish some valuable stats,
tics on tho subject of crime through
ont the State which will be of the
greatest value to the authorities and
enable the Legislature and the courts
to act with some intelligence in the
premises.
When Mr.. q. Duncan BeIlinger
was attorney general he had the
Office send out last year blanks to the
al nrJIr >f al