Weekly Arizona journal-miner., 1903-07-22
UNJUST COMPARISONS.

A great deal has been said about
the lynchings in the United States,
and particularly the lynchings of ne
grOes in the south in connection with
thediscussion of the Kishineff massacre
of Jews in Russia and many invidious
comparisons have been made, partic-
ularily in European papers. In dis
cussing this question the Boston Her
aid, of recent date says:
cit is very unpleasant reading for
an American who has feeling of love
and respect for his country to turn
over the files of English papers and
note some of the letters printed in re-
gard to lynchings in the United
States. For instance, we find in the
Chronicle a letter suggesting that
there was nothing more disgusting in
the Kishineff outrage, in fact, not so
much as there was in details of the
Delaware lynching. This correspond
ent, urged that, if the United States
was not able to bring the offenders to
justice and secure their proper pun
ishment, at least a protest should be
made by civilized European nations
against the existence of such condi-
tions. Another correspondent, writ
ing on the same subject, says that the
United States has thus furnished an
example of how the savagery of 300
years ago can he thrust into the civil
ization of the present age. Unfor-
tunately, there is no opportunity to
deny the truth of these charges, and,
while we protest against outrages in
other countries, we have within our
own borders crimes perpetrated by
lawless mobs, that, happening in Tur-
key or in China, would call for a re-
buke from the civilized world, and
possibly threats of armed Intervention
by other nations. "
The papers above quoted seem to
overlook one very important point in
connection with this discussion and
that is the wide difference which exist
in the conditions between the victims
of the Russian and those of the Am
erican mobs. When these are taken
into consideration there are no
grounds whatever for comparison of
the two, as they are widely divergent
instead of parallel cases,
The victims of the Russians were
peaceable and inoffensive citizens who
had committed no crime and who we're
charged with none, the sole cause of
the violent hatred manifested towards
them being on account of their re-
ligion and religious belief. Neither
women or children we're spared by
the savage, and inhuman mobs. In
stead of the inhuman butchery of a
single victim here and there at points
remote from each other, they were
savagely butchered by the scores and
this with the connivance of those
high in authority.
In the case of the lynchings of ne
goes in the United States, which have
been referred to, the victims in each
case have been the perpetrators of
crimes more barbarous than the mas
sacre of Jews in Russia and in each
case the punishment inflicted has
been for the purpose of avenging
crime. The perpetrator of the crime
alone has been dealt with and women
and children have not been molested.
Horrible as the punishment in many
cases have been, and as much TO be
deplored as they should be, the vic
Tins have been such as deserved their
worst fate, though that is no pallia-
tion for those who have administered
these terrible forms of retribution and
vengeance. In the majority of cases,
if not in every one, the avenging mob
in this country has been opposed by
those in authority instead of having
been encouraged as in the case of the
Russian mobs.
While the action of the lynchers is
indefensible, that of the Russian
mobs has been more in comparison
with the crimes committed by the vic
Tins of the American mob, and COM
pared with the former, the latter are
highly respectable and law abiding
people.