The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-08-10
LYNCHIHG IS CONDEMNED BY
 ROOSEVELT IN STRONG TERMS
(contlnusd from First Pase)

(contlnued from First Pase) to the community itself is well nigh as great. Especially is this true where the lynehing is accomplished with torture!
 Hldeous Sights.
 There are certain hideous sights which, when once seen, can never be wholly erased from the mental retina. The mere fact of having seen them im- plies degradation. This is a thousand fold stronger when instead of merely seeing the deed the man has participated in 1t. Whoever in any part of our coun- try has ever taken part in lawlessly put ting to death criminal by dreadful tor ture of fire must ever after have an aw- ful spectacle of his own handiwork scared into his brain and soul He can never again be the same man.
 This matter of lynching would be a ter rible thing if it stopped with the lynch ing of men guilty of the inhuman and hideous crime of rape, but as a matter of fact, lawlessness of this type never does stop and never stops in such a fashion. Every violent man in the community is encouraged by every case of lynchlng in which the lynehers go unpunished to take the law into his own hands whenever it suits bis own civilization. Tn the same way the use of torture by the mob in certain cases is sure to spread until It Is applied more less indiscriminateiy in other cases. The spirit of lawlessness grows with what it feeds on, and when mobs with impunity lynch criminals for one cause, they are certain to begin to lynch real, or alleged, criminals for other causes.
 LynehIngs for Murder.
 "In the recent cases of lynehing over three-fourths were not for rape at all, but for murder, attempted murder and even less henious offenses.
 Moreover, the history of those re- cent cases shows the awful fact that when the minds of men are habituated to use of torture by law1ess deeds to avenge crimes of a peculiarly revolting description, other lawless bodies will use torture in order to punish crimes of an ordinary type.
 Surely no patriot can fall to see the fearful brutalization and debasement which the indulgence of such a spirit and such practices inevitably portent. Surely all public men, writers for the daily press, all clergymen, all teachers, all who in any way have a right to ad- dress the public, should with every en- ergy unite to denounee such crimes and to support those engaged in putting them down. As a people we claim the right to speak with peculiar emphasis for free dom and for fair treatment of all men without regard to differences of race, fortune, creed or color We forfeit the right, so to speak, when we commit or condone such crimes as these of which I speak.
 "The nation, like the individual can not commit a crime with impunity If we are guilty of lawlessness and brutal violence, whether our guilt consists in active participation therein, or in mere connivance and encouragement, we shall assuredly suffer later on because of what we have done. The cornerstone of this republic. as of all free governments, is respect for and obedience to the law. When we permit 1t to be dehed or evaded, whether by rich man or poor man, by black man or white man. we are by just so much, weakening the bonds of our civilization and increasing the chances of It's overthrow, and of the sub stitutions of anarchy and tyranny.
 Sincerely yours,
 THEODORE ROOSEVELT"