Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1903-07-09
TUE BURNING QUESTION

THE BURNING QUESTION
A statisticiau has tabulaled the
lynchlnss that have been recorded ia
this couNiry the last tWenty-one years.
According to his figures, n TINT time
1872 negroes have been lyuched ana
| l.gt6 writes Since the whites are
about SIX times as numerous as the
olacAs, tlie proportion Of negroes
lynched Is OF course very much higher
than these figures indicate only 30
per cent Of these neggocp were lynched
Tor the crime that is usually associated
In the mind with this manifestation OF
mob law Some consolation is, perhaps,
to be derived from the fact that the
lynchings seem TO have diminished
since lSa2 although at present a vert-
able epidemic seems 90 have swept The
country demanding special attention
The apoogists for mob Law generally
ollege there is no Raw On our statutes
adequate 10 the crime for which ynch-
inRs occur They hold that there Is q
"delilne Of danger whoa human for
bearancc reaches its limit where the
throne Of Intelligent reason Is shattered
and vengeance begins. and when, like
the case IN question. lDelaWarel the
honest innocence Of our land is seized
from the black mans ambush. oulrag-
I'd and by his own concessions, her
throat slashed to her Death, thou aud
there no limit OF law In any state Of
our land can hold back the mighty arm
Of Vengeance
Unfortunately for this logic, tn,
lynchings do not alvays occur a.
result Of such crimes. In 1902 he lynch.
ings IN the United states numbered IS.
or the victims 10 were accused Of Grim
inal assault and II Of attempted Grim
inal assault together less than third
Of the Whole number The other &C
were charged with murder $50. at
tempted murder TO- accessory to muir
der 49, ana with onenses such as iar-
ccny, accessory 70 larceny, horse steal
ing planning an elopement, conjur-
ing making threats and ordinary as
sault Race prejudice" and mistaken
identity" alsc figure In the list. OF the
sG victims. So were negroes. whites
ana ! Indian These figures touch the
fine phrases of the limit Of forbear.
ance' and the mighty arm Of ven
scauce" and make them explode as
soap bubbles.
Unfortunately again, Tor the logic Of
the apolosists. lynchng Is rot remedy
forcrime II II had the effect " lettering
criminals from engaging in their fear
fui work, the most irregular proceed
ings might be excused But lynchlngs
lNrease crimes, instead II decreasing
them Rev Carroll of columbia. $. G..
declares that leading newspapers ia
the South are opposing lSuchmgs be-
cause they find that the white man who
Kills a negro 'or attends a ynchlne
party generally Kills some white man
before he dies IL would not surprise |
me he SAYS, II there we're more |
rnchings In the North In the next ten |
yenrs than there viii be- m the South I'm |
the same length OF time and they win |
not be confined to one race. but 10 an |
the races
The same testimony is given by the |
Charleston News and Courier. as fol. |
lows
We have no repfoaches for the peo- |
pie OF Illinois, however. They win aud |
that the Hnching habit win grow upon |
them, as II has grown upon the people |
~ the commonWealths which have pcr. |
lni'ted the mob to take the place of The |
ln" The Enchlnc Of men IN the south |
Tor one oilcnso has been followed by |
the lynchlng OF men for other onenses |
and 50 u VIII be in Illinois II the public |
sentiment of that state is NOT aroused |
To the dangerous tendency of the Incl |
dcut al Bellewlle"
That Is the chief objection 10 lynch |
Jaw II bruializes those who admmls-
Ter IT, Il makes murderers. II creates
contempt for the laws ana the courts
Crime must be reached through the
arm OF the law. or not at an II the
laws are insufficient make them over.
II The officers Of the law are recaleitrant
to duly' turn them out and replace them
by Others, The best that can be said
for lnch'rgs is that they are a relapse
to frontier conditions, but there should
be no need Of such a relapse anywhere
ia the United states at the presen.
dino.