Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1903-08-12
DURHAM IS
COMMENDED
President Warmly Compliments lndi.
ana Chief Executive for Attitude
Towards Lynchers.
MOB VIOLENCE is CONDEMNED
Declared to be One Form of Anarchy
Which is the Hand Maiden
of Tyranny.

Oyster Bay, n. j., Aug. 9.-In let
ter. the publication of which was au.
thorized today, President Roosevelt
commends Governor Durham, of Indi.
ana for the attitude he assumed re.
Gently respecting lynching. The pres.
ident also embraces the opportunity
to express his own views in reference
to lynching and mob violence gener-
ally, pointing out that mob violence
is merely one form of anarchy and
that anarchy is the forerunner of tyr
amy. The president vigorously urges
that the penalty for crimes that induce
a resort to lynching shall be applied
swiftly and surely, but by due process
of the courts, so that It may be demon
strated that the law is adequate to
deal with the crime by freeing it from
every vestige of technality and delay"
The letter in full follows:
Oyster Bay, N. Y.-My Dear Gov
ernor Durbin: Permit me to thank you
as an American citizen for the admir-.
able way in which you have vindicat-
ed the majesty of the law by your
recent action in reference to lynching.
| feel, my dear sir, that you have
made all men your debtors who be-
lieve, as far-seeing men must, that the
well-being, the very existence, of the
republic depends upon that spirit of
orderly liberty under law, which is as
incompatible with mob violence as
with any form of despotism. OF
course mob violence Is only one form
of anarchy and anarchy is now, as 1t
always has been, the hand maiden
and forerunner of tyranny. | feel you
have not only reflected honor upon
the state which for its good fortune
has you as its chief executive, but up
on the whole nation. 1t is incumbent
upon every man throughout this coun-
try, not only to hold up your hands
in the course you have been follow
ing, but to show his realization that
the matter is one of real concern to
us all. All honorable men must feel
the gravest alarm over the growth OF
lynching in this country. especially
over the peculiarly hideous form 60
often taken by mob violence when
colored men are victims, on which
occasions the mob seems to lay most
weight not on the crime, but on the
color of the criminal.
'In a certain proportion of these
cases the man lynched has been
guilty of crime horrible beyond de.
scription, a crime so horrible that SO
far as he himself is concerned he has
forfeited the right to any kind Of sym
pathy whatsoever. The feeling of all
good citizens that such hideous crimes
should not be hideously punished by
mob violence is due not in the least
for sympathy for the criminal, but to
a very lively sense of the train ol
dreadful consequences which follow
the course taken by mob in exactine
inhuman vengeance for inhuman
wrong. In such cases, moreover, II Is
well to remember that the criminal
not merely sins against humanity In
an inexplicable and objectionable
fashion, but sins particularly against
his own race and does them wrong
far greater than any white man car
possibly do them. Therefore, in such
cases, colored people throughout the
land should in every possible way
show their belief that they, more
than all other in the community, are
Mortified at the commission OF the
crime, are peculiarly concerned II
taking every possible measure to pre-
vent its recurrence and to bring the
criminal to immediate justice. The
slightest lack of vigor either in de
nunciation of the crime or in bringing
the criminal to justice is itself un
pardonable. Moreover, every effor
should be made under the law to ex
pedite the proceedings OF justice II
the case of such an awful crime. Blu
it cannot be necessary in order to &C
complish this to deprive any citizel
of those fundamental rights to b'
heard in his own defense, which ar
so dear to us all, and which lie at tn
root of our liberty. II certainly oush
to be possible by proper administfa
ton of the laws to secure swift Ven
geance upon criminals, and the bas
and immediate efforts Of all legisla
tors, judges and citizens should b
addressed to securing such reform
in our legal procedure as to have n
vestige of excuse for those misgu'fe
men who undertake to reap yeng'
ance through violent methods. Me
who have been guilty Of crimes lik
rape and murder should be vlsite
with swift and certain punishment
and any just effort made by tn
courts to protect them in their right
should under no circumstances /
perverted into permitting any mer
technicality to avert or delay the
punishment.
Substantial rights of the prisoat
to a fair trial must. be guarantee
as you have so justly insisted ths
they should be. but. subject to thi
guarantee. the law must work swiI
and sure and all officers of the la
should realez the wrong they do whe
they permit justice to be delayed {
thwarted for technical or insuff'"ry
reasons. We must show that the la
is adequate to deal with crime !
freeing it from every vestige of leoI
nicality aud delay. But the .Hi-o'
recognition of the horror OF the ciin
and the most complete lack OF syi
pathy with the criminal can not in II
least diminish our horror at the wa
in which IL has become customal
to avenge these crimes and at u