The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1903-01-13
The Governors
Message
CONTINUED from Sixth Page.)

TO the III the state All
that the ignorant and vicioes element
who commit these c. Imes know OF ID
Is by their observation Of the conduct
of better men. When this observation
shows them that god men bow TO the
law under all circumstances however
great the temptation they learn respect
for the law. On the Other hand when
they observe the best people commit
ting crime which tn" law denounces as
murder they lose TeeaT for the law
and their lawlessness taxes a different
form. When il is once admitted that
iynching is justifiable in any case II is
an easy step for the excited mass to
Justify it in Other cases. The OnIy
safety IS to recognize at once that all
men are bound under all circumstance
to appeal to the law for redress of
grievances and not to the strong han
Of the mob. If this be not true, then
we ShOuid remove from our statuU0
books the laws against lynCh:ngS and
put upon tham q declaration that
lynching for certain specified crimes Is
Unsuitable homicide and not murder.
No people organized into a state has
ever yet ventured &c do this and no.
people ever VIII. This fact alone shows
that in our moments of calm judgment
we recognize the wrong of lynching.
There ought not to be and rarely Is
any danger that the criminals commit
ting the crimes for which lynch!ng Is
resOrted to will eScaUe. just judgment
at the hands Of the law. The only re-
Quirpmpnt is that there shall be 4 rea-
sOnabIe certainty Of the guilt of The
party and even j mob engaged IN
Iynching always assures itself OF this
fact before executing the prisoner IT
their hands. Without this certainty
execution either by the mob or by tn
law is revolving TO any right sense OF
inCFicn IF tho nnlIf-.manT for the
crimes not now punishable by death
under the law is inadequate it is with
an the competency # the legislature
to make these punish nents anything
short of death. and l suggest that the
punishment for assault with intent to
commit rape. and FIR attempting {
poison be made life Imprisonment in
the pe~nitentiary at he discretion of the
Judge. The punishment for murder
and rape is already d>ath. If it ap-
pears necessary to provide more eX-
peditiOus trials for -tr=H crimes and
for fewer CHALLENGES OF. IN" part Of Tie
prisoner to the jury - order to secure
a fair trial to the state as we'll as to
the prisoner, his 10 is within your
province. Having mad the law what
it ought to be IN order to secure
prompt, certain and ,>deUuate punish
ment for these crimes. il ppears to
me that you can do no -raater service
10 II" Sldlf bI4dil " p-s0 SUN
ton as will compel a cessation of
lynching. 1t is of the utmost import
anCc tsat there be an md of %viOlenre.
It mas aIrHadv affeC'"d our standing
among our sister stItss. Twice since
I have been "OvernO" ii thu stota have
acquisitions been do.3yad by the gov
ernCrs OF other st: tes because of the
assertion that tho riS0Iers if returned
to this state wou'j b. iynCEnd. One of
these delays wa in I southern state
and one in a n-"theIn state. In both
cases the prisor rs were finally dellv-
cred to this 81 re and received a fair
trial. 1t ought not to be necessary for
the governor e your STATE to have 20
accompany his requISitiGE with an as
surance that the prtSOn,r will not tie
lynchnd. Cur character as a law
abiding peC-Ie, determined TO be sure
To punish the guilty when the guilt is
asCertainpd in due coarse of law.
ought to he such as t. furnish a guar
antee everywhere OF 4 fair trial for
any prisoner when reTUISiuOn is SkSG.
Crime must be punished and is pun
ished i'm this state with as much C"r-
tainty rs anywhere. Tie crimes for
which IynChingS are committed ought
TO be punished with unerring certainty
I cannot too strongly Uge upon yOhr
honorable body the duty of devisImg
some means for the efficient certain
aitd HACtuN L VI - AN "hf' - 49,
same time to make SUCH provision dS
will protect every citizen, however
humble. however vicious, however
guilty. against trial by tie mob.
PUBLIC ROADS.
Good publ;c roads are both the evil
denCe and the rleanS Of prosperity.
Tested by this statement n who has
travelled throughout the state would
come to the conclusion that we are
not a prosperous people, but 1t is graf
flying to be able to state truly that
there has been a steady growth of IN
terest in this subject which is now
mGnifesting itself in many of the cOun-
ties of the state in well graded and in
some counties in maCadalnized roads
In January of last year / issued a
proclamation calling a convention Of
those Interested in good public roads TO
meet in Raleigh on February 18th and
18th. 1902. Thu meeting was held un-
Ger the management of Mr.. Marin
Dodge. director. and in conjunction
with the Southern railway. \ large
number of representative citizens frCm
almost every part Of the state assem-
bled here and the meeting was q de-
cided success. | TRANSMIT herewith 4
copy Of the resolutions passed by that
convention. l nOte with pleasure from
the public press that many county as
sOciatiOns for the Improvement If pub
lie roads h1ve been formed and hat
YOU honorable t0dy Will be asked to
pass such legislation for many counties
as viii eHIhln them to improve th"iC
roads The need Of better roads i tcn
manifest to require argument in sup
port Of them. You can do no greater
service to the people Of the state than
O. eUruura=' by every POSSIBLE means
his good work
The last general assembly passed III
act authorizing the construction - a
TURNPIKE from WilkesbOrO in Wilkes
county tC Jefferson in Ashe county and
directed the states prison to furnish
SOryiCts to the corporation formed FOR
she purpose of constructing said road
tbs stgt u to take stock in the corpora
Ii0u to the valu of the services or tn
cOUviCts furnished Early last sTrin"
the corporation organized and secured
subscriptions to the amount Of ten
%huuSaud dollars for the purpose OF
building said road. The corporation
tnEu called uuGu Tho state 10 furnish