The Lexington intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1901-1949, 1903-05-02
LYNcHING.

D1Ly AhANAkaAAhk oNaAAoNlOo III NAlCOr
ries relative 10 lynchings in the
United States during the last quarter
Of a century. He says that in the
past twenty-one years there have
been 10 the whole country 3,233
l~ynchings, OF which 1872 have been
negroes and 1881 whites In the
South 1901 negroes and 500 whites
have been lynched during this period,
OF which So per cent were for criminal
assault. 10 the two years 1884 and
1892 this crime Seems to have been
epidemic. In the former year much
the largest number Of lynchings
occurred In Colorado and Wyoming,
the victims being whites aud the
offences being almost exclusively
crimes against property. In the
latter year the largest number of
~lYnchinSs occurred in the Southern
states, the victims we're chiefly negroes,
and the offences almost exclusively
crimes against person.
OF the reflections and deductions
made from these and other sta istics
presented, the following are the sagest
and most worthy of consideration:
"The American people are % less
law abiding than those of other
countries, but they have a different
attitude toward the law. In the
older countries the law is regarded as
a sacred authority from a superior
source. Here the law lacks long
practice and the growth of tradition.
In a democracy the people are a law
unto themselves Ia a monarchy the
officials who enforce the law are IN
no way responsible to the people upon
whom they enforce it. Lynching has
been generally resorted to in order to
terrorize the lawless instead Of to
wreak vengeance The plea of the
lynchers is Let a past crime be met
with a present crime to prevent a
future crime
Mr.. Cutler evidently had bis mind
fixed chiefly upon lynching in the
South where this punishment is never
inflicted foT crimes against property
1t is a very different thing to hang a
man Of an alien race for criminal
assault, especially when the offenders
race defend and protect him against
the ordinary process of the law, and
to hang a man of a homogeneous race
for stealing a horse or introducing a
herd Of sheep into a part Of the
public domain where the cattlemen,
with no legal right whatever, object
TO their presence. The negro is a far
better man than the whites give him
credit for being, but he must beal
the responsibility for |lynching in the
South until he learns better than tr
conceal and protect the malefactor,
of his race. He thus makes az
individual crime a race crime. The
race thus puts itself in the attitude
OF fostering and abetting crime,
against another race This mistake
is not an altogether unnatural one
1t is an elemental instinct Of sell
preservation. We see a very simila,
manifestation in the family and in th,
school The sense of loyalty to RICH.
aod to law is always of late develop
ment; and with the increase Of intel
ligence In the negro it is hoped ant
believed that this new spirit will b.
fostered and take the place Of the oil
instinct Of race preservation.
But Mr.. Cutters statistics SHOW
that 1886 whites were lynched dur
ing this period-spmewhat more tina
one-third Of the total number. Int
these cases, Of course, the element O
race antipathy did not enter; and tn
number is so large that some furthe
explanation is to be sought in add.
tion to the consideration offered b
Mr.. Cutler quoted above.
There seems to be no reason f
doubt that delays incident to OF
trial system are responsible for a yer
large part OF the mad violence {
lynching An outrageous crime
committed at which the moral sen,
of the community revolts TT
evidence is known to all and Il
offenders guilt a matter Of CONNIE
information Yet The people kno
that the trial nav be postponed, r
hearings secured, ap"eals taken al
she case dragged along until intere
Is lost and Oftimes the ends OF justi
defeated. Such circumstances are
prolific source of lynchinps. And