The leader., 1904-12-14
the Lesson oi lhs Mississippi White
can Convictions.

AitC l0HF1tttOu III tl4E W&1ltJ j
caps and disruption Of their Grim
inal associations in Lincoln coun-
ty afford . valuable object lesson
to the people of the entire State.
They show clearly tnat the law
can be enforced when the State
courts have the support, moral
and, If necessary, physical, which
it is the duty Of good citizens to
give them. They are, to a large |
degree, but the redectors Of lub-
lie opinion under the jury system,
and their ineptitude is proof posi-
tive that public opinion is either
diseased or dormant. In such
cases the arm of Justice seems to
be paralyzed and ignorant and
maliciously disposed persons get
the idea they can trangress the
law Of the land with perfect safe
.ty. But when a series of OUT
RACES Wakens public thought to
the pitch of zeal for the enforce
ment of the law it should always
maintain, but seldom does, the
laWless characters find very soon
they have to deal with something
on which they have not reckoned, |
and their boasted nerve, always
the fruit of passiyeness on the
part Of public and officials, van
#ishes before the first sign of sin
cere legal aggression.
It is worth while remembering
in this connection that this tri-
umph of law in Lincoln county is
due to the thorough and nncom-
promising style in which the Gov
ernor, law and order league and
officials set about the business of
prosecution. No stone was left
unturned to gather evidence and
no object was entertained less
than the conviction Of every indi-
vidual who could be proved gull
ty of the crime, no matter how
many Of them there happened to
be. The success Of this method
Eemphasizes the futility Of a policy
of temporizing or exhibiting len
iency in the case of persistent
crime. The latter scheme has
been tried to a certain extent in
the past, but the expected has fol
lowed after a little space. The
other policy is the only way that
will guarantee broad and perma-
Inent results. When men have so
far forgot themselves as TO disre-
gard all the rights of their neigh
lbors, even the natural right to
live and enjoy the fruits of his la
Dor, they are not of the stripe to
hold very sacred an agreement to-
forbear in future or to regard len
liency as anything save proof
of weakness and fear on the part
of the courts.
If the brain of Judge Thomas
Jones of Alabama, be made of
penetrable stuff he can find little
lesson in the proved efficiency of
this State court as well. His idea
of the right of the Federal court
to assume Jurisdiction in criminal
cases where the crime was sup
posedly inspired BY a general ma
Iicious feeling towards the mem
hers of a race has already been
criticised in this paper. His
eagerness for these courts to as
sumo such Jurisdiction was, of
course, due to belief the State
courts we're unequal to the labor
of investigating and netting out
Justice in cases Of this character.
The Lincoln county causes afford
the answer. The white capping
being prosecuted was clearly in
spired by a particular feeling of
malice" towards the negroes Iiy-
ing on their own or the farms of
Others in the country. In the
light in which the Judge regards
such matters, the race question
was involved. Yet the court pro-
ceeded on its course uninfiueneed
by this consideration in any re-
spect and demonstrated its eff
cheney. The general opinion flom
the first has been that Judge
Jones theory was unsound IN law.
The Lincoln county court has
done its part towards proving
there is not the shallowest plea Of
necessity for Federal interference
to insure justice in the cases con-
templated By the Federal Judge.
N % Yinnnc-D Dnnlncrat Dec 10TH