The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-12-02


have not the record at hand. 1t cannot
be said that the courts have given any
excuse for the lynching of the people
who are thus dealt with, of men of COL
or. Scores of them during this period
have been the victims of the mob,
many of them, I verify believe, inno-
cent victims. And yet courts could
always have been counted on to pun
ish to the full guilty negroes, and with
sufficient speed to satisfy the demands
of any civilized tribunal. They do not
escape on technicalities. When they
are acquitted, it can safely be conclud-
ed that they were entitled to the ac-
quittal. They may sometimes be the
victims of a miscarriage of justice;
they are not its beneficiaries 1t is
unsound and unwholesome to offer this
excuse to the mobs. The facts do not
warrant it. The influence of such ex-
cuses is pernicious.
LayvIessness Must BE Checked.
The lawless spirit is Interestingly in
evidence. Unless it is checked, our
boasted civilization will soon be as
sounding brass and tinkling cymbal,"
our real glory will have departed, our
motto will only bring in greater relief
the horrible features of our shame and
disgrace.
lawless spirit, but often men who call
themselves good citizens, but who seem
to lose sight of the fact that no man
can be a good citizen who is not a law
abiding citizen, exhibit a disregard of
the law. We have, for example, law
against hunting on the Sabbath day.
And yet men, not few among citizens
of prominence, will, with gun and dog,
openly and defiantly violate this law
and r1rrhlich fn he he 20 OF 1,ot
they are law-breakers. Aggregations
of gentlemen sometimes set the same
unwholesome example. Some men seem
to think that they are not called upon
to observe law which they disapprove
and are not bound by the construction
of the constituted tribunals unless they
agree with that construction. The
necessary result of this spirit is that
no man is bound to respect any law
which does not coincide with his pri-
vate views. If this conduct were to
become universal we would have an
archy.
The Observance of Law.
Against this spirit, I have ever pro-
tested and ever will protest. To its
discouragment and reprobation, 1
would summon every true Georgian.
every man who loves his state, to
whom justice is dear and who hates
every form of injustice. Such an APP
peal must find a quick response in
every son of Scotland, in whose veins
courses the blood of the strong, the
conservative, the law-abiding. the lib
erty-loving Scotchman. Imagine, IL
you can, in Scotland, a lawless mob
invading Scottish Court House, the
temple of justice, taking from the Off
GERS of the law condemned prisoners
and burning them within sight of the
Court House. Every man in this
presence instantly says to this sug-
gestion impossible" If You were TO
read in the public prints that such a
disgrace had happened TO Scotland you
would Indignantly denounce the report
as false, as libelous upon the fair
fame of your mother country. And
yet such things have occurred I'm Geor-
gla a number Of times within the past
few years. When the disgraceful and
damning recital is read abroad, among
the civilized nations of the world, they
naturally infer that we are lacking in
the basic principles of civilization. II
after the reading some man tells the
readers that the motto of Georgia Is
Wisdom justice and moderation"
they must suppose that the informant
is dealing in irony.
Denounce the Lynching Spirit.
Let us do what we can to make such
things as impossible in Georgia as
they are In Scotland. Let us denounce
everywhere the lawless spirit. Let us
see TO Il that by our speech and our
conduct we enthrone Justice as the
chief thing. Let us love Il. Let us
stand up for ~. Let us defend IL.
DO not excuse the lynching spirit, or
any form OF lawlessness Our coun-
try r. In peril more 50 than n a for
eign foe were on It's way 20 our shores
bent upon our snbjugation. We could,
with our immense resources. defy any
foreign foe. But this peril Is dead
W n infidious. Il Is the chief peril
~ republics. Against II every good
citizen must present an uucompr0mis-
INK hostility. No nobler warfare than
that 90 which ! summon you has ever
caused brave people 10 draw their
swords, GcOrglnns are brave. are pa
irlvile. They must arouse themselves
ana laWlfnnnfnf must cease and jus
Zee De- cnthrOnod NOT only ln fhe Court
House. but in the hearts u these oe0r-
diana