New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-03-10
cpPyvcF5ELD AND ITS LESSON

SPRINGFIELD AND IFS LESHO'-
II would have been poetic justice II The IRE
started hy the mob 10 the negro quarter %
sT-i7-aerd. OHIO. had got beyond control and
,,,-o,t tho ,rboIe city. This would have been
4, terrible catastrophe and many innocent per-
soos vro1lI have suffered, hut perhaps they
,,-,r,ra have suffered no more than other equally
i,,ocan+ jewellers I'm the district burned. some
srcb terrible punishment may Yet he Flsitea on
q community given mp 10 lawlessness, ana the
horror OF il may awake the country to q new
rcepaat for law and a determination 10 up
hold IT,
Tho lvnchinr which precipitatcd The fire At
Snrfucf,,ld was absolutely without excuse me
crime Tor which the negro was Killed WAS one
which IS committed from time TO time ID every
mart OF the country 10y white D. ~. Inc negro
shot z policeman who was trying 10 arrest
mir, There WAS no reason 10 suppose that the
LEGAL penalty for the offence would not be Ile,ed
ont in due order. Not one Of the pretexts Wnlch
ere ordinarily urged 81 cxtcnuation Of ynch-
.oc could be brought forward In this case
rho mob was not maddened by any ncndlsh
a+roritv. hut proceeded 10 Kill the murderer IN
moro contempt OF law And so little did the
better class Of people I'm Springfield value order
and the good name Of their town that the local
militia cornpanv would not turn out for duty
AGAINST the rioters Their di~Eraceful conduct
rofnts 10 one Of the first duties Of Governor
Harrick il vindicating the authority OF law IN
Ohio. The uilitiaman who failed 10 ohey Orders
should he court martialled and punished ana
then the uufaIthful company should be as
r,ieeol The Governor should also see that
urosccutinc attorneys are vigilant 10 punish the
Spr.nrfoId murdercrs and incendiaries. Unless
this is done there can be no assurance Of safety
i'm any town ia Ohio. Tor the conditions pro
r,o+frr this outbreak are common there.
The Ivnching seems 10 have been the result
Of rlla feeling that there was a worthless negro
1orr-lation in the town which ought Il he
cleaned out" II lawlessuess did prevail ia
tbe negro quarter, e was simply because the
white raonIo themselves had been long content
ga have il SO. and permitted a municipal govern
mont under which gambling and disorder HOUR
ished There is not a town IN ONO or any
other Northern State where the whites, II they
were really anxious for good government could
not secure II both for the negro quarter and
their own. The trouble IS that through their
own bad citizenship they let the dives grow up
and then try 10 suppress them by worse clu-
zenship in the form Of an incendiary mob. The
lesson. OF course. IS plain The way 70 have
law and order is 10 have law and order. When
city gives itself ever TO corrupt politicians
and wide openness," 4 course 1t invites the
presence Of worthless characters, suffers from
theft and murder, finds its government too IN
efficient TO punish crime. much less prevent H.
and I'm the end is reduced 10 anarchy.
There IS no point ut which a community can
sa fely tolerate lawlessness for lawlessness IS
a habit Of mind and becomes a trait of charac-
Ter. once established, the obligation Of order
and obedience is no longer recognized. Peace
and respect for the rights Of others depend
altogether on lack Of incentive to violence. This
r-fnsafs. limo can
society. We are raising MP people without re
spect for law because IL IS law, and the result
is that wherever that feeling prevails law Is
obeyed only Just so long as popular wish runs
with its requirements rather than with riot and
anarchy