The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-08-20
Sowing and Reapin ..

The Associated Press dispatches from
statesboro. Ca, printed ii, the newspapers
yesterday contain suggestive and signifi-
cant items, The correspondent says that
ieXtravaEant reports have been sent from
that place since the burning Of the negro
ports have created the Impression abroad
that life is unsafe and property threat
ened He declares that the contrary is
true. for that the lesson ZOE Tuesday has
made a profound impression on the negro.
TT is to preserve this condlt ton. : he
adds, that the efforts OF ali q classes
OF. whites nre directed. n And this in con-
clusion: "a H h,
% violence has been directed against
the better class of negroes. There is evi-
dence that irresponsible marauders have
committed some acts of lolence gainst
the negroes. such as q the shooting Of an
aged negro. Roberts and his son, Sinf their
cabin Tuesday night This has ueen dep
irecated by all. Roberts has lived sew
enty years In this community, and COM
amanaed the respect Of every good citizen
There could be no better proof than
this of the fact, which this paper has
tried for long periods 50 hard to- Inn
press. that lawlessness begets lawless-
ness; that lynching Is 5reacti onary and
Bdemoralizing; that when leading citizens
in any community trampleS the law under
their feet and resort to mob violence, they
rally the lawless ement nd incite that
element to acts ofSvlolence. There have
been illustrations without number Of
these facts h and It IS surprising to us
that sensible men do not alizes that It is
impossible to cure wlessness BY lawless:-
ness. The law has no inherent force
1t is the creature Of the people who mako
1t, and it must get It's vitality from its
creators. This vitality is wha "a we call
public sentiment, without which no law
can be enforced. There are n every COM
munity men who do not resp ect the staw;,
who are ready at all times to violate 1T,
and who are held inf subjection$ only by
the mysterious, but compelling, force OF
public sentiment Withdraw that pres.
sure and the lawless element pops up,
like a jack the box. 7!
We dislike to refer to disagreeable SUBJ
.jects, but the occasion suggests and, we
think 1ustifies an allusion In this con-I
nection to the state Of things that ex-
listed in the city OF Danvlle $twenty-odd
years ago Danvile was cursed with
negro rule. The law was Utterly inefti-
;,,t = 49,, y, A. ,,,x,,, Il, +l,a III ~ ,a,e
compelled vi to take measures into their
own hands and to deal without law with
the rowdy, negro element We have no
words Of condemnation for these men;
but the fact is that Danville suffered for
years and years from the results which
grew out Of that condition. Lawlessness
was tolerated for a time BY the best men,,
because it seemed to them necessary.
But lawlessness did not cease to- exist
even after the occasion for it had passed.
The spirit Of laWlessness was rampant,
and it could not be suppressed. It was
not until the great body Of strong and
w-abiding citizens OF the community,
by common consent, rose up and de-
Inounced and frowned upon la,wless acts
that law and order was restored.
We. do not know anything about the
condition at statesboro. Ga. It may be
that the whites have some such condition
as the people Of Danville had to deal ll
with, and strong measures may be neoes,
sary. But that does mot alter the fact act
that lawlessness hegets lawless1nless, and
that when once tho best people In any
community wink at It they must, Of.
necessity, reckon for a long time to
como with the lawless element. When
men create a Frankensteln. they cannot
expect tho ugly monster to depart at
the word Of command.
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In Re the Mule.
In these columns to-day will be found
an editorial article on the question 9 {.