Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1905-07-15
SCENES IN GEORGIA.

Well. wonders will never cease. f
The legislature ofGeorgia condemned
the lynching Of seven colored men
and one white man at watlinsville.
Georgia. The resolutions were
passed June SOth. 1905 and were OPP
posed by only one member. DR.. Whit
ley of Douglas county and upon the
adoption of an amendment condemn
ing the crimes alleged 20 provoke
lynching. voted for the whole set Of
resolutions and thereby made the
vote unanimous. The resolutions
are all right and We confess that this
kind of news from Georgia is more
surprising than the horrible lynch
ings. which are 50 soathingly re-
buked.
Hon. Boykin Wright. Of Richmond
county. Georgia, was the author of
the resolutions aud he did the right
thing al the proper time. IL may
be we'll 20 state that there was but
one discOrdant note in the entire leg
islature of Georgia and that was
sounded by the gentleman referred
to But here are the resolutions;
Whereas. this house has heard
with ineNpressible shame and horror
OF the foul blot put upon the good
name of this state by a mob OF
masked murderers who broke into
II 81.
! TO death eight helpless prisoners
awaiting their trial in the courts.
And whereas. the members OF
this house keenly realize that cruel.
barbarOus and ineXcusable as were
the bloody injuries perpetrated up
on the unfortunate victims Of this
| crime. they are not half SO CHASTITY
/ and but little more fatal than the
wounds thereby inflicted upon the
honor and civilization of this com
mOnwealth
And. whereas. no effort should
/ be spared by either the legislative,
! executive or judicial branches OF
| our government TO wipe out this
stain and disgrace by apprehending
the guilty parties who have thus
! brought reprOach upon all the law
|
| fore. be 10.
Resolved. first. That the govern
or be. and he is hereby. earnestly re-
quested to az once offer ample re-
wards for the detection and arrest
with proof 20 convict of any one or
all of said criminals
Second. That the governor be, and
is hereby. requested 10 send at once
L. L. !.
| tor general OF the circuit or the at
! tOrney general OF the state TO insti-
tute a thorough investigation as TO
who are the guilty parties and that
he be provided with suitable uetec-
tives and officers to exhaustively
prosecute said inquiry with a view
10 bringing them TO speedy justice.
Third, That while condemning the
crime with which the prisoners were
charged and especially that of rape.
and our sympathies going out TO the
unfortunate victims of brute force,
yet nevertheless We are forced to
condemn the action of the mob.
The Governor of Georgia was
prompt in responding to this appeal
and he offered a reward of ($5OO.OO)
FIVE hundred dollars for the arrest
and conviction of any one of the muir
| derers concerned in this atrocious
crime. Respectable colored people
have no sympathy with the lawIess
elements of the race. They are
practically unit though, that the
! legal guarantees of the Constftu-
tions of the several states be carried
out and that the lynchers shall be
punished for their outrageous often
SEES against the dignity and majesty
of the respective commonwealth
The legislative and executive depart
ments OF Georgia seem to be all
right.
When the judicial department
gets in good working order to the ex
tent of dangling a few of the lynch
ers from the ropes end orshuttingup
the greater portion of that fratern-
ity in the penitentiary, the redemp-
tion will be complete and glad hal
lelujahs. and ringing hosannas will
be sounded from one side OF this
country to the other.
Lynch-law must go.