Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1905-08-06
WHY SHOULD WE DISCRIMINATE

From the facile pen of the gifted
Graves comes an earnest and elo-
quent plea for fairness and justice
in Judging human frailties, a text
being found in the Sanford case, |
now in its concluding stages, at
Rome, "Stone the woman; let the
man go free" is the worlds verdict
always, but why? The following
expression of Editor Graves is a
sermon in itself, a boldly given
opinion of an honest man, and
worthy of deep thought:
"The charges and counter charg
es of husband and wife in this
deplorable tragedy involve the fire.
quent and repeated infdelity of
both of them, not only to the
marital relation, but as to the
common decencies of life. For the
alleaged infdelity of George
Wright with Vince Sanford's wife,
Sanford openly and in the light of
day shot Wright to death in the
open street with a double barrelled
shot gun loaded with buckshot. 1t
is the general opinion that if San
ford can successfully establish
what he evidently believes to have
been the illicit relations between
his wife and Wright that not a
jury in Georgia can be found
to hang him.
Georgia juries have in time past
recognized the right of man to
kill the man who thus dishonored
his bed.
Very well: Now then suppose
Mrs. Sanford had killed the wo-
man-any one of the women-with
whom her husband is charged with
illicit relations? Suppose that
Mrs. Sanford from the proofs in
her possession had taken a double
! barrelled shot gun, loaded it with
buckshOt, taken her position in
the public street, and emptied up
on sight, both of its deadly and
thdealing barrels into the
bosom of any one of the women
who had been with her husband1
Would the Georgia jury have
been as lenient to Mrs. Sanford as
, it undoubtedly will be to Mr.. San.
ford! Would public opinion be
as kind and charitable to Mrs. San
: ford as it undoubtedly will be tC
Sanford if be proves his case?
| Would public opinion and
social convention take Mrs. San
ford kindly by the hand, congrat-
ulate her upon acquittal, and re
ceive her again in social convention
and in personal relation, as it most
assuredly will take and receive
Mr.. Sanford if that gentleman
should escape the gallows?
| Would the woman be treated
like the man? And if not, why
not?
The facts and conditions with
which we have to deal are these:
Mrs. Sanford by the records in her
| possession, has as conclusive evil
dence, in fact more conclusive
evidence of her husband IS infidelity
than he has of hers. The general
public will accept her records as
conclusive of his infdelity. If his
facts given in evidence at the trial
are as conclusive as hers, the pub
lie will fairly conclude that both
are equally guilty.
Now how are the general public
going to treat the two in future
relations of life? That's the ques-
ton.
There is not a well informed
reader of The News who does not
perfectly understand that if Vince
Sanford is acquitted of the charge
of murder, that he will resume his
place among men with little change
in his relations. He will mingle
freely and on equal terms with his
fellows. An acquittal by the Floyd
county jury will restore Vince
Sanford to a comparatively I'M
changed status among men.
Let us see what his acquittal will
do to Mrs. Sanford.
1t will stamp her as a scarlet
woman. 1t will mark her as pa
riah among her sex. 1t will write
the word "unclean" upon her re-
cord, and society will no more
touch her than the wholesome
bloOded Jew would touch the leper
of the East.
The gates ofsociety are shut up
on her. She has no more the entry
to the circle, where good women |
cOnprapatn She may 90 70 tho