The Brandon news. (Brandon, Miss.) 1892-1961, 1905-11-02
ROOSEVELT ON lYNCHING
President INDUCES in Plain Talk on
EVIL OF Mob Law-Negro Grim
lnal an Enemy Of Race.


President Roosevelt spent seven
crowded hours in and around Little
Rock, Ark. Wednesday, and his jour-
ney from Fort Logan HI. Roots, on Big
Rock, On the north side of the Arkan-
sas river, to the city park in Little
Rock, was marked by enthusiastic
demonstrations of welcome. While in
Little Rock the president delivered
two speeches, one at the city park
and the other at a luncheon.
The feature OF the presidents adj
dress at the city park was his refer
ence to lynch law. Turning to Gov
crnor Davis. he said:
Governor, you spoke Of q hideous
crime that is often hideously avenged.
The worst enemy of the negro race
is the negro criminal, and. above all,
the negro criminal of that type; for
he has committed not only an un-
speakable, hideous and infamous crime
against the victim, but he has COM
mitted hideous crime against the
people of his own color, and every
reputable colored man, every eosored
man who wishes to see the uplifting
of his race, owes it as his first duty
to himself and to that race to hunt
down that criminal with all his soul
and strength.
Now, for the side of the white
man. To avenge one hideous crime
by another hideous crime is to reduce
the man doing it to the bestial level
of the man who committed the bestial
crime. The horrible effects of lynch
law are shown in the fact that three
fourths Of the lynchings are not for
that crime at ALL but for other crimes.
And, above all, other men, Governor,
you and |, and all who are opponents
and representatives of the law, owe
it to our people, owe 1t to the cause
of civilization and humanity, to do
everything in our power, officially and
unoficially, directly and indirectly, to
free the United States from the men,
ace and reproach of lynch law.
In his speech at the luncheon CIV
en- in his honor the president dis.
cussed certain legal abuses by which
criminals escape punishment. He
said:
I'VE urgently need in this country
methods for expediting punishment,
methods for doing away with delay,
methods which will secure to the pub
lie an even chance with the criminal.
At the present the right of appeal is,
in certain cases, so abused as to make
it matter of the utmost difficulty to
punish a man sufficiently rich or suf-
flciently influential to command really
good legal talent.
IF the law Is reasonably speedy
and reasonably sure, it takes away
one great excuse for lawlessness. If
some horrible crime is committed and
the people reel Cnat under the best
circumstances there will be an indefi-
mite delay in the punishment of the
criminal, and that the punishment viii
be uncertain, even when the time for
administration of it comes, then
premium Is put On that kind of law
breaking, which more than any other
Is menace to the law.
II earnestly hope that some sub
stantial Improvement shall be made
In the direction of securing greater
expedition and greater certainty in the
administration of justice, especially in
the administration of criminal justice"
President Roosevelt and party ar
rived in Memphis at $3.50 p. m. and
left for New Orleans over the Illir o,s
Central railroad twenty minutes later.