The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-10-15
MIR. sPENCER'S BRAND OF LYNCH
LAW


orator, but he seems also to suffer
from the habit of the average SPELL
binder running away on the torrent OF
his words of not considering the log
ical effect of the illustrations which he
sometimes uses to express his mean
ing. Incidentally, the fault COM
planned of exists more in an uncon-
scious frankness following on impas.
stoned speech than in merely meta
phorical lapsus linguae. The man
who is speaking for cause is apt to
use the terms which appeal to him as
expressive of his views: the careless
oratorical habit lies not so much in
the saying by. speaker of a thing
he does not mean as it does in the eX-
preston of views and the application
of figures Of speech. which, for policy $
sake, he would not have given forth
If he had stopped to think.
The "break" of Mr.. Spencer doubt.
less spoke his confirmed opinion, but
it does not sound pleasingly on ears
that have not had the opportunity of
his own to hear the call of wealth ana
tpower and to listen to the doctrine that
the people arc useful only in so far as
they may be used for milking pur-
poses.
What Mr.. Spencer said. in cam
paign he is now pursuing in the state
of. Jersey i'm opposition to the Esch-
Townsend bill advocated by President
Roosevelt and the bone OF parliament
tary contention at the next session of
Congress was i'm part as follows:
mo rational suggestions have been
made however as to how the grant
ing of rate making power to the IN
terstates commerce commission coulo
be effective to this end. "A rebate or
any secret discriminatory device 'Ecan,
of course, be applied to a government
rate as we'll as to one made by the
carrier.
zone of the most serious objections
to the legislation proposed is that,
under Ut a rate once fixed by the COM
Emission would continue in force in
definitely, unless changed by the COM
| mission or by the court The carrier
would, therefore, have no power to
make either reductions or increases to
meet new conditions.
ITO place in the hands of one tri-
| bunal which is or may be prosecutor.
| jury and judge and at the same time
! executioner is equivalent to being one
[statute for the enforcement of COM
mercial lynch. law
Naturally, by force of his training
and his aims, any regulation of the
fright of railroad to measure its
| freight rates in accordance with the
4
ability of the shipper to pay and still
exist, is red-handed anarchy. 1t is
| lynch law with vengeance from the
point of view of the railroad mag
nate. Others do not think SO. They
are apt to argue that the railroads
are the children OF the State, and that
they are supported by :. the people.
| That there Is glaring discrepancy
| between the percentage of values as
| the basis for taxation and as foun7
dation for freight charges. That the
| rule should work both ways and that
| the power to regulate rates should
| exist along with, the power to tax.
| OF course the railroads are an adj
vantage to any section but that coun-
! try cannot prosper whose vitality is
drained to contribute the profits
deemed adequate by the owners of the
watered stock which forms the basis
lfof the fiction of railroad values. Mr..
Spencer, looking at the stock, which
represents a small initial outlay and
figuring it at the arbitrary measure
| of it's face value, naturally gets red
| in the face at the thought of any
| legislation which would tend to make
rates and values reasonably coincide.
| ut is lynch law" he cries. That is
thought. 1t is red flag. In the
Stiffness that follows on it's enunciation
there comes small voiced potent
question louder than the boom of a
gun. sfe
what As the crime for which the
llynching is prepared p
There, Mr.. Spencer. you surely did
forget. People do not lynch for triv
i.ial offenses as d rule. The criminal
who meets with summary punish
ment is a man who has violated d
condition which is inseparable from
| the good of society. When the con-
ditiohs are vital and the offense one
which cannot be met except by sum-
mary action lynchings result. 1t is
anarchy in a sense, to be sure, this
rising of whole community against
an offender of decency, but the first
anarchy is committed by the man
who suffers. Some years ago in the
West conditions were such that a
man was unsafe unless he had II
horse Under that regime the horse
attained u spectacular importance to
society. The man that stole horse
| therefore was lynched and sentiment
| approved the execution. Since the
war there has developed in the South
| a condition which was unheard of be-
| fore, which is so insidious, so infiam-
! ing that lynchings have resulted and,
| i'm spite of argument and theory and
abuse, will continue to occur. Lynch
ings are the product of self-protec-
ton, no more and no less. when they
follow upon the commission of GER