Albuquerque evening citizen. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1905-1907, 1906-12-04

most competent to express their judg-
/ ment in such matters, and above all
! those belonging to the great and honor
able profession of the bar. so profoundly
\ influential I'm American life. take the po-
sition that there shall be no criticism
OF a Judge under any circumstances
! their view will not be accepted by the
! american people as whole. In such
/ event the people win turn to. and tend
| TO accept rs justidable, the Incorporate
and improper criticism uttered by un-
/ worthy agitators. Surely IL is a mis-
/ fortune to leave To- such critics a func-
/ ton, right In itself. winch they are GER
I tain to abuse. just and temperate criti-
cism when necessary, is a safeguard
against the acceptance by the people as
a whole OF that Incorporate antagonism
towards the judiciary, which must be
combated by every right-thinking man.
and which, IL il became widespread
among the people at large, would con-
stitute a dire menace to the republic
LYNcHiNG.
j In connection with the delays of the
tlaw, I call your attention and the atten-
tiou of the nation TO the prevalence of
crime among us. and above all TO the
epidemic of lynching and mob violence
that springs up, now i'm one part of our
country, now in another Each section,
north, south, east, or west. has it's own
! faults; no section can with wisdom
spend its time ieering at the faults or
another section; IL should be busy try
ing TO amend its own shortcomings. 10
deal with the crime of corruption Il is
necessary to have an awakened public
conscience. and to supplement this by
whatever legislation will add speed and
certainty I'm the execution of the law
When we deal with iynchinE even more
is necessary. great many white men
are lynched, but the crime is peculiarly
frequent in respect to black men. The
greatest existing cause OF Iynching Is
the preparation, especially by black
men of the hideous crime of rape-the
. Iraa.. 81. aa.a.N "A III n.
crimes, even worse than murder Mobs'
frequently avenge the commission of
this crime by themselves torturing TO
death the man committing it, thus
aFenging in bcstlal fashion a bestial
deed, and reducing themselves to a level
with the criminal
l.awlessness grows by what II feeds
upon; aud when mobs begin to lynch for
rape they speedily extend the sphere Of
their operations and lynch for many
other kinds of crimes, so that two-thirds
of the lynchings are not for rape at all;
while considerable proportion of the
individuals lynched are Innocent of all
crime. Governor Gambler. of Georgia,
stated on one occasion some years ago;
n can say of verify that 1 have, with
IN the last month, saved the lives of
half a dozen innocent negroes who were
pursued by the mob, and brought them
to trial in court OF law In which
they were acquitted" As Bishop Gallo
way OF Mississippi, has finely said:
.'fdci5 ois8ingUisias 10 ahigh cis slization
Is SURRENDERED The smob which lynches
a negro charged with rape will In "A lit
tie while lynch white man suspected
Of crime. Every Christian patriot In
America needs to lift up hts voice in
loud and eternal protest against the mob
spirit that is threatening the integrity
of this republic Governor Jelks, of
Alabama, has recently spoken as fol-
lows: The lynching of any person for
whatever crime is inexcusa ne anywhere
1T Is a defiance of orderly government; (;
but the killing Of innocent people under
any provocation is infinitely more hOr-
rible; and yet innocent people are likely
To die when mobs terriOie lust Is once
aroused. The lesson is this; No good
citizen can afford to countenance "A de-
| lance of the statutes, no matter what
the provocation. The innocent frequent
y suffer, and. 1t is my observation.
more usually suffer than the guilty. The
white people of the south indict the
whole colored race on the ground that
even the better elements lend no assist
anCe whatever In ferretinR out criminals
of their own color The respectable col
ored people must learn not to harbor
! their criminals, but TO assist the Off
GERS in bringing them to justice. This is
the larger crime, and IL provOkes such
atrOcious offenses as the one at Atlanta.
The two races can never get on until
there Is an understanding on the part
of both TO make common cause with the
law-abiding against criminals OF any
color"
Moreover. where any crime committed
10y a member OF one race against n
member of another race is avenged in
such fashion that II seems as II not the
individual criminal, but the whole race,
is attacked, the result il to exasperate
Co the highest degree race feeling, There
Is but one safe rule I'm dealing with
black men as with white men. IL Is the
same rule that must be applied in deal
ing with rich men and poor men, that
Z II a W
/ color. his creed. or his social position,
with eVen-handed justice on his real
worth as man. White people owe IL
quite as much 10 themselves as to the
colored race to treat well the coiored
man who shows by his life that he de-
serves such treatment; for IL is surely
the highest wisdom to encourage In the
colOred race all those individuals who
are honest, Industrious, law-abiding, and
who therefore make good and safe
neighbors and citizens. Reward or pun
ish the individual on his merits as an
individual Evil will surely come I'm the
, this just rule the habit of treating ali
the members of the race. good and bad,
alike There Is no question OF social
equality" or negro domination" inVolV-
ed only the question of relentlessy pun
ishing bad men, and of securing to the
good man the right TO his life, his lib
erty, and the pursuit of his happiness
as his own qualities of heart, head, and
hand enable him TO achieve IL.
Every COlorod man should realize that
the worst enemy of his race Is the negro
criminal and above all the negro Grim
inal who commits the dreadful crime of
rape: and II should be felt as ia the
highest degree an offense against the
whole country and against the ColOred
race in particular, for "A colOred man 10
fail to help the officers OF the law in
hunting down with all possible earnest
ness and zeal every sucn Infamous Of
fender. Moreover, in my judgment, the
crime of rape should always be punished
with death as Is the case with murder;
assault with intent to commit rape
should be made capital crime, at least
I'm the discretion Of the court; and pro-
vision should be made by which the pun
ishmeut may follow Immediately upon
the heels Of the Offense; while the trial
should lC so conducted that the victim
need not be wantOnly shamed while Civ
ing testimony, and that the least possi-
BILE publicity shall be given to the de-
tails,
other hand should understand that
every lyuChiug represents by just 80
much a. lOosening OF the bands of civil
ization. that the spirit Of lynching in
eyitably throws into prominence In the
community an the foul and evil crea-
tures who dwell therein. No man can
take uart in the torture of a human be-
ing without having his own moral ma
ture permanently lowered. Every lynch
ing means just so much moral deter
loration in am the children who have
any knowledge of Il, and therefore just
So much additional trouble for the next
generation Of Americans.
Let justice pe both sure and swift; but
let il be Justice under the law, and not
the wild and crooked savagery Of a
mob
direct bearing upon this matter or
lynching and of the brutal crime which