The broad ax., 1906-04-28
REV. JOHN ROACH sTRAToN
SPEAKS or Moes AND
LYNcHINGs.
Recent LawIessness Held a Degrade
ton and Disgrace to Nation.

Inc TCCCub LuOOS NJ SPAA-e-3S ~
end Springfield, Mo-. were made the
theme for a sermon by Rev. John
Reach Straton last Sunday morning at
the Second Baptist church. He en-
titled his subject ''The Reign Of Law
lessness." Next Sunday a second SER
mon will be preached on The 2ea-
sons and the Remedies for LawleSs-
ness" Pastor Straton took as his
text the sixteenth verse of the third
chapter of Ecclesiastes: 81 saw un-
der the sun the place Of judgment,
that wickedness was there; and the
place of righteousness, that iniQuity
vas there"
In tracing the origin Of law 1t was
shown how it moved up through de-
sire for vengeance until the beautiful
idea of justice was reached. The
speaker said that American law was
the most Just and glorious that tho
earth had seen, and yet, strange to
say, violations of law were becoming
more fragrant and more universal In
our country than In, perhaps, any
land under the sun. Population is in
creasing rapidly, but crime is increas-
ing still more rapidly. The oficial
records show that there have been
the appalling number Of 1000 muF-
ders and homicides In the United
States in the last twenty years. More
Americans have died by each others
hands in these twenty years than the
number Of Russians and Japanese
killed in the campaign of Mookden.
The annual crop Of murders increased
from 1,SO0 in 1885 to s,400 in 1904.
Crimes in high places were referred
to.
Characteristic LaWIeSSness.
But" said the speaker, perhaps
our most characteristic form Of law
lessness is labor riots and 1ynching.
Lynching is a distinctiyely American
institution. In all the years Of Eng
1ish history there never has been q
lynching. while our brethren Of Can
ada, Just across the line from us, are
free from this disgraceful custom,
which is becoming more and more a
menace to the highest and most sa-
cred things for which our country
stands. II the present deplorable ten
dencies be not checked the custom of
burning particularly obnoxious Grim
inals promises to become as popular
a spectacle in the United States as
the blody bull fights Of Spain. Al
ready, as at Newman, Ga, and Corsi-
cana, Tex, special trains have been
run to these burning bees, while the
scene Of the burning Of the Negro at
Terre Haute, Ind, an event stu fresh
In our minds, was actually photo.
graphed, the picture selling at fancy
prices. We are told in the description
Of the photographs that between the
two groups Of the mob can be seer
the body Of the Negro lying upon the
hre.,
Degradation OF Citizens.
The hendish passion which fired
the hearts Of the mobs at Springfield
o., and Springfield. Mo-, show to what
depths Of degradation many Of our cit
izens have fallen. In the long and
bloody annals Of savagery there has
net been a more diabolical fIlustra,
tion OF the free play Of blood lust and
the other elementary passions.
1T Is indeed a sad state Of affairs
when citizens Of our free, country are
hunted down and driven out like rats
from their holes and then burned at
the stake, while their fellow citizens
dance around the human bonfire IN
nendish gIee. Law Is benencence d.
rected by reason: mob action d
hatred acting On impulse. Law Is the
handmaid Of Justice; the mob. is the
heIlish gratihcation of personal ven
seance. Law Is the security Of civil.
zation; mob action is treason and q
relic Of barbarism FOR crime under
laW the state 4 responsible: for crime
under mob rule nothing under heaven
ls responsible. Governor Folk was
exactly right when be said in recent
speech that every man uho partici-
pated n the burning Of these Negroes
st Springfield wassa murderer. and it
Is q be hoped that those who have