Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1906-12-05
PRESIDENTS MESSAGE!


q law prohibiting corporations from
contributing to campaign funds. IIe
"iso urges the passage of the measure
comforting upon the government the
rlght{of appeal IN criminal cases on
questions Of law. Continuing, the
president says:
cannot too strongly urge the pas
sage OF the bill in question. A failure
10 pass 1t Will result in seriously ham
pering the government in its effort to
obtain Justice, especially against
wealthy individuals or corporations
VINO DO wrong. and may also prevent
the government from obtaining justice
Tor wageworkers who are not them.
serves able effectively to contest case
where the judgment Of an Inferior
court has been against them. I have
specihcally in view recent decision
Oy district judge leaving railway
employees without remedy for viola.
tion Of certain so called labor statute.
Inc Importance of enncting into law
the particular bill in question Is fur
fher Increased by the fact that tile gov
ernment has now definitely begun a
policy OF rcsortlng to the criminal law
IN those trust and Interstate commerce
cases where such Il course offers n rca.
sonable chance of success.
/. Proper Use of Injunct,on,.
! In my last message suggested the
enactment of law in connection with
the Issuance of iniunctions, attention
having been sharply drawn to the mat.
ter by the demand that the right of ap-
plying injunctions In labor cases
should be wholly abolished. 1t Is at
least doubtful whether n law abolish.
Ing altogether the use of Injunctions
In such cases would stand the test Of
the courts, In which case. OF course, the
legislation would be ineffective. More
over, l believe it would be wrong alto
gether to prohibit the use OF in1unc-
lions. 1t Is criminal to permit SYM
pnthy for criminals TO weaken our
hands in upholding the law, and if
men seek to destroy life or property
by mob violence there should be no I'M
pairment of the power of the courts to
deal with them In the most summary
and effective way possible. But so
far rs possible the abuse Of the power
should he provided against by some
such law as advocated last year.
Agninnt Lynching.
call your attention and the atten-
tlon 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 In one part Of our
country, now in another Each Sec
ton, north, south, east or west, has
Its own faults. No section can with
wisdom spend its time jeerIng at the
faults Of another section. 1t should he
busy trying to amend its own short
comings. To deal with the crime Of
corruption it is necessary TO have an
awakened public conscience and to
supplement this by whatever legisla-
ton will add speed and certainty in
the execution Of the law. When we
deal with lynchlng even more Is neces-
sary. A great many white men are
lyiched, but the crime Is peculiarly
frequent In respect to black men. The
greatest existing cause of lynching is
the preparation, especially by black
men, of the hideous crime Of rape the
most abominable in all the category
of crimes, even worse than murder.
Lawlessness grows by what 1t feeds
upon, and 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 oil. while considerable
of the individuals lynched
are innocent of all crime
There Is but one safe rule in dealing
with black men rs with white men.
1t Is the same rule that must be APP
piled in dealing with rich men and
poor meu-that is, to treat each man,
his color, his creed or his so.
clal position, with even handed justice
on his real worth as n man. White
people owe II quite as much to them
selves as to the colored race to treat
well the colored man who shows by
his life that he deserves such treatment.
There Is no question Of social equality
or negro domination involved.
In my judgment, the crime Of rape
should always be punished with death.
ms is the case with murder. Assault
with intent to commit rape should be
made capital crime, at least In the
OF the court, and provision
should be made by which the punish
mcnt may follow Immediately upon
the heels of the offense.
No more shortsighted policy can he
imagined than In the fancled interest
of one class to prevent the education
Of another class. The white man, If
he Is wise. will decline TO allow the
negroes In IL mass to grow to man.
hood and womanhood without eluca.
ton.
"Prenchcrs of Mere Discomfort"
In npaliD,r wifi, bnfl, Inl,n,. ar.l nan