Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1906-12-04
EPIDEMIC OF LYNCHING.

. Epidemic W LYNChING.
Rule Of Mob Represents Loosening Of
~ Bands of Civilization.
In connection with the delays of the
law / call your attention and the at
tention of the nation to the prevalence
Of crime among us, and, above all, to
the epidemic Of lynching and mob vio-
lence that springs UP, now in one part
of our country, now in another. Each
section, north, south. east or west, has
Its own faults. No section can with
wisdom spend it's time jeering at the
faults of another section. 1t should
be 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 lynching even more is necessary.
A great many white men are lynched,
but the crime is peculiarly frequent In
respect to black men. The greatest ex-
listing cause of lynching is the perpe-
tration, especially by black men, of
the hideous crime of rape, the most
abominable in all the category of
crimes, even worse than murder. Mobs
frequently avenge the commission Of
this crime by themselves torturing to
death the man committing it, thus
avenging in bestial fashion bestial
deed and reducing themselves to a
level with the criminal. Nv *
@ Lawlessness grows by what it 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 all, while considerable pro-
portion of the individuals lynehed are
innocent of all crime Governor Can
dler Of Georgia stated on one occasion
some years ago. Il can say of a verify
that have within the last month saw
ed the lives of half a dozen innocent
negroes who Were pursued by the mob
and brought them to trial in court of
a law in which they were acquitted"
As Bishop Galloway of Mississippi has
finely said: When the rule Of a mob
obtains. that which distinguishes Z
high civilization is surrendered. The
mob which lynehes a negro charged
with rape will in little while lynch =,
white man suspected Of crime. Every
christian patriot in America needs to
lift up his voice in loud and eternal
protest against the mob spirit that is
threatening the integrity of this re-
public" Governor Jelks of Alabama
has recently spoken as follows: THE
lyaching of any person for whatever
crime is inexeusable anywhere. 1t is a
defiance of orderly government. But
! the killing of innocent people under
q any provocation is infinitely more hor-s
rible, and vet innocent people are like
5$ly to die when a mobss terrible lust is
once aroused. The lesson is this: No
good citizen can afford to countenance
a defiance of the statutes, no matter
what the proyocation. The innocent
frequently suffer and, 1t is my obser-
= Walton, more usually suffer than the
guilty The white people Of the south
indict the whole coIored race on the
ground that even the better elements
4 lend no assistance whatever In ferret.
ing out criminals Of their own color.
The respectable colored people must
learn not to hafbDr their criminals, but
to assist the officers In bringing them
b to Justice. This is the larger crime.
! and it provokes such atrocious offenses
as the one at Atlanta The two races
can never get gu until there is an TN
derstandilg on the part Of both to
make common eause witt, the law
abiding against criminals Of any color
Treat Each Man Justly. ,|s
.$$ Moreover. where any crime commit
ted by a&nlember Of one race against d
member of another race is avenged III
such fashion that It seems as If not
i The individual criminal. but the whole
race, is attacked the result is to exas.
perate to the highest degree race feal
ing. There is bnt one safe rule in deal
ing with black men as with white men;
4 it is the same rule that must be app
Piled In dealinss wi til rich men aud poor
mem that is, to treat each man. what
ever his color. his creed D. his social
position with even handed justice Oh
i his real worth AS a man White pes.
pie owe it quite as much to themselves
as to the colored race I'd treat well
/ the col0red man who shows BY his life
that ne deserves such treatment, for Il
rs surely the highest wisdom to en-
courage In the colpred race all those
indiyi duais who are honest, indnstri
otls, law abiding. aud who therefore
make good and safe neigh bors and eff.
4 liens Reward Of punish the indiyids
tlai on his merits as an indiyidtIal
Evil will surely come hi the end ta
beth races y substitute for this
Just rule the habit of treating iii the
naeanbess Of tlle race. good and Bad
alike There Ii 40 question Of .socfai
equality or slisro domination if.s
v51gasI. only lie 5iiest iofi of reies,tless