Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1908-11-20

retributive punishment, and that the
juror who undertakes to discriminate
as between different classes of offen-
ders destroys his fitness as a juror and
as citizen.
The essence of the law is justice, OF
at least equality. Every man has a
right to absolute equality before the
law, and that right cannot be denied
except at the ultimate expense OF
those who would assume to make the
denial. Justice and equality are forces
that are not to be permanently evaded
and the individual who tries to evade
foolish.
The whites of this country have a
feeling Of superiority over the negro
and we have no hesitation in saying
that in a general way that feeling of
superiority Is we'll founded. But in
both a general and specific way we as
sert that this superiority is never dem
Onstrated in doing the negro injustice
To be still palmer, we will say that the
white man who undertakes to deny
absolute justice-God's justice-to the
negro is not superior to the negro
Worse than that he is not capable of
being Just to his fellow white man.
In seeking a reason for the confess
edly widespread disrespect for and
disregard of law, Judge Hydrick is no
doubt correct in attributing most of
it to example. and he is very happy in
his illustration of the manner in which
children follow in the footsteps Of their
elders. and this suggests another feat
ure of the situation that seems to be
entitled to special attention.
Unfairness and injustice to the poor
ignorant negro offender Is by no means
the most dangerous source Of weak
ness to the law. There are still other
sources, of far more dangerous poison
and not the least Of these is to condone
and overlook the moral slips Of degen-
crate offenders higher up. In Geor-
gia not long ago, an embezzler was
pardoned from the penitentiary be-
cause of the disgrace his Imprisonment
was supposed to bring on respectable
and influential relatives. 1t is fact
that many such offenders actually es-
cape being indicted even for this very
reason, and although our penal system
is calculated to withstand many abuses
it cannot reasonably be expected to
withstand a strain like that Con-
donation, or overlooking of the degen-
crates higher up, necessarily operates
to give license to the degenerates low
er down.
But after all, there should be no
great difficulty in the complete re-es-
tablishment Of law and order in this
country. All that is necessary is for
every honest man and woman to lend
his and her assistance. Under the ex-
listing condition of affairs, the initia-
tive in a prosecution for crime is left
to the individuals most aggrieved
Where an offense is Of public ma
ture, individuals are disposed to stand
back with hands off. All who know OF
such offenses should bring them to the
attention of the proper authorities, and
people who take the initiative in such
matters from a sense of public duty
should have the backing and support
Of the public.
On the subject of punishment of
crime, there is nothing wrong with
public sentiment in this country. Pub
lie sentiment is wholesome, honest and
exact 1t is to the effect that crime
should be punished, regardless of the
individuality or environments Of the
offender. 1t is a fact that this senti-
ment has never censured jury for
doing it's duty. 1t manifests impa-
tience only when a jury shows itself
to be weak or allows itself to be be-
guiled into going against truth and
justice.