The Wenatchee daily world. [volume] (Wenatchee, Wash.) 1905-1971, 1909-06-01


The greatest danger in a republic
is mob, and as long as states in
flict the penalty of death, mobs will
follow the example. If the state does
not consider life sacred. the mob.
with ready rope, will strange the
suspected. The mob will say: THE
only difference is in the trial; the
state does the same-we know the
man is guilty-why should time be
wasted in technicalities?
Every execution tends to harden the
public heart-tends to lessen the
sacredness of human life. In many
states of this Union the mob is SUI
preme. For certain offences the mob
is expected to lynch the supposed
criminal. 1t is the duty of every cit
lZen-and as it seems to me especial
ly of every lawyer-to do what he can
to destroy the mob spirit. One would
think that men would be afraid to
commit any crime in a community
where the mob is in the ascendency,
and yet, such are the contradictions
and subtleties of human nature, that
ut is exactly the opposite. And there
it another thing in this connection
the men who constitute the mob are,
as rule, among the worst, the low
est, and the most depraved
A few years ago, in Illinois, a man
escaped from jail, and in escaping,
shot the sheriff. He was pursued.
Observation-Disclosures. The man who
put the rope around his neck was then
out on bail, having been indicted for
an assault to murder. And after the
poor wretch was dead, another man
climbed the tree from which he dan
gled and, in derision, put a cigar in
the mouth of the dead; and this man
was on bail, having been indicted for
larceny
Those who are the fiercest to de-
stroy and hang their fellow men fo1
having committed crimes, are. for the
most part, at heart, criminals them
selves
AS long as nations meet on the
| fields of war-as long as they sustain
the relations of savages to each
lother-as long as they put the laureI
and the oak on the brows of those
who kill-just so long will citizens
resort to violence and the quarrels Of
individuals be settled by dagger and
revolver
VIII
If we are 10 change the conduct
of men, We must change their con
dltlons. Extreme poverty and crime
go hand in hand. Destitution mul
tiplies temptations and destroys the
finer feelings. The bodies and soul:
OF men are apt to be clad in like
garments. If the body is covered
with rags, the soul is generally in the
same condition. Self-respect is gone
the man looks down-he ha:
neither hope nor courage. He be
comes sinister-he envies the pros
perous-hates the fortunate and de
spises himself
AS long as children are raised il
the tenement and gutter the prison.
Will be full The gulf between thu
rich and poor will grow wider ant
wider. One will depend on cunning
the other on force. 1t is a grea
question whether those who live il
luxury can afford to allow others t,
exist in want. The value of prom
erty depends, not on the prosperit,
of a very large majority. Life ant
property must be secure or that sub
tie thing called value takes if
leave. The poverty of the many is ;
perpetual menace If we expect ;
prosperous and peaceful country. tn,
citizens must have homes. TIL,
more homes, the more patriots. tn,
more virtue, and the more securit,
for all that gives worth to life.
I We need not repeat the failure.
Iof the old world To divide land.
lamong successful generals, or amons
favorites of the crown, to give vas
estates for services rendered in war
lis no worse than to allow men o.
great wealth to purchase and hole
vast tracts of land The result i:
precicely the same-that is to say.
nation composed of a few landlord:
and of many tenants-the tenants re
sorting from time to time to mol
violence and the landlords dependins
upon a standing army. The property
of no man, however, should be taker
for either private or public use with
I ont inst pnmnpp ,u1