The Forrest City times., 1911-07-21
THOU SHALT NOT. .

of God and man: at least in the heart Of all good men who have conscience and mind to obey the command ment and the laws of their country. No man should ever take the life Of a fellow creature until he has exhausted every means at his command to avoid it, and then only in the protection of his own home and life. Iflife is to be taken lightly, carelessly or thought lessly. then your life and mine is not safe. The penalty of requiring life for life, when taken unlawfully, is in our judgment not so much to exact such sacrifice. as it is to cause all men to stop and consider beyond the possi- bility of doubt their own justifica tion. Lives have been taken by good men, and lives will continue to be taken by good men to the end of the world, but never until they have been convinced that they had no other recourse. That conviction may have come in an instant or it may have been weeks, months, or even years in formation. It is of course a matter in many instances requiring the finest and the keenest discern ment to arrive at justice, hairs breadth, so to speak, in the scales Of testimony and justice being the di- viding line, and the law presuming every man to be innocent until he is proven guilty. This obviously is to protect the innocent from the machi- nations of enemies or interruptions witnesses, spite and hatred for real or imaginary wrongs.
 The Times comedies the righteous ness of our laws, and we cannot and have no desire to set ourselves up as a court to try any case in point.
 BUT
 There are too many murders, killings, or whatever you wish to name the taking of human life, in this county. We have called atten- tion to this fact on several occasions before now There is scarcely week in the history of this county that we do not record killing, and yet strange to say, of all that have been con- mltted within quarter century, only two killers have paid the death penalty for their crimes, both negroes. Are we winking at murder, Has it become such common thing that We give it but passing thought, and dismiss it from our minds? If so. then the day is not long distant when murder and anarchy will reign su- preme in this good county. Can we afford it: Not by a whole lot. The law is no respecter of persons, color or previous condition. Under the, law. and that IS the only protection we have, unless we make each law unto himself, the white and the black must stand before it and jury Of his peers and be tried by it and the evidence. feace officers must first bring the ac- cused to the bar of justice, and there he must be given full and free hear ing, and upon that hearing twelve men must say that he is guilty or not guilty. But after he is adiudged guilty he still has the technicaities of the law 10 fall back upon, and herein IS the weakness of our system. fury system, II you please. so where shall the line be drawn? It must be drawn just here: Every peace officer must first de his duty; be he principal or deputy, his own life should be req sonably clean, and especially must he himself keep the law It is not meet that a peace officer should break the law in anywise, because it is no less violation of the law, and in a manner. like minister, he must set an ex- ample Of the faith that is in him. One cannot himself gamble, drink at an unlawful bar, nor commit other in- decencies or crimes, and then set hlmself up as keeper of the law. Every court officer must do nothing less. The jury must be selected, not Tor their ignorance, but for their in- telligence and fairness. They must be men of undoubted integrity, and fearless. None of the aforesaid shall. in the formation of their verdict. take into consideration anything no matter what IL may be. except the law and the testimony. Upon these de. pend the safety of our lives. our homes, our country.
 There is something wrong some where. Either the officers are not doing their duty, or the juries are holding life too lightly There must be examples of open and true justice, Nothing less will put a stop to the ruthless, murderous hand. If we wink at murder we wink at the safety of our own lives and our homes are un- protected. It is time to call halt. Time fa thinl- and art Time f0 mt