The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1912-11-11
PEOPLES FORUM
The Aliens and the Law.
The Richmond virginian:

Sill write a word to commend the clear
headed, sober minded attitude of The virginian
toward the movement for olemency toward
young Allen
The entire situation is heart breaking one
No man can contemplate 1t without n clutch
ing at the heart, and almost Overwhelming
sense of sorrow for all concerned in IT, It is
all tragedy. The violation Of the law was
tragedy. The execution OF the law is tragedy
But the evasion OF the law by those who
have the responsibility for 1t, would be far more
tragic still To condone crime is but To court
crime. To make II easy for one murderer TO
escape the penalty of his crime is but to lncie
other men to do more murder still And thus
the endless chain of crime. and murder goes
on.
This whole terrible Hillsville tragedy is but
the product of previous and fagrant evasions
of law and easy escape from the results ot
crime
All over the land courts have been slow
Endless delays have been the rule Legal
technicalities have multiplied Then after the
courts, by laborious processes and careful weigh
ing OF testimony, have convicted the criminals
the tender hearted and sentimental have r,if \
and petitioned for clemency. Governors have
committed sentence, and then. presently. par
don is asked for and obtained
The result Is crime, and still more
crime. The murderer and thief seeing how
easy 1t is to escape. go on and recklessly gam
Bile in the life and possessions OF other people.
If the Aliens and Edwards of Carroll county
had believed that swift and adequate penalty
would he melted out to them, they would no,
have been so free to violate the laws Of the
land. .-..-a4-=
II the boys had believed that they would be
punished for interfering with public worship
they would have stayed away from the meet =
ing house. II Floyd Allen had believed he
would be punished for interfering with an off,
Ger, he would have let the boys and the officer
alone II the whole clan had had a simple
wholesome faith in the administration of jus
tice, and had believed that the penitentisry
and electric chair really waited them nj Rich
mond. they would have been exceedingly sh,
Of shooting up the court at Hillsville.
Because they had been taught to believe Il
an easy thing TO escape the penalty of crime
they took their dreadful chances 1t was moi
courage that moved them 1t conte ~
for the courts. bred by lax administration and
easy escape from penalty.
We. will not decry the spirit OF mercy hat
moves In many hearts. nor call it weak and
that and nothing else. But not always.
But we must not, cannot. overlook tn. ter
rible crime that was committed We mus. not
be diverted by charges of previous animositief
or prejudfces The fact remains that the Aliens
came TO the courthouse armed and ready, under
a certain. well-understood contingency to de-
liver their kinsman, and If necessary, to de
strov the court And they did what they came
to do with terrible directness and deliheration
To bubble over who shot first and who shot
last. is to palter with the grim facts. The
Aliens came to do the thing they did and they
did the thing they to do.
II Is worth while also, while trying to excite
sympathy TOT the Aliens, to note mat not
single Allen seriously hurt When they
ulted the court, they did not line up and
attack in body. and thus expose themselves
to the fire of the officials OF the court. They
carefully disposed themselves where they could
concentrate fire on the court. and not Of
them be exposed. There not a vestge II
COURAGE in the action. II was simple cowardfy
assassination. The young man for whom rcy
IL sought not standing beside his fsAthe.
In the open. He did his deadly work from a
safe coigne behind the crowd of spectators.
Governor Mann has more than once had to
stand in the breach between the broken hearts
OF pleading friends and the broken laws OF the
Commonwealth. It Is not an enviabe position
Ills sympathies have doubtless gone out to
the troubled But his devotion TO law and ordar
has been stronger than his sympathy for the
individual. He will doubtless stand firm in
this trial.
n the governor Of a great mmonwealtf,
viii not respect the courts of the state ind
their findings who can be expected to do so?
J. H LIGHT.