Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1915-06-25
A THE GALLONS.

The scenes being witnessed in Atlanta over
the communication by the Governor OF Georgia OF
the sentence of death passed by the courts on Leo
NJ. Frank, convicted Of the murder of the unfor-
tunate girl, Mary Phagan, are, to say the least,
not at all creditabIe to the law-abiding spirit and
becoming conduct of the citizens of the States
capital.
Performing his duty, as God gave him to see
it, the Chief Magistrate of the State, Governor
Slaton, without the slightest show of usurpation
of power, and in a manner clearly and unques-
tionably in keeping with the letter and spirit Of
the law, met the grave responsibility resting upon
him, as Georgia's Chief Executive in a time of
supremest test, with a degree Of courage and
fidelity to right worthy Of the highest praise,
But such is the prejudice existing over there
against the condemned man, and such the anger
of the ~populace and the degree of resentment
aroused by the lawful efforts of Leo Frank, his
attorneys and his friends to save him from the
gallows, that the hoodlum element of Atlanta and
vicinity, which sadly is much too large for the
peace and dignity of the community, resorted to
disgracefully outrageous means to the end that
the Gov ernor of the State should be mortified and
mutiliated for exercising, as he deemed wisest and
best, his legal prerogative.
As Chief Executive of a great State, in the
matter of extending executive clemency in a case
he deemed worthy, the Governor simply stood by
his obligations-moral, political and official. He
owed what he did in the premises to the people. i
was only what was due to himself, to the State o.
Georgia and to a condemned citizen of the State
in other words, what he did was simply hi
duty to God.
And his action, despite the fuss and fury anC
angry demonstrations it has aroused at his home
entities him to the respect and admiration o.
iustice-loving, Christ. following and God-reverenc
ing people everywhere.
"A prophet is not without honor, save in hi
own country and in his own house., and 50 i
matters little what condemnation he may recciv'
at the hands of the multitude, prejudiced ant
swept from their feet by the fierce passions engen
dered by the ~atrocious crime that carried the un
suspecting young girl to her untimely grave, tn
great body of the American people, (who, beinI
away from the scene of the d~astardly deed, ar
able to view the facts presented at the trial calml
and dispassionatelv, and weigh impartially all tn
testimony in the case) will applaud Governo
Slaton for exercising his right of lenlency in eX
tending to Leo Frank the benefit of the doubt t
which he appears to be so clearly entitled.
In doing that. the worst that legitimately ma
be said of his conduct is, he was too much in
clined to temper justice with mercy. and that is
fault-if fault at all it be-which leans to vii
tues side.
Had Governor Slaton been a temporizing, time
serving. responsibility-evading demagogist, popr
larity-hunting official, he could easily have foun
shelter behind the action of the coults and shirke
obedience to the dictates of conscience by permi'
ing the execution of the courts sentence to pass
without let or hiudrance, on his part.
But, no made of sterner stuff, and havin
eyes to see and ears to hear, he perceived his dut
and dared to do it, and is being subjected to til
derislon of the low-nung crowd who stop not
consider the soundness of Jesus injunction, to /
found in st. Matthew, chap. vii, V. 1-2.