The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-09-05

An Example Of Local Public Senti-
ment in the Frank Case.

~
To THE EDITOR OF THE SuN-Sir: viii
you not publish "A line In defence Of
much maligned Georgia i'm particular,
and the South IN general. regarding the
lynching of Leo Frank? The Northern
newspapers have been filled with de-
nunciation and abuse for the past few
weeks n there seems to he no man
to take up the cudgels or even say a
word in our behalf. As a Southern
born newspaper man I wish to say a
few words, words which may serve to
correct some wrong impressions.
In the first place mobs are not pc
culiar to Georgia. Wherever the feel
ings and senslblIities of a people are
outraged beyond eNpreasion and officials
are either loath to, or refuse TO, do
their duty, the mob spirit breaks out.
There have been ~lynchings in Pennsyl-
vania, Ohio, Illinois, and even that yir-
Ituous community o. New York itself.
We newspaper men Of the South Con-
denim mob violence and we know that
the lynching OF Frank was most un-
fortunate. but the point I wish to make
is that IL the people of any Northern
state had been wrought up 10 the pitch
that thousands OF Georcians were in
the Frank case an attempt would GER
tainly have been made by a mob, or
vigilance committee" II you please, to
take the law into IFS own hands.
The cruS of the entire affair IL ut
the State prison farm near Milledgcville,
and the blight to the State, which you
Northern people insist exists. lies in
the failure OF the state To protect ia
prisoners. Georpians believe that Gov
eruor Harris shutild susprud ar diimiss
every attache of the State farm who
was remotely connected with the Frank
affair. And the most solemn part Of the
entire matter is that A mob of twenty
five men may visit the prison farm and
take any prisoner away and lynch him.
Feeling against a murderer
In almost any community may get 50
strong that AT least TWENTY-FIVE men
want to lynch MIN and Il, seems tina:
TWENTY-FIVE or less IL all that is ncces.
sarv to hold up every guard at the
farm and release or lynch one or nfty
prisoners. depending merely upon the
within of the mob leader.
The Chicago Tribune, a paper which
formerly had a good reputation, makes
n fool OF Itself and saws that the South.
illiterate and uncultured. il a disgrace
TO the nation. New York neyspapers
pirate about Georgia being ian outlaw
state" And vet Georgia with all her
troubles does not SEND young girls to
pprdition through the Whitr slave route
by the thousands as do New York
AMI Chicngo. nor does il have thugs
and euumcu whose business IL is To
aas,sslnate and to murder. II Georgia
remains "a n .oycretgn state for 1000
vcurs sh, will not have within her bor-
Gers such dcus Of lnidulty as exist in
the cultured" Northern cities.
Really. Mr.. Editor. shall not be
surprised IL the Northern and Western
ncwspapcr start an agitation to deny
our represeutttiysS "A seat in Congress.
Tn. State which uurtural Ben Mn. Bob
ruomhs and Alexander stephens seems
to rave gotten beyond the pale. and for
doing lust exactly In. thing which would
have been attempted AT cultured Cam
bridge. elite f.lmira or pious pittshurg.
IL is tn Ice hoped that the authorities
IN thog. cities would be better able to
protect a prisoner than were the Georgia
authorities. for one good man and true
with "A steady eve and an iron nerve
could have stood within that prison
building at Millcdgcvillc and killed half
a dozen "yIgllantrs," 30 to speak.
do not wish to be misunderstood
au not unfolding the lynching Of
Frank and think IL Is a sad state of
Affairs that "A mob OF twenty-five can
invade our state prison ard take a prlS-
uner away and lSuch hun. But ! do
wish to remind those fanatics Of the
North who see us only as outlaws that
in their own yirtuou. ~ommunitie lust
such an affair may occur.
The Governor may offer rewards OF
81 .. An= A.A -. -. ---4.