The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-02-10
LETTERS TO EDITOR
Causes of Lynch Law
the Editor off The Age-HeraId

To the Editor of The Age-Herald: For many years I have read editorials in our daily papers and letters from
 the pens of gifted writers bearing on that subject most vital to the southland, "The Lynch Law" But unfortunately each writer, blinded to it's course, has approached the subject from the wrong point of view and consequently wasted his powder by shooting into space. The lynch law has today reached an alarming stage, and unless something is done to stop it there is no telling what it will lead to. But no matter how much we deplore the awfulness of the thing we must admit it has a cause
 and only by ascertaining and removing that cause, can we ever hope to effect cure To ascertain the cause we must go back to its beginning and trace it to its present stage.
 It can safely be said that the lynch law or mob rule had it's real origin during the reconstruction days follow ing the civil war when the northern
 man, filled with hatred for his south ern brother, dominated the war pill 1 laged southland and began to instill hatred in the heart of the negro for his former master. The negro spurred on by his northern friend, CD soon be- | came boldly defiant and openly asserted l that they were going to have white wives. This condition of things soon led to the organization of the "Ku-Klux I Klan," without which the southland would never have come into it's own. | And right here may be stated the fal- 1 lacy of attempting to crush mob rule | by the power of the law For no greater efforts could be made with tha t | purpose in view than those of the Yan- 1 kees in power at that time in their attempt to crush the Ku-Klux Klan. but l no one ever knew of a member of the "Klan" falling in the hands of the law. ! When the south had finally regained | part of its former self and order be- gan to come out of chaos the Ku-Klux | Klan was disbanded and men were
 won't to let the law take it's course.
 However, their desire to abide by the
 law soon received very rude shock. When women were summoned as wit lnesses in case of criminal assault they
 were asked and required to answer the most indecent and altogether unneces- sary questions. At such, red blooded men rebelled, and said to themselves:
 Before we shall permit our women to
 be subjected to such outrageous pro- ceedings in the courts of law, we will ! attend to the brutes ourselves" Thus the mob rule again came into being. | At that time the lynch law was only ! invoked in cases of criminal assault upon women, but as time sped on and
 the machinery of law became more and more clogged by the 'scorn" of techni- calities resulting in many miscarriages
 of justice the scope of lynch law was extended to murderers.
 Today, with our laws choked to death l by internal technicalities, and an in- l creasing number of yellow lawyers
 to take advantage of them in their ef- forts to shield from justice criminals
 whom they know to be guilty of the most dastardly crimes the securing of justice has become almost impossible l in the courts. As aresult we can pick
 up the paper most any day and read of a lynching for lesser crime than | murder.
 | Criminals and would-be criminals know nothing and care less about God and the punishment in the life to come It is only the present punishment they | fear, so it is up to us to remodel our | laws to comply with condition or let the lynch law go on it's way Yours livery truly J. A. kEARLEY. Birmingham, R. 1, Box 199. February | & 1916