The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1918-07-26
DENOUNCED
MOB SPIRIT
Pres. Wilson Tells Ameri-
cans That 1t Is Blow to
Ordered Law
AND ATTACK ON
"HUMANE JUSTICE"
He Is Anxious That Every
American Community Shall
Rise Above It

Washington, D. O., July 26.-President
Wilson to-day, in personal statement,
addressed to his fellow countrymen, de-
nouncing mob spirit and mob action,
called upon the nation to show the world
that while it fights for democracy on
foreign fields, it is not destroying democ-
racy at home. The president referred
not alone to mob action against those
suspected Of being enemy aliens or en-
envy sympathizers; he denounced most
ernphatically mob action of all sorts, es-
pecially lynehings, and while he did not
refer specifically to lynehings of negroes
in the South, il is known that he inelud-
ed them in his Characterization Of mob
spirit as "a blow at the heart OF ordered
law and humane justice"
It is known that the lynchngs of ne
groes, as well as attacks upon those sus-
pected of being enemies or sympathizers,
have been used by the German propagan-
da throughout Central and South Amer
lea, as we'll as in Europe, to contend that
the pretensions of the United States as
champion Of democracy are sham,
Deeply concerned by the situation, the
president decided to address his fellow
countrymen, and to declare that every
mob contributes to German lies about
the United States what her most gifted
liars cannot improve upon by way Of
calumny."
The presidents statement in full, fol.
lows
My fellow countrymen: take the liber-
ty of addressing you upon subject which
so vitality affects the honor Of the nation
and the very character and integrity of
our institutions that | trust you win
think me justified in speaking very plain
ly about it,
Il allude to the mob spirit which has
recently here and there very frequently
shown its head amongst us, not in any
single regian, but in many and widely
separated parts of the country. There
have been many lynchings, and every one
of them has been blow at the heart Of
ordered law and humane justice No
man who loves America, no man who
really cares for her fame and honor and
character, or who is truly loyal TO her
institutions, can justify mob action while
the courts Of justice are open and the
governments of the states and the ma
ton are ready and able to do their duty.
We are at this very moment fighting
lawless passion. Germany has outlawed
herself among the nations because she
has disregarded the sacred obligations of
law and has made lynchers Of her armies.
Lynehers emulate her. disgraceful ex-
ample. |, for my part, am anxious to
see every community in America rise
above that level, with pride and fixed
resolution which no man or set of men
can afford to despise.
1--WE proudly claim to be the cham
pions OF democracy If we really are,
in deed and in truth, let us see to it that
we do not diseredit our own. / say
plainly that every American who takes
part 10 the action of mob or gives any
sort of countenance is no true son of
this great democracy, but It's betrayer,
and does more TO dlscredit her by that
single disloyalty to her standards Of law
and right than the words of her states
men or the sacrifices Of her heroic boys
in the trenches can do to make suffering
peoples believe her to be their saviour.
How shall we commend democracy TO the
acceptance of other peoples if we dis
grace our own by proving that II is,
after all, no protection to the weak
Every mob contributes TO German lies
about the United States, what her most
gifted liars cannot improve upon by the
way of calumny. They can at least say
that such things cannot happen in Ger
many except in times of revolution, when
law is swept away
Il therefore very earnestly and sol
epnly beg that the governors Of all the
states, the law officers Of every commu-
nifty, and, above alb the men and women
Of every community IN the United States,