The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1918-07-31
THE PRESIDENTS APPEAL

il Is expressed with an eloquence and
a feeling that he has never surpassed.
Every part of it is worthy of quota
ton and repetition until its lessons
are fully driven home, but the follow
ing paragraph taken from it will
serve as a sample of the whole:
I'VE proudly claim to be the cham
pions of democracy. If we really are,
in deed and in truth, let US see OF 1t
that we do not discredit our own. l
say plainly that every American who
takes part in the action of a mob or
gives it any sort of countenapce as
no true son of this great democracy,
but is a betrayer, and does more to
discredit her by that single disloyalty
to her standards of law and OF right
than the words of her statesmen or
the sacrifice OF her heroic hoys in the
trenches can do to make suffering
peoples believe her to be their savior
How shall we commend democracy tc
the acceptance of other peoples If we
disgrace our own by proving that it
Is, after all, no protection to the
weak? Every mob contributes to Ger
man 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 can
not happen in Germany, except in
times of revolution when law is
swept away"
This covers mob violence of every
kind whether inflicted on a supposed
German sympathizer or on negro
who has been accused of an unspeak-
able crime. There are agencies
through which justice can be done in
both classes of cases and there is no
certainty that justice will be done by
mob which acts ON impulse rather
than reason.
The newspapers Of the land can add
no weight to the appeal of the Presi-
dent, but it is as much their duty to
do their part in this matter as in any
other We have laws to cover all
cases. The negro who is lynched
would be convicted and visited with
the extreme penalty if evidence of his
guilt were so completely furnished
as to constitute proof and surely nj
sane man wishes to inflict punishment
without proof. The law also cover.
seditious utterances and seditious
conduct, and those who violate /
would be punished by the proper au
} thorities if proof were made. It is {
matter for the proper authorities t
handle for If 1t is handled by mob
many who deserve punishment will
escape any many who do not deserv
. it will be punished.
. The campaign of hate that is be
3 ing conducted in this country is en-
" tirely out Of place. One speaker VIII
professed to be soldier from tn
5 other side of the ocean made state
S ments that General Pershing recent
h took the pains to characterize a
s. false. Our soldiers are fightin
e bravely and they are risking thei
d lives but they are risking them in
way so honorable that we have see
n cases where they have won prais
+ even from the enemy. There is n
Il bravery in fighting on this side an
Vt the government does not wish tn
e stay-at-homes to inflict illegal ver
y geAnce on defenseless men. We al
d sure that our boys who are standin
Is up before Germans who have guns
k their hands are ashamed Of the COZ
e duct of those who attack the defens,
lie less at home. The successful fight
le conducted coolly and for the bushes
of winning. That is how our boy
l. are fighting. They are not hampere
" by frenzied hate.--Jacksonville Time
l. Union.