The Nashville globe. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1906-193?, 1918-02-22

NOlloIlIullOu VI IH6 OHlleu OJdJSS.
The right of trial by an impartial
jury of the State is vouchsafed to
every defendant, every person
charged with a crime before he can
be legally subjected to punishment
for any infraction of law with which
he may be charged. These provi-
sions are the bulwark of our liberty.
They are the ground upon which we
base all our security of life, liberty
and property; nor can he be de-
priyed of these without due process
of law. In the organic law of the
land we are told that the right of
The people to be secure in their
persons, houses, papers and effects
against unreasonable searches and
seizures shall not be violated.
We feel that these fundamental
principles of the laws of our land,
in letter and in spirit, have recent
ly been grossly and hagrantly, vio-
lated. We believe that there is a
remedy for all these evils. Under
this right of petition we have come
to you, Governor Rye, to ask that
you set in motion all the legal and
judicial machinery of our State
Government with view of putting
an end, for all time to come, to
such inhuman, illegal and cruel prac-
tices as have been recently perpe.
trated upon men of our race in this
State. Mob violence for the punish.
mani of NaUrnoo in tb;e S+o+o
charged with crimes and misde.
meanors of greater or smaller de.
gree, has become of such frequent
occurrence as to create alarm in
the minds of all of us and to give
the warning that no member of our
race Is safe when such charge, Justly
or unjustly, is lodged against him
We hope that there are laws al
ready on our statute books to rene
dy these wrongs and we trust that
men may be found who will bring
them out from the dusty files that
they may be put into execution and
forever put an end to the work of
mob which is constantly bringing
dishonor and disgrace on our State
and upon our Christian civilization
We come to you on mission of
peace and good will. in an effort to
save the innocent: but in no sense
to protect or shield the guilty from
that punishment meted out by the
law, however severe it may be. We
are law-abiding citizens and it is our
desire to live or to die bv it's man.
dates. And what we ask for our
selves we expect to be visited upon
others The man or set of men who
wlllfully and unlawfully takes the
life of a fellowman ought to be
made to feel the strong arm of the
law and to suffer whatever penalty
the peoDle and the law have pre-
scribed for his or their offense.
The black man in this State is
the most unprotected being that
breathes the breath of life. The fish
ill the waters are protected; the
birds of the air are shielded; youl
horse and your COW are cared foi
by statute and no one dares mis-
treat or abuse them, lest the game
laws, or the society for the preven
tion of cruelty to animals, or the hu
name commission will be after him
If either of these were purposeIy
burned to death in a public place i
would arouse such horror and indig
liation in the minds of the people al
that the Immediate punishment O
the offender would be demanded anC
he would be forced to pay the pen
atty that the law prescribed. Yet
public announcement may be made
that human being is to be burned
he is burned and no law can bt
found to punish the men who burr
him.
And here the question arises
What are we to expect; to what des
tiny are we to look forward? How
soon may the same fate overtak,
some of us who have lived peacea
bic. long and orderly lives in ou
communities About two years ag,
1t was in Fayette County, eigh
months ago in Shelby County, fou
months ago in Dyer County,
week ago in Franklin County. |
this spirit is allowed to stalk abroad
unmolested, who can tell how sooi
it may reach Davidson County? w,
are glad to see that all classes o
our good people in this State ar,
aroused to sense of the enormity o
the mob conditions that encompass
us. We are grateful to the nobl,
men, the kindly women, the courag
eous press of Tennessee, who hav,
taken up this cause and are mould
ing public sentiment that we trus
will render future repetition o
these deplorable occurrences impos
sible.
Governor Rye, we do not expec
any one to perform impossibilities
but we think we see in this crisis
an opportunity for you to throw
yourself in the breach and render tn,
people of this State, and the Gauss
Of humanity service that will for
ever endear you to them and in tn,
years to come cause all their progen,
to rise up and call your name ant
your memory blessed.
The seriousness of the situation
is sufficiently grave to set ever.
iaw-abiding citizen to work in tn,
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