The Republican journal., 1922-01-19
LYNCHING


bill to put stop to lynching has been
-,assed in the House of Representatives.
Nearly all the republican members voted
in favor of the bill and the democratic
members voted against it. There was a
protracted debate before the vote was
taken and on the part of some of the op-
moments the attack was partisan, going
back to the days Immediately following
the Civil War In reading these speeches
we found that no southern member claim
ed that lynching is right but they stren-
ously claimed that it was expedIent and
even necessary to safeguard their wives
as lighters. The effort to make this a
a s' question was failure because
saer. : few democrats in the North who
ou the administration of punishment
for crime to an infuriated mob or to the
Ku Kux Klan. Thousands of the best
men in the south and many of the leading
newspapers there are on record against
lynching. They fully recognize the fact
that the southern courts will promptly
punish mudercrs, ravishers and other Of
Tenders and that lynching is brutal vio-
lation of law and disgrace to any State
where it is allowed and condoned We
believe that President Wilson, more than
three years ago, voiced the sentiment of
the people north of Mason and Dixon's
line, democrats and republicans, when he
said to them:
"There have been 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
re ally cares for her fame and honor and
character, or who is loyal to her insttu
&ions, can justify such action while the
courts of justice are open and the govern
sment of the States and the Nations are
ready and able to do their duty.
az therefore very earnestly and solemnly
beg that the governors of all the States,
the law officers of every community and
above all the men and women of every
community in the United States, all who
revere America and wish to keep her name
without stain or reproach will CO. operate,
not passively merely, but actively and
watchfully to make an end of this disgrace
full evil. 1t cannot live where the commun-
ity does not countenance it." When Mr..
Wi lson made this clarion appeal for law
and order he rose immeasurably above the
realm of policy. When the democratic
representatives from the South were op
posing a law designed to prevent lynching
they were taking politics. Worse than
hey were trying to justify lawless-
brutality and midnight murders, and
Ding this for the votes of southern
a-r nd their sympathizers. Few of our
rea Sers are aware of the extent and afro
city of lynching in the United States.
The debate in the House brought out the
following facts: In 80 years, reckoning
from 1889, 3,224 persons were lynched in
d this country. OF these 2. 224 were negroes,
so of these being women. The South was
charged with 2. 8S4 of these illegal killings,
Georai ia leading with 368 while Mississip-
N; was a close second. In 1919 there were
8s lynchines all but seven of them were
in the South and were negroes. Eleven
of these were burned at the stake, two were
beaten to death, twenty-four were hang-
ed. thirty. one were shot and the others,
some by torture, some by drowning anu
otbers were wounded unto death and left
Ito die. In 1920 there were % iynchines
ssnd all were negroes except SIX. Fllty-
three of these lynchings were IN the
South. Eight of these victims we're burn
I'D. thirty-one were hanged, fifteen were
shot. two were drowned and one was hog
sed to death. This is the CHASTITY record
of Iynching in the United States
The provisions of the anti lynching bill
are easily understood. One is to punish
those officials who fail to do their duty.
Another is to punish those who partici-
nate in these mobs and kill people, and
.Dother is to punish communities in which
Iync hings take place, by levyina tax OF
lO.(CO upon that community, the pro-
ceeds to be used for the family of the per-
.son killed if there be any and if there is
no family the community fine is to 60 to
the government. The bill will next be
heard from in in the Senate and there
will doubtless be q long debate there.
whether the bill is a wise one in all its
proyisions we will not presume to say,
! hut We are convinced that lynchinas have
sbeen tolerated too long in this enliGhten-
80 country and some means should be
sadopted which will at least make them
s1ens frequent.