The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1922-06-15
Lynching Is Only Murder.

During May 10 negroes were lynched in
Texas. Nine of them were burned, shot or
hanged. One shot and his body burned by
a mob of people from Texas and Arkansas. The
lynching was carried out in broad daylight in
nearly every case The perpetrators wore no
masks, and no attempt was made, at least ser
iously to curb the murderous passions that in
cited the butcheries. Whether all Of
these 10 men were as guilty as the self-appoint-
ed executors thought they were no one can
ever know. 1t is now stated, even by Texas
newspapers, that the man shot and burned in
Waco county entirely innocent of the
crime for which he was murdered. For lynch
ing is nothing but murder. plain and simple;
murder in the first degree. 1t is very likely
that nothing will be done TO punish the offend
ers. The governor has recommended the pas
sage of special legislation at the coming SEES
sion TO try the guilty ones in another county
This looks like mere show of trying to com
ply with official duty. Nothing will be done as
a matter of fact Texas law-abiding citizens
seem to be in the minority just at the present;
or. If they in the majority, it is a great
silent, inefficient majority and mob rule is
in power
There is nothing to be said in favor of
ynching. The very best argument for it, that
is, that it prevents other crimes of the same
nature as that which prompts the inhuman act
of retaliation, IS self-refuting. For attacks on
girls and women have not been stopped by
lynchinss, which have been going on since the
Civil war ended. Neither is the crime for
which these men were lynched confined exclu-
sively to the negro race. Every state in the
union has or has had its quota of.white men,
sometimes mere boys, who have been punished
for similar crimes against girlhood or woman
hood. There is no doubt that such crimes are
the blacklist that ever defiled human nature
But lynching will not stop them Every case
of lynching is anarchistic performance 1t
proclaims its defiance of all laws its distrust
Of American laws; its belief that no justice can
be obtained in this country; its proclamation
that the only way left is for men TO give vent
to their unbridled passions for revenge and
cruelty. Thus those men place themselves on
the same level of the fiends they put to death;
only their sordid passion takes different an
gle. Instead of beastly lust it is more sanguin-
airy animalism. the primitive desire to shed
blood for the pleasure of getting even.
When Texans get over their thirst for the
blood of offending negroes they will realize
that the best and only way TO deal with such
crimes is to let the courts settle the matter
There is great deal said, too much in fact
about the unfatrness of courts and the remiss-
nuss Of judges and all that The truth is that
our courts and judges as good and efficient
as can be found anywhere. Lynching has
proved a miserable failure Let Texas and
other states in which lynchings occur, try the
only real American way of letting the courts
punish the colored offenders against women
and girls 1t is the-only proper way, and the
only way rorts1yeuf free people