The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1928-02-17

table-the governor of southern state loses his
life at the hands of mob bent on lynching negro
prisoner He supports the law and opposes mob
fury-a figure of weird romanticism so far re-
moved from our prevailing culture any time these
thirty years, that here must protest that fiction
has exceeded all bounds.
Who ever heard of public official unafraid Of
a lynching mob?
Governments and officials, brave in their piano.
ply of office belle their nature even at the rumor
of mob. What is the function of government? To
enforce obedience to law, to compel submission
What are its arms? Armed men, civil sheriffs,
constabes and deputies; militiamen, estate troop
ers" regular army forces; pistols, rifles, machine
guns armored cars, gas bombs, bombing planes
These arms it employs without stint or limit in all
civil connections save one. There is strike, and
there are military cordons; marching paraders (un
armed) are ridden down by cavalry fusilladed by
infantry, shattered and driven to cover Against
those who make more bold and armed resistance
are used machine guns and airplanes; in South At
rca union hall was wrecked by an airplane
bomb; in West Virginia bombing planes were used
against the rebel mOuntaineers in recent memory.
Against conventional criminals Ito be fair to
governments) strong means are EMPLOYED Gang
wars lind officers ready to take their chances and
TO use ruthless methods of attack A few wears
ago. the mails threatened marines were detail
ed with riot guns and rifles to protect this function
Oh government, with notable effect Government
lmprisons with complaisance it hangs and electro
,cutes with junction.
In all these instances, government advances
against its objective, at worst stands firm But
in the face of a lynching mob, government abdi-
Gates. 1t parleys, it wheedles, it skulks, it runs
away Government literally and exactly adopts
the tactics of the criminal Glass; and seeks to evade
a direct issue of enforcing the plain and simple
duty of enforcing civil law. The law itself hides
out
The modern instances of these remarks are fresh
in public notice. though by most people not given
second thought. Hickman, securely manacled and
incapable of escape, must be sent to Los Angeles
by detour in order to be protected from a mob
which was merely spoken of, never actually as
sembled Hoteling, in the placid state of Michigan
unarmed confesslng and unressting, must be
rushed by country crossroads, arraigned before a
magistrate at some fence corner, brought secretly
to court for plea and sentence-for what? Because
Of fear.
Whose fear? The governments fear; the law is
afraid. The sovereignty itself is too timid to as
What government ever yet was without ample
power to overcome unorganized violence? But
this particular kind of unorganized violence gov
eminent in America is not yet brave enough to
face, and has not been in this generation.
What is a lynching mob but an assemblage of
murders? There are in the United States today
at least some thousands of such murderers who
not only were never prosecuted nor arrested after
the fact, but were unhindered by law officers at
the scene; in many cases tacitly encouraged. Nor
is that all the story. To these killers no social
stigma has attached. Their portion has been
weak-worded censure by editors at the worst, ar
aesthetized and anointed by private commendation
Good citizens misled by their justified emotions"
and other such rot The rope is divided for souve-
Mrs, the justified citizens gayly wash the blood
from their hands, return to their fresides to read
their newspapers, and due time vote for the sheriff
who abandoned the helpless victim, and for the
governor who was unable to act in time"
There is no mystery about the matter. The pub
lie officers afraid of losing votes, the editors
of losing circulation. What public officer was ev-
defeated at the polls for failing to stop lynch
ing? There is no explanation of the notorious
condition save one and that is distinctive mark
of American culture from which few if any COM
munities are exempt. The typical American of
today believes in mobs. He has assimilated thor
Oughly into his mental makeup the expression of
the smoking compartment "They oughtn't to waste
time in trying that fellow. He knows that lynch
ers are safe; he knows that they never get hurt
and that those who try to interfere usually do
He knows that the officers are afraid. He knows
that If ne protests he will become unpopular per-
haps lose caste, certainly lose customers On the
whole, ne is rather pleased with the excitement of
the thing and is hurt and surprised that any should
think it reflects unfavoraby on his neighbors.
Europe smiles. Canada eevates her nose. Latin
America, we'll versed in the protection of Ameri-
can lives and property" by our Marine Corps holds