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GOV. ATKINSON'S J. Governor Atkinson, in his message, which was sent to the legislature yester¬ day, makes a sensational arraignment of mab and lynch law. He does not hesitate to declare that ■ Innocent men have been lynched during •his administration and as one of the remedies for mob violence asserts that a prisoner when assailed by a mob should ‘be given a weapon ‘by the officer in charge, be unshackeled, and 'be allowed to defend himself. The governor’s comments are at consid¬ erable length and are extremely striking. He says that any ’ woman can have a man murdered by a mob by simply de¬ claring that he had assaulted her and that under mob rule life cannot be safe. He -makes a strong plea for law and or¬ der and asks the passage of an act un¬ der which counties may be sued and verdicts of not less than $1,000 be obtained by the heirs of any man killed by a mob. The .governor sets forth his views on the convict question as already printed in full in The Journal. Among other thing-s he advocates put- ■'ting street railway companies under con¬ trol of the railroad commission. Stripped of purely routine matters, the message is as follows: NORTHEASTERN RAILROAD. On the 28th day of May, 1S96, after ad¬ vertising for bids as directed in act au¬ thorizing a lease, the Northeastern rail¬ road was leased to E. A. Richards & Co. at the sum of $1S,600 per annum, payable •- quarterly, for a term of 20 years, from the first day of June, 1896, and a bond taken In conformity to law. The rent was paid for two quarters. When the rent for the third quarter fell * due on the first day of March, 1897, it waji not paid, and when two months’ time. In which they were permitted under the law to pay this, had expired, the rent was still unpaid. By virtue of authority vested In me I then seized the road And have since oper¬ ated it for the state under the direct management of Hon, R. K. Reeves, who was appointed by me state agent. I submit herewith a statement showing the net earnings for each month for which report has been made to me: May...... ,$ 742 9S June..... , 751 50 July...... , 1,143 49 August.. . , 1,374 47 September, . 2,000 00 Total $6,012 44 The months covered by these reports are the hardest of the year, but it is grat¬ ifying to be able to -state that they show an increase over the earnings in the same period when previously operated by the state. Under present conditions we can safely rely upon (the net earnings of) the road earning a good income on the sum at which it was purchased by the state, to wit, $100,000, and it will more than pay in¬ terest on the series of bonds issued to re¬ tire the $287,000 of bonds on said road, up¬ on which the state of Georgia was en¬ dorser. As this is a short and dependent line, and in view of possible changes in the railroad situation which might impair and possibly destroy its value, I recommend that an act be passed authorizing the governor, at his discretion, to offer it for sale -whenever, In his opinion. It can be sold for the amount of the bonds issued by the state to cancel the series above mentioned. RAILROAD COMMISSION. Your special attention is called to that part of the report of the railroad commis¬ sioners in which legislation is recommend¬ ed to enlarge their powers, and to better enable them to enforce their decrees. These recommendations, briefly stated, are: Control of issuance of stocks and bonds of railroads. Removal of all doubt of authority of the commission to require the erection of de¬ pots, and additional power to require the construction of sidetracks. Power to regulate the interchange of freights and cars in order to secure to shippers the right to route their goods and to prevent discriminations. Speedier methods of enforcing the or¬ ders of the commission to compel rail¬ roads to immediately accord to the public rights which are due them. After asking for this legislation 1h« commission adds: “We have exercised, and are now exer¬ cising, all the authority that has beon granted us. Our experience, and the com¬ plaints continually received from the peo¬ ple, clearly Indicate that the additional authority recommended Is necessary to their protection. If they expect relief in these particulars they must look, not first ito this commission, but to their senators and representatives whom they elect to the general assembly, and who alone have the powdr to authorize the commission to correct the ills complained of.” You cannot be too careful in legislating upon the subject of railroad control. A wise and rigid control of these properties is of the utmost importance to our people, and is essential to tin growth of our com¬ merce. STREET RAILROADS. I advise that the authority of the rail¬ road commission be so extended as to give them pow T er to regulate charges on sire., railroads, and exercise such control over them a3 may be needed to give good ser- vice to the public, and adjust disputes be¬ tween them and the public when made by any party Interested, or by the author¬ ities of the city In which such street rail¬ road may be operated. The sole power to determine those questions should not vest in the street railroad corporations. The authority to pass upon them should be vested in some tribunal, and that tribunal should not be in the control of, or created by. those directly interested in the questions to be submitted to It. TELEPHONE SYSTEMS. The railroad commission now has Juris¬ diction over railroad, telegraph and ex¬ press companies. The same reasons wrhich induced the state to give them authority over these, demand that their power be so extended as to bring under their control all tele¬ phone companies. The charges made t>y telephone com¬ panies should 'be fixed by the comtnission. In my opinion they are now so excessive to their charges as to demand the Inter¬ ference of the state in behalf of the citi- aens. Each of these qpcmanlee Ma wha t are L usually termed* natural monopolies, and should be controlled by the government. EDUCATIONAL INTERESTS. There has been a constant and marked Improvement In our common schools. The steady and gradual Increase In the for their maintenance has resulted In multiplying the number of perm anent schools, arousing greater in¬ terest" among the people In education, the character of school build¬ and Increasing the efficiency of teachers. In this campaign against Ignorance our columns should not retreat, but move steadily to the front, until the enemy Is vanquished and the banner of light, knowledge and virtue floats In triumph the field. UNIVERSITY OP GEORGIA.. The people of the state are to be con¬ upon the ever increasing pros¬ and usefulness of their university. With the increased room and facilities furnished by your late appropriation thereto, and the purchase of the new farm, If assured of permanency of Its income, Its still greater usefulness can not to be doubted. On the 7th of October last two hun¬ dred and sixty-seven students had been registered. Of them sixty-five per cent, are members of various churches, to wit: one hundred Methodists, eighty-one Bap¬ tists, thirty-eight Presbyterians, thirty Episcopalians, five Catholics, six Jews, three Christians, one ’Lutheran and one Unitarian. Of the- fathers of those stu¬ dents, seventy-eight are farmers, forty- four lawyers, forty-two merchants, nine¬ teen doctors of medicine, nine bankers, six teachers, six preachers, and eight in¬ surance men, besides various other oc¬ cupations. For further details you are referred to the annual report of the chairman of the board of trustees, submitted according to law. GEORGIA SCHOOL OF TECHNOLOGY. I am pleased to note the increased at¬ tendance at the school of technology. The two hundred and twenty-five students now there give evidence that practical educa¬ tion is receiving serious attention of our peo-pte. The school offers scientific courses of high grade in mechanical, elec¬ trical and civil engineering. The. new dormitory is filled with stu¬ dents who are under wholesome regula¬ tions and protected from evil influences by the supervision of the authorities. A •high standard in scholarship and skill in shopwork is required, and the school •takes rank with the best technical Insti¬ tutions in the country. Georgia, being near the center of the cotton growing area of the Union, should provide for the instruction of her sons in the manufacture of cotton goods. New England has taken steps in this direc¬ tion for the protection and advancement of her manufactures. The textile schools which have been established at the north are bound to militate to the detriment of our own cotton industries unless they are met with similar institutions in the south. A department of textiles should be added to the School of Technology for the purpose of giving our young men the opportunity of becoming experts In the manufacture of cotton goods. I am as¬ sured that such a measure would re¬ ceive substantial aid from many promi¬ nent firms and citizens, and on account of the present excellent equipment of the school, the first cost would be reduced to a minimum. NORMAL-INDUSTRIAL COLLEGE, This institution, whose curriculum em¬ braces a literary, a normal and an indus¬ trial course, is doing a great work for the state by supplying its schools with well educated, trained teacher§, develop¬ ing the brain and increasing the culture of her daughters, and rendering them capable of being, when necessary, self- sustaining and independent. So great is the popularity of this col¬ lege that had its accommodations been adequate it would have in attendance 600 students. Several hundred applicants were tm» able to gain admission at th*s term un au- ^ount of the limited accommodations. The course of study in the normal de¬ partment is considerably in advance of the examinations given applicants for first grade license in our common schools. Under existing laws the graduates of the North Georgia Agricultural and Me¬ chanical college at Dahlonega, State Nor¬ mal school at Athens, Middle Georgia Agricultural and Mechanical college at Milledgeville, Gordon institute at Barnes- ville, are permitted to teach in the com¬ mon schools without further examination. I therefore recommend that the same right be accorded the graduates of the Georgia Normal and Industrial college. STATE NOMAL SCHOOL. This school has become a very valuable part of our educational system and Is worthy of your aid and encouragement. In the management of various public Institutions it has been found of great advantage to the institutions and a relief to the officers in charge to have some of tne trustee* located so as to be accessible to the institution. It is not advisable to cnange the personnel of the present ex¬ cellent board of commissioners who are charged with the immediate control of uie institution, and as their present num¬ ber, five, is rather small, I recommend that the -governor be authorized to ap¬ point, from the county of Clarke, two ad¬ ditional members to said board, DAHLONEGA COLLEGE. I enjoyed the pleasure of attending the commencement exercises of this very ex¬ cellent institution, and gladly testify to its usefulness. It is doing a magnificent work for North Georgia, and deserves the encouragement which it has received at the hands of the general assembly. The governor recommends the appoint¬ ment of a state penitentiary agent and that bids be received for all the state's purchases. He recommends that the state treasurer be authorized to lend out the sinking fund of $100,OCO on the state’s bonds. The governor makes war on bucket shops. He says: “The evil that Is being inflicted on the state by the operation of what is known as bucket shops is incalculably great. The possibilities of great wealth with which these places allure their victims are well calculated to mislead and en¬ trap men eager to grow rich, and is a tempting bait especially to young men. Lives are being constantly wrecked and fortunes squandered by these tempters. The material and moral welfare of the state -demand that the bucket shops be suppressed.” On election laws the governor says: Laws regulating elections should effect¬ ually prevent fraud, and so guard the right of the elective franchise that the destiny of our state will be entrusted only to those citizens whose ballot is unpur- c-hasaible. * * * The amount of money which can foe used by a candidate before the general assembly should be limited, the purpose specified by law, and the successful candidate should be required, before he assumes the duties of his office, to exhibit and file a sworn itemized state¬ ment of expenses whdeh should not ex¬ ceed the amount allowed' by Law. For a violation of .this daw he should forfeit his right to the office to which he is elected. The proposed measure should be suf¬ ficiently comprehensive to specify the purposes fb-r which money can be used in a campaign in a party primary or final election, and free officials from that obli¬ gation, which is incurred by personally receiving from others a contribution to aid in securing an election. IX, for Instance, candidates for the office solicitor gouQtai, judge. United states senator are permtrtoa. Dy airect contributions, to place candidates and the party authorities, In the respective coun¬ ties, under direct obligation to them by contribution to campaign fund, it will de¬ grade political life, put capacity and worth at a discount, and make money t'he test of merit. The Influence of money In politics Is alrendy too great, and should be promptly reduced to a minimum. All contributions for political campaigns should be made direct to the party offic¬ ials, and no man, not a resident of a county, should bo permitted to contribute to the county election. To prevent undue Influences of money from this source, such contributions should, in congression¬ al campaigns, be given to the district committee, and In state campaigns to the state committee, to be by them expended where -they think best. THE INCREASE OP CRIME. The Increase of our prison population Is a matter for serious consideration. In 1S6D there were only 393 convicts itl our peni¬ tentiary; in 1S71, 383; in 1S74, 61G; and now there are 2,337. This, of course, does not include these In t'he county chalngangs, numbering about 1,850. The number In the penitentiary would be even larger but for legislation by your predecessors, under the provisions of which a large number who were convict¬ ed of felony has been sent to the county chalngangs. In 1871, 13 per cent, of the convicts were white, and in 1897 $ per cent, are white. ■During this period the blacks In the penitentiary have increased 600 per cent. While the increase in white convicts has been small, our penitentiary has been rapidly replenished from the ranks ctf the colored population. The number o.f con¬ victs in recent years is much larger than lust after they were given their freedom. More were received Into the penitentiary In the year 1896 than in the years 1869. 1870 and 1871 combined. The whole num¬ ber of convicts received from the estab¬ lishment of the penitentiary, March 10, 1817, to October 26, 1S6G, a period of 49 years and 7 months, was 2,029; total num- iber received during the four years, 1894-5- 6-7, was 2,307. The following table will show the com¬ mitments to the penitentiary for the last eighteen (18) years: COMMITMENTS PROM 1878 TO 1896. Two years, Oct., 1S7S, to Oct., 1880 433 Two years, Oct., 1SS0, to Oct., 1S82 ...... 588 Two years, Oct., 1882, to Oct., 1SS4 696 Two years, Oct., 1884, to Oct., 1SS6...... 777 Two years, Oct., 1886, to Oct., 1888 ....... 775 Two years, Oct., 1S88, to Oct., 1S90 966 Two years, Oct., 1890, to Oct., 1892...... 1,090 One year, Oct., 1892, to Oct., 1893.. 711 One 3 'ear, Oct., 1893, to Oct., 1.894.. . 638 One year, Oct., 1894, to Oct., 1895.. 635 One j'ear, Oct., 1905, to Oct., 1896.. 528 Total for 18 years 7,747 This result has been reached in spite of the fact that in addition to what has been do>ne by towns and cities support¬ ing local school systems, we have spent within that time about four million dol¬ lars in an effort to educate the colored people that they may become better citi¬ zens. The governor adds: The best of the race intellectually and morally should be selected to teach in public schools. The law should require the school authorities to look closely into the conduct and character of each ap¬ plicant before license is granted to teach. This provision should apply alike to white and black. In every way possible we should endeavor to improve the morals of the people by Imparting, through the school room, correct principles and pure morality. The teacher should not only train the mind, but build noble charac- tere. CRIME AND LYNCHING. The graver crimes are of alarming fre¬ quency and more seriously affect that portion of our population who reside out¬ side -the towns and cities. In these sec¬ tions, the crime of burglary’, arson and rape have become more frequent than in the years of disorder which followed the civil war. The frequency of the offense of rape hds become alarming in the extreme, and seriously interferes with the security and comfort of living in the country. There are now dn the penitentiary 78 convicts for assault to rape, and 81 for rape. Of all crimes known to our 'lav/ these two are the most villainous. Their fre¬ quency has terrorized the people residing in rural districts, and bo aroused their fear and resentment that It has been im¬ possible In many of these cases to induce them to await the action of the courts. Since November 1, 1894, there have been 15 negroes lynched who .were charged with rape and assault "with intent to rape, and one white man who was oharg- ed with rape. In addition to these, there have been seven negro men, one negro woman and one whJte man lynched who were charg¬ ed with other offenses. Total for three years 22, or a flit tie more than 7 peT year. These occurred in the following counties: Appling, Clinch, Dooly, Habersham, Mon¬ roe, Montgomery, Muscogee, Talbot, Col¬ quitt, Twiggs, Jasper, Calhoun and Bibb. It is the duty of government to protect its citizens, and to do all that can pos¬ sibly be done to prevent the commission of not only the offenses which have pro¬ voked the people to resort to such a rep¬ rehensible remedy, but aJll offenses, and to guarantee to every citizen. charged with a crime a trial before an impartial tribunal, as guaranteed by the constitu¬ tion. In the discussion of lynching, let It he clearly understood that It Is not a ques¬ tion as to whether or not those guilty of crime shall be punished, but whether or not the innocent shall escape. Not a ques¬ tion as to whether the guilty shall be punished, but whether or not the act of punishing shall multiply criminals. In a free government like ours there Is no excuse tor lynching. If there is evi- dence to convict the courts will punish; if there is not. punishment should not be in¬ flicted. The courts of our state can be trusted to punish the guilty and protect our property, our persons, and the honor and virtue of our women. I am deeply concerned for a remedy for this evil that we may save from guilt the men who engage In It, and protect the In¬ nocent. who are too often sacrificed. TRIAL BY MOB. The mob is not a safe tribunal to Justly determine any cause. Not long since In this state It Is said chat a mob, which had gathered, failed to take action because of a division in their own ranks . . . one portion wishing to hang a man who had not been tried and the other, to liberate one who had been tried, heard In all the courts and sentenc¬ ed to be hanged for murder. The mob judges without a full and, com¬ plete hearing from both sides. Its mem¬ bers are not the most capable of judging, lit decides In passion and, too often. In whisky. How can It fail to make mis¬ takes and sacrifice the lives of the Inno¬ cent? I feel the more deeply upon this ques¬ tion because from the best information I can secure, I believe that during my ad¬ ministration there have been in this state several men lynched who, were not guilty of tne crimes with which they were charged. How many, can never be known, for their tongues are hushed, and •they ere denied an opportunity to prove their innocence. * am informed that one man, whom the mob believed to be guilty, was shot down. A question then arose as to his identity and ho wus salted down like a hog, shipped to the location of the crime and found to be the wrong man—an Innocent man. When an innocent man Is lynched /or a crime it servts to protect the guilty. The members of the mob, their friends, and sympathizers seek to impress it upon the community -that the right one has been punished and the guilty goes unsought and unsuspected. Even during this year, evidence has come to light, showing that in several states victims of the mob have been innocent men. During my term of office one man, who was rescued from the mob, was accorded a trial which re¬ sulted in showing it hat he was not guilty of the offense with which he was charged. Another lied from the mob to the execu¬ tive office and as.-tu for protection and a trial by jury. They were given him, and it developed that be was not guilty of the charge for which the mob endeavored to •take his life. To what extent this practice ha-s been or will be used for purposes other than the alleged- reason given to the public, will never be known. In one instance, not long ago, it was stated and accred¬ ited that a man who had been charged with rape came near being lynched. When, the truth became known it brought to light the fact that the purpose in preferring 'the charge was to have him lynched in order to suppress his evidence against parties who had been violating the prohibition law. In another instance a mar., charged with an assault upon a woman, escaped the mob which was in pursuit and established the fact that the charge was made against him to de¬ feat the collection of a debt. Had the parties been lynched it is not probable that their guilt would have been ques¬ tioned. These things serve to emphasize the importance of adhering to law, and of your so legislating as to suppress this evil, and guarantee to every one charged with crime a fair and impartial trial. Responsibility for the crime of lynch¬ ing rests not only upon actors, but upon community which shuts, its eyes to the crime and permits and tolerates it, and upon legislators who refuse to enact laws to suppress It. It can and will be stopped when the bet¬ ter element who deprecate mob law ag¬ gressively condemn and determine to sup¬ press the practice. It is no excuse to say that the north- sern people, w T ho have less to provoke them to it, lynch. Let us not take them as a standard; but rather show a higher type of civilization in our state, and erect here, a standard to which they may as¬ pire. LYNCH FOR WHAT CRIMES. Lynch law has not been restricted to cases where the charge was an outrage upon a female. In Texas a man was lynched simply to suppress his evidence; In Kentucky because he was objectionable to the neighborhood, and in Indiana five men were lynched for burglary. In our state, in the last three years, seven men have been lynched for murder, and one man and one woman because they were suspected of arson. WHEN CHARGE IS RAPE. Even had .’t been confined to offenses committed upon females it could, not be justified. To adopt it, in these cases, is to put the life of every man in the power of any woman who might for any reason desire his death. When such crimes are charged the passicr. of the people is more deeply stirred than .by any other, and the mob is quick to act. Yet viewed from the standpoint of rea¬ son and not of passion, there is less ex¬ cuse for lynching in such cases than in any other. Delay cannot be given as a reason, nor a fear that justice will be de¬ feated. At Monticello and Columbus the men -were taken out of the court room during the trial and lynched. In most cases they are taken from the custody of officers of the law, when they know that court will convene and give a speedy trial. For this offense, above all others, the courts are quick to try, and if guilty, the Juries certain to convict. It is not then that they fear delay or the acquittal of the guilty, but It is a de¬ fiance of law/ It is a desire to substi¬ tute passion for evidence and vengeance for justice. There being no excuse to be found for fear of either delay or failure of justice, but one reason is left, and that is the ob¬ jection to the outraged victim having to go into court ar.d relate the horrible story. That this is a terrible ordeal, every one must concede, but human life must be valued even above this trial. She would undergo this trial, not as a sacri¬ fice to the guilty, but to conform to the rules of law, which centuries of experi¬ ence have demonstrated to be absolutely essential for the protection of the. inno¬ cent. The truth cannot be had save by having both sides heard before an im¬ partial tribunal. To remove this objection, however, our law provides that, on such occasions, the judge may order the courtroom cleared of all save the jurors and lawyers en¬ gaged in the case on trial. There is, therefore, no Justification nor ^excuse for a resort to lynching, even in •this class of cases, when the defendant Is charged with the most dastardly and horrible of crimes. No man doubts in these cases that the law will punish the guilty, and if he did, he could not find a remedy by making a murderer of himself. The remarkable fact exists That in a. ma¬ jority of instances the party lynched is taken from the custody of officers. I can understand how a near relative of the victim of the lust of a human brute who sees before him the man whom he be¬ lieves has committed the outrage, and In the heat of passion, slays him, can enlist the interest and sympathy of a commun¬ ity; but how any one can fail to condemn those who are guilty of the cowardly act of taking from the officers of the law a man who is disarmed and helpless, and hanging him without trial, surpasses my comprehension. EFFECT OF LYNCHING. Both capital and worthy imigrants seek places where law is supreme and the fre¬ quent occurrences of lynching will ad¬ vertise ours as a lawless state and as a half-civilized people. It sacrifices the Innocent, brings law into disrepute, creates lawlessness, im¬ pedes material growth, and in the eyes of all the world lowers the standard of our civilization and degrades the character of our people, This barbarous practice does not de¬ crease. but increases crime. Having stained their hands in blood, its perpetra¬ tors are more easily led to again violate law. Recently a man tried on the charge of murder and convicted of shooting a citizen through the window, as he sat by ■his own hearthstone at night, confessed also that he It was who tied the rope around the necks of the two men who were lynched in Columbus in 1896. I con¬ demn It and will not apologize for such lawlessness. To exterminate the practice it must be made odious and dangerous. The penalty should be the scorn of the people and the punishment of the law. DUTY OF DEMOCRATS. There is no room for debate upon this question. If theie is, there is none for With them the question is There Is but one position the of that party can take. In the campaign In which the members this general assembly were elected, the party went to the people up¬ a platform adopted by the state con¬ In which this declaration is found, “Resolved. That we deplore and de¬ lynching* and favor the en¬ of such laws as will effectually prevent the same.” I now ask the men who were elected upon this platform to enact into law pro¬ visions which will In good faith meet the requirements of this declaration. I do n-ot believe that you will dally with this question, or pass laws which will be in¬ effectual. The Democratic party owes it to the to live up to the pledges which It made to induce them to entrust it with power, or to come DOldly to the front admit that it wilfully and deliberate¬ ly deceived to secure votes, and is un¬ the confidence of the people. Your action is to determine whether or not this can be truthfully uttered. To be honest is as much the duty of a party as an individual. Let the remedy which you apply be and severe. THE REMEDY. In* murder cases the complaint Is that cases can be too easily continued and unnecessarily delayed. I am not advocate of hasty trials, but of prompt ones. No one should be rushed into a trial involving his life w r hen passion in the county where trial is to be had is at white heat and a fair trial impossible. The law should in all cases permit the court, on motion of the defendant, or on Us own motion, or on motion of state at¬ torney, to change the venue to any county In the state. In determining whether or not to order a change of venue, the judge should be authorized to exercise a very broad discretion and act upon all knowl¬ edge -that he might possess bearing upon the question. If, in his opinion, a change oi venue is necessary to secure.a fair and impartial jury, he should order the change, and this decision should not be reviewed by the supreme court. The au¬ thority of the circuit judge in such cases should be made plain and ample, and all doubt removed as to power of the su¬ preme court to review his decision. This change in our law, I’believe, is the first step necessary to secure, in all cases, prompt and fair trials. In some instances it is difficult to cure a trial on account of the laws regu¬ lating the granting of continuances. This can be remedied by leaving to the trial judge the sole power to pass upon motions to continue, denying to the su¬ preme court the power to grant a new- trial on account of alleged error in so doing. The circuit judge who knows the parties, the case, and its history, and has the w-itnesses on the question before him, can better determine whether the motion is made for delay only, and whether a fair trial and a just verdict can be had without further delay than the supreme court. Every practioneer knows that the right of continuance is the most abused of all rights granted by the law in court pro¬ cedure. and in my “opinion the circuit judge will correct the abuse if empower¬ ed to do so. The law' which gives the defendant more peremptory strikes than the state should be so amended as to give each party the sarne number. Under the existing law power Is given the defendant to object without cause to so many jurors that he can, in many cases, pack a jury In his own interest. I have heretofore recommended to the general assembly, and again urge upon you, that the l&w be so amended as to punish assault ’with intent to rape w T ith death unless the punishment be reduced upon the recommendation of the jury trying the case, just as it may be done now when the charge is rape. Those who commit these offenses de¬ serve to be punished under the same law. It has been Insisted by some that the way to stop lynching is to provide for the prompt punishment of all who com¬ mit the crimes which provoke it. Neither the law’s delay nor the failure of justice can be given as an excuse for lynchings in rape cases. In dealing -with the offense of rape in our courts there has been for the guilty no delay and no escape, Courts are promptly called, trials had, and justice quickly administered. In' such cases the men whose names are iff .the jury boxes in Georgia can be relied-upon to convict. The evil will exist for a long time, if not disturbed, until public opinion is ed¬ ucated to the point where the condemna¬ tion is sufficiently intense and unanimous to make it impossible. It is therefore necessary that without waiting for this slow process, the major¬ ity representing law, order, justice and civilization, pass such legislation as will repress the lawless element and secure the reign of law. The certainty of prompt trials alone will not end lynchings. The delay of the law is a favorite excuse, but it is not the real reason for its existence. Other legislation is needed to aid in checking it. The arresting officer is now clothed with authority to take the life of the assail¬ ants when resisting their efforts to take a prisoner from his custody, and, and it is his duty to take life If necessary to protect the prisoner and retain him in custody. This he should be required to do at the hazard of his own life, or the prisoner should be unshackled, armed and given an opportunity to defend himself. The knowledge on the part of the mob that this would be done would deter it from pursuing- its lawless purpose, and the law would be permitted to protect the innocent and punish the guilty. That it may be ascertained whether or not the officer having the prisoner in cus¬ tody does his full duty in every instance, I recommend the passage of a law re¬ quiring a thorough investigation In every case and providing adequate punishment when he falls short of the full measure of his duty in protecting his prisoner. When this is done he should be ineligible to elec¬ tion or appointment to any office until his disabilities are removed by the general Assembly. The administrator or family of a party taken from the custody of an officer and killed should be authorized to recover from the county the full value of his life, which in no case should be less than $i,000. This provision will not only, by appealing to self-interests, make the stronger Influences in each community active in opposition to lynchings, but up¬ on principle, Is but doing Justice to the family of the victim, When the irtate takes charge of a prisoner it Is Its duty to protect him against all dangers save the penalty of the law Inflicted for the crime with which he Is charged, and for failure to do so, It Is just for damages to be paid. It cannot be seriously contend¬ ed that the state has a right to disarm a citizen charged with crime, render him powerless to protect himself, and then surrender him to those who seek his life in violation of law, without Justly incur¬ ring the obligation to pay damages there¬ for. THE CONVICT QUESTION. The governor’s message so far as it re¬ lates to the convict question has been al¬ ready published In full in The Journal. The governor holds that the misdemea¬ nor convicts should remain under the con¬ trol at t'he counties and that the camps tehould be regularly inspected by an officer state. The governor reiterates his declaration to the Democratic convention when he was nominated, that he would veto bill ro-establlshlng the present lease system. He opposes working the convicts on the roads. The governor proposes the creation of a commission which shall be In full control. He wunts a tract of land on which t'he boys, women and men who are not able- bodied shall be maintained. Able-bodied convicts he wants hired out for a term of five years under control of the state. Meanwhile he would with the labor of the other convicts build a central penitentiary. The final disposition of the able-bodied convicts he would leave' to be disposed of at the expiration of live years. The plan provides for a reformatory for boys and girls. The governor also recommends the crea¬ of a board of pardons and urges some law which will equalize the assessment of taxes. He also urges the return of $240 which Miss Ella M. Potvell paid for the state of as the state's share toward the monument. BRYAN IX OHIO. Nebraskan Begins a Short Campaign at Montpelier. William Jennings Bryan began a short campaigning tour in Ohio Wed¬ nesday morning. He traveled in a private car. The first meeting was at Montpelier, where an audience of five thousand per¬ sons from all parts of the country as¬ sembled. Mr. Bryan questioned the honesty of the vote of Ohio last year, and then took up the silver question. “I wish to submit some propositions for republicans to talk about, for the democrats are with us,” said he. “It is only necessary to talk to republicans who were wrong last fall, in my judgment. The gold standard is a bad thing for the United States, and we should not submit to it, because the finan¬ ciers of Europe want it.” He said the republican party up to this time had never declared that the gold standard was a good thing. It promised last year, he said, to do w hat it could to get rid of the gold standard. He then reviewed the work of the monetary commission which President McKinley sent to Europe, and said its mission had failed because the money changers were opposed to it. improved Mr. Bryan attributed the financial condition of the United States to the discovery of gold in Alaska and to the famine in India, which, he said, the republicans were rejoicing over. From Montpelier the train was hurried to Defiance, where an after¬ noon meeting was held. There was a large crow r d at the depot as the train arrived in Defiance, and crowds had assembled at the stations along the way. An audience of five thousand people, a majority of listened whom were the re¬ publicans, it is said, to Defiance speech, which did not differ materially from that delivered at Montpelier. AVOMEN AS CAMPAIGNERS. They Crowd Cooper Union Hall in the Interest of Seth Low. A New York dispatch says: Cooper Union was never before the scene of such a strange political meeting as that which took place there Wednes¬ day afternoon. The majority of those at the meeting were women from Mur¬ ray Hill and Riverside drive and West End avenue at that. The women were adherents of the Women’s Municipal League, which advocates the election, of Seth Low, and the meeting they got up was designed to show what they could do in a political way, even if they did not have votes. The men who came in for hisses were princi¬ pally Croker and Platt. Colonel George E. Waring,the street cleaning commissioner, called the meet¬ ing to order and introduced Mayor Strong as chairman. Mayor Strong said he was a dyed-in- the-wool republican and had always voted the republican ticket, but it was because he loved the republican party that he proposed to vote against tho republican ticket,clean out the Augean stables and place that party on a firm, foundation. ELEVEN DEATHS. The Fever Record In New Orleans Wednesday—Fifteen New Cases. The warm weather which prevailed at New Orleans Wednesday had an ap¬ preciable effect on the yellow fever situation, there being a high death rate; but,, despite this fact, the situa¬ tion as compared to that of Tuesday, which was not reassuring, is about the same. There were fifty-two new cases and eleven deaths reported for the day. The increased daily death rate is convincing the unbelievers that the prevailing fever is genuine yellow jack. The fumigating corps is being worked as hard as it can go, being sent from one end of the city to the other. SPAIN WANTS M0NJ5Y, Minister of Finance Declares Another Loan Is Absolutely Necessary. The Frankfort Zeitung (Berlin) pub¬ lishes a dispatch irom Madrid which quotes the Spanish minister of finance, Senor Puigcerver as saying that a fresh, large loan is necessary, as the funds of Spain will be exhausted in June, 1898. The Cuban war, the finance minis¬ ter is said to have added, puts his country to a monthly expense of 45,000,000 pesetas, and the civic and military departments of Spain are be¬ hind in their payments. At Port Moresby, New Guinea, the other day, six young native girls pleaded guilty before a white magis¬ trate to a charge of theft. As they were rather young to send to prison, his Worship took each offender across his knee and spanked her.