“Lynch Law Condemned,” Cleveland Gazette, December 9, 1899

Lynch Law Condemned

President McKinley had the following in his annual message to congress last Monday: “Those who, in disregard of law and the public peace, unwilling to await the judgment of court or jury, constitute themselves judges and executioners, should not escape the severest penalties for their crimes.”

“What I said in my inaugural address of March 4, 1897. I now repeat: The constituted authorities must be cheerfully and vigorously upheld. Lynchings must not be tolerated in a great and civilized country like the United States. Courts, not mobs, must execute the penalties of the laws. The preservation of public order, the right of discussion, the integrity of courts, and the orderly administration of justice must continue forever the rock of safety upon which our government securely rests.”

Source: http://dbs.ohiohistory.org/africanam/page.cfm?ID=19239. (Document 5.10.5)