Tuesday, 29th June 1915: Appeal For Law And Order Made By The Governor, The Atlanta Constitution

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### Harris Issues Statement in Which He Tells Why He Kept Troops on Guard at Home of John M. Slaton

Governor Nat E. Harris, on Monday afternoon, issued a statement to the public in which he explained his position in relation to the condition existing at the time he became governor, which necessitated his holding the state troops at the residence of ex-Governor Slaton. The condition, he explains, as now being a thing of the past, and asks, as his first request as governor, to the people of Georgia, that there be no repetition of the demonstrations.

### Governor's Statement

His statement is as follows:

"To the People of Georgia: I have thought it not improper to make a statement to the public concerning the manifestation of resentment recently shown towards my predecessor on account of the Frank Case.

"The action of the governor in that case has become a matter of past history; nevertheless, the conditions which existed at the time of my entrance into office made it necessary, at the request of the sheriff of Fulton County, reinforced by the opinion of the adjutant general of the state, to continue the state militia on guard for the time being within the limits over which martial law had been proclaimed. One of my first official acts on Saturday afternoon was an inquiry into the necessity for doing this.

"On Sunday morning, the sheriff of the county, Mr. Mangum, requested me to keep the militia on guard for another twenty-four hours, and I did so in compliance therewith and on the showing made by him of his reasons therefor. I have great confidence in his judgment, and I could not afford to take on myself to follow any other course."

### Matter of the Past

"This is now, as I have said before, a matter of the past, and I hope there will be no further necessity for any such intervention in the future.

"I am sorry that the state of affairs arose which necessitated such action on the part of the state while I was in office. I think that protest, denunciation, and other similar measures which express the people's feelings, if followed out in a decent and orderly way, cannot be controlled, but at the same time I am fixed in my belief that no one, however aggrieved he may feel himself to be, has right to take the law into his own hands or force the state to stand guard against violent assaults upon the person or property of any of its citizens.

"I trust, therefore, that there will be an immediate cessation of all efforts at violent or riotous demonstrations over this matter. This is the first request I make of my people as their governor, and I do sincerely hope that I will have their unanimous co-operation to the end, that the honor and good name of the state may be preserved."

N.E. HARRIS, Governor.

Executive Office.

Atlanta, Ga., June 28, 1915.

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### Time to Learn a Lesson

With the departure from the city of ex-Governor John M. Slaton, Governor Harris withdrew the state troops that, at the request of the sheriff of Fulton County, had been detailed for safety service. Thus ends a most unfortunate incident, and let us hope, one that will never again be written in the history of the state.

Whatever may have been the opinion of our people as regards the decision leading to the manifestations of violence, to protect against which it was necessary to call out the militia, there can be no doubt of the overwhelming sentiment of the state on behalf of law and order. Law is one thing, and mob violence is another, and there has been altogether too much of the latter in Atlanta in recent events of the past.

And the state and city should by this time learn a lesson that will make impossible a repetition of the manifestations which have threatened the security of the city and the good name of the whole state. This is not the only thing of the kind that has happened in Atlanta in the past several years, for only a few years ago uncontrolled manifestations of an irresponsible mob resulted in far more serious consequences than the disturbance of the past week.

This question far transcends any phase of the Frank Case with which it has nothing to do. Whatever may be said of the action of the last governor does not in the slightest degree alter the fact that mob law or mob violence is never right, and that the community which countenances it must in the end pay the penalty.

The whole state should profit by the experience, and the next time a mob organizes anywhere for anything, it should not be permitted to proceed even one square beyond its point of assembling. Any such gathering hereafter should be dispersed if it requires the summoning of every able-bodied man in the community to do it. This is what should have been done in Atlanta a week ago. If any such thing as this ever happens again, it should be done instantly and on the spot. It was what would have been done in the Atlanta of the old days. It is exactly what has been done in the Atlanta of the past! There must be no more mob violence in Georgia!