New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1851-09-09


in this matter
II ANYTHING could increase the disgrace OF An at
tempt 20 make the colony of afrIendly nation,
with troop Of adventures, who are pirates, claim
mr. when II suits them the protection OF the United
s,aes il IS the fact that sUch violation Of law and
good faith should not Only have occurred, but have
occurred twice. The American Government has
had the fullest proof of the abuses Justly complained
OF by Spain Yet, while It's own laws were
rowerless to punish his violation of a friendly
territory, the influence OF the United States
agents was exerted TO rescue the prisoners
IRON the fate they had deserved and these very
same persons having got back 10 New-Of leans and
Mobile have continued 10 plot with lmpunlty against
the peace and security Of tie Queen Of SPANS do
minlOns, until this new outbreak summons them a
second time 10 the scene OF action. The American
Government has At lenath dispatched a steamer Of
war TO cruise of the Cuban coast but nothing
can palliaie the remissness or lnefhciency OF
the authorities Of the United States who allo"
preparations to be publicly made, and expeditions
10 put to sea, for which they afterward dlSclaim
all responsibility. In such case It Is PROBABLE
that nothing but the seveTest measures of repression
vii he OF any avail and as there IS greater curse
10 mankind than private wars, earned on oy adyen-
tuTers or Buccaneers on their own account. without
the shelter Of any national flag or any responsive
authority, 50 there IS no crime when exposes lne
persons committing II 10 more condgn and lndlscrm
mating punishment. Ageneral rebellion IN Cuba, IN
siIgated by American sympathizers. and lnfaneC, As
thrust ultimately be by the passions of the negroes LET
loose upon the island would combine all the horrors
and evils from which humanity recOlls ana II would
render any Government by whose cOnnlVance or dpa-
thy such atrocities have been reDderedpossDieo snox
ons to the strongest censure and remonstrsnce IN
less however the troops have been tempered Wltn we
entertain but small apprehension That TINS expedition
can be prosecuted with success, and we nope IL WIZ
be crushed speedily and ANONYMOUSLY as II was
on the last occasion. But We think the American
Government must acknowledge that the occurrence
Of such attempts serious discredlt to the anhor
~ II bound to exercise Its own citizens, and
that the revolutions which threaten Cuba are scarce
" less menacing and injurious to the external peace
and internal union Of the American confederation
LYNCH Law in CALIFORNIA is also topic OF dis
cussion IN London The Times thus speaks OF the
action Of the san Francisco Vigilance Committee
All readers cOnversant with medieval history VIII
al once be struck with the analogy between TINS
" institution for may really term lt-and
the Secret Courts of Westphalia nor is there much
indeed needed beyond a recollection OF the scenes III
anne of Ge,,rSttn 10 suggest general idea OF the
tribunals TO which refer. They were established
at period whenthe law was weak and justice uncer
tam for the purpose of curbIng the turbulent ana
tyranncal by appTehensiOns Of nallble retrlbutlon
The " vigilance Committees" resemble them ex-
actv In tier constitution and operation. They are
chosen and formed with profound secrecy, or at
least their members if known 10 each other and the
PEOPLE, are not COgnlzable to the eyes o' the law
They issue Their DEGREES IN secret ana enforce thei
NV means of affiliated members, VINO are Dounu
10 obedience and who are cOnVoked by Speclhed
signals. Finally, when justice IS to be done upon
delinquent, they emerge under the protection OF
popular sympathy mo open gay, anu tAtcutt thtH
prisoner iust as De Hagenbach was executed by the
Black Priest Of ST. Paul.
It's. doubtless, rude descent from those romantic
associations when We encounter the true oid barley
titles and aliases of the victims to the Californian
Vfhmgtrichf But, though " Jem f!Ill ana jenkins
match strangely with the Rodolfs and Manireds OF
media val chronicles, there Is reality about tnese
rovivas which efectually corTects their more ludl-
crous features The Vigilance Committees" are
maniesy III favor with the people at large ana COM
mand not only the ard of the multitude, but even the
support of the local journals III Is reiharKaDie
that at the moment of the last execution IN san
Francisco the Court of Sessions before which the
culpI in due legal course should have been brought,
was actually sitting, and the Judge addressed the
Grand Jury III strong terms on TINS aggression Dy
secret societies on the constituted authorities OF the
State His arguments were, OF course, unmpe ach-
able but the san francisco papers defend the Com
mltee and argue for the execution as Ddnton argued
for the massacres OF September. The Law has been
violated" they say but the law was made for the
citizen and not the citizen for the law society Is
rid Of It's pests and the radiance is none the less sdI
u'ary for being illegal" Even the American Jour
nails look with approval on these proceedings ana
the sy stem is evidently extending itself, Tor we READ
of " Vigilance Committees" IN Mexico whch are
performing similar parts IN soaring the population
into honesty.
Beyond doub, the impulsive ,nsurrecton of society
against notorious offenders Is, so lar credltaoIe
SYMPTOM OF popular feeling, and we may say that
H., determination of the Callomans to repress crime
deserves To- be considered no less lhan the means
they select for repression But tins reflection supplies
no great excuse for the practices lmpugneu Inc ot-
lenses itus summary prosecuted and punished are
not of that intrinsic Nervousness against winch
tie indignation Of vlriuOu> citizens might be lrfe-
ss;lty reused They consist principally OF syste-
matte theiiS, and. though theft IS doubtless de-
siruc'iye propensity IN places where every mans
prCrtliV is in portable form, yet the progress
Of civilization has exploded The principle when pro-
portions the measure OF punishment 10 lhe tehp,d-
hons of crime. Many OF the delnquentS indeed VINO
are sent out Of the world at short shrlt by sem
tenco Of the " Committees would actually not be
amvnG0le 10 capital punishment AT all e'her Eng
land or in those States of which California forms
AN integral Part The san EranclscanS hang LOT
stealing gold. as We formerly hung Tor Sheep,
stealing or shophftug, with this aggravatlcn oil
the code, that they show no mercy ana execute
she law with Their own hands II Is prooaoie
enough that under 50 rudimenary conStltu-
ton tie machinery Of justice had not Aep,
race With the incentives TO gum, anu III
fact the Judge himself spoke of circumstances oil
'area; palliailon as attending the original asSunp-
tion of authCriiyby The hands OF The people Bu' II
must be evident 10 all observers that an organized
association. powerful enough 10 super>ede the law
Of the land IN open day. could have no possible dih
Guilty in amending the administration OF TINS law, had
ihey directed their efforts 10 such purpose ns,e3d
of dispensing with the law altogether very llNeiy
the gaos were defective, the ponce renss the ASST
7es remote and the general prospect unsatlsiac-
tcrS but we need waste no words IN observing
n al IN community pretending 10 some CIVIL
cation, nominally well organized. ana lotmaIy
admitted into such federation as The American
Ju!On The exertlons of the citizens should nave
teen TUNED to supplying these Deficiencies, rather
,han 10 nsiituting precedents Of which no man can
calculate the evil. The English reader may proc.
ably think II a superfuouS consumption OF
argument to prove that men should not be
yut 10 death by the agency of mob or al
The bidding OF secret society but the tenor
of our correSpontenCe does really give
gravity and importance 10 these proceedings
which such ou,ragos would not otherwise possess.
4 is not denied that the dellnQuents had what
IN saxon phrase is - fair trial." that they were
most undoubtedly guilty. and that the system Is
creraling to the terror of offenders hitherto moor
rclble In fact. the principle ayowed Is that OF
scipS yo;t SupTema Ter, and the inhabitants concur
IA asserting that the time for appeal to tins ultimate
resort was lneontestably come. But they must
surely see upon reflection, that no calamity can be
50 truly formidable the substitution OF force TOT
law and that II the recognized machinery OF justice
be thus set ASIDE uncomfortable anarchy must mai
Ebly esult.
The intelligence from the Continent of Europe
h.. no nnLel feaimIes Hoe ls an Item from ERAHCE