Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1852-1859, 1853-07-02
Mobocracy.


Wetake the following sensible remarks on mob
ocracy its anticedents and results from The Bati-
more Sun:
dongs of the Quebec aud Montreal mobocracy, is
al once convinced that the spirit of religion had
nothing at all to do whit. Religion never exhib
tied itself by such enormities as these. And it is
about enough to upset the pretensions of any reli
gious pretender, who vindicates the sincerity and
zeal of his devotion by his fury as rioter. No
church, in this country that should seek to esab-
lish itself by such means, could withstand the in
dignaton of the people, under so gross an insult to
their intelligence. No rock would be strong
enough to supportit. The people who committed
the outrages IN Quebec and Montreal, are said TO
belong TO the Catholic church.. Nominally they
may; and we have nominal Protestants in the his
tory of the world, and in this country, too, who
have played the same sort of pranks out of their
frantic mobocracy. But let Catholicism and Prot
estantism these things the legitimate fruit
OF their religious teachings, and the insulted rea
son of the people will invoke ''a plague on both
their houses.''
The fact is these things are not of religion
Men become by education attached to this denom-
ination, and the other, and the masses know but
little. and perhaps less about the details of
doctrine and discipline. These are taken piece
meal from the Bible, re-enacted by iailible men
and enunciated in the form of UNCONVENTIONAL i'll
situations, bearing with them more or less of au
thority, according 10 the ecclesiastical power of
the church from which they emanate. Presently
some bold and eloquent declamer, usuallya con-
vert from this church or the other, flashes along
the of society, pausing only to pour forth
flame and fury, chiefly against the sect or party he
has abandoned. Upon this, band OF zenlotS, in
plethora ofrage for the lack OF religion, give their
zeal an airing in an outbreak of violence. They
know nothing about the truth or falsehood of the
several utterances of the declaimer. All they
about is that he has assailed their religion, and
they return the compliment by assailing him.
The injustice of this thing is glariag, for it, as we
insist, this is just the class fpeople no really
least capable of determining the truth of the mat
ter, it is clear that they are actuated by the mere
wantonnesS of mob violence.
This internal spirit OF mobocracy is no element
of any religion, nor of a pretended religion 1t
will not do in this age. Even the diabolism of
the inQuiSition was carried on in private. An
auto da fe was conducted with due regard 10 out
ward orLer. And Harry the Eighth employed an
organized system for the elaboration of his indig
nant piety, as the "Defender of the Faith" Evsu
the Russian to-day puts his religious ardor into the
form of armies aud fleets, and would no doubt re-
buke mere mob that would undertake to invest
him with patrarchial authority over the Turco-
Greconians of his spiritual ambition. Why, Eng
land puts her precious relic OF Harry the Eighth
under the protection of an Ecclesiastical Titles
| Bill. and holds the rod of civil and military au-
thority over the mob who desecrate the Threshold
of non. confoImiSts church with its pIofane foot.
steps. She robs the poor dissenter by "force and
arms" according to, not CONTRARY 10 the act in
such case made and provided" but protects him
| from the abuse ana lnS0lence oil unohclal ZEAL
See what virtue there is in church aud state.
But our remarks were suggested by mob upon
dfferentsubect, yet exactly Of the character and
caibre of the Canadian article. We alude to
that indignant little party which Quilted the house
Mr.. Wheeler the other day, in New York. Soms
students got possession OF "subject," in the eds
cusson" of which, they suffered some of the debris
10 offend the eyes of the gentle populace. A hand
or foot of a dead body was found by some chill
dren, and forthwith the household was invaded.
and the glorious work of devastation was i'll an in
slant complete. There was just as much religion
here as there was in Canada. But who doubts
that it the very devltry of senseless passion in
both cases? If surgeon had been called to per-
form an operation upon one OF these outlaws, and
had fumbled about the ligaments, arteries and 9th
er apparatus of the vascular and muscular SYSTEM
10 his serious hurt, the fellow would have asked
jury OF twelve men to award him damages. The
law makes no provision FL the practical expert.
ence of the student of surgery, and he is thus left
TO his own resources for tie acquisition OF thai
skill without which his profession is an absurdity
Yet, when in the t'pursuit of knowledge under
difficulty of this Sort he betrays the candestine
means TO the desired end, he is hunted like 8
ghou vampire, and his house laid waste as if i,
were the lair of the hyena. This mob were the
special indicators of public decency; the other o.
religion. And about fit for its Office a!
| the other.