The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1855-06-19
The End of the war.

we presume IL was necessary, or so DEEM
ed by the Canal Trustees, to make the ar
rangement which they have completed, with
the Clay County Regulators, to secure the
protection, or the promise of protection, from
those gentlemen, of the Birch Creek Reser-
voir and other works of the canal. 1t may
oe that the concession made to those Regu-
lators was actually demanded in justice, and
indeed for the proper carrying out of the
old contract made by the Trustees, the re-
moval of timber from the Birch Creek Reser-
voir. II this be the case, we have no doubt
the action of the Trustees will be fully en-
dorsed by public opinion. But any action
of the Trustees compromising with the law
less men Of Clay county, or buying future
security for the canal, by yielding to unjust
claims presented by the very men who have
carried on a systematic work of destruction
against State property, to secure that which
law and equity had failed to give them, and
to crafty the lowest passions-we should
denounce as compromise with, or reward of
villainy and mobocracy, a most dangerous
precedent, and unjust to the State and to the
people. Moreover, Evansville never sent
her citizens to Clay county to compromises
Our readiness to meet the emergency, was
but an exhibition of the strong feeling exist
ing here ana at other places, to bring the
gang of depredators to punishment, and to
teach them and all such lawless men, that
real or imaginary wrongs are not to be re-
medied by recourse to violence and destruc-
tion of property, against all law and order
II we once compromise with such men, there
will be no end to compromises. We have
had presidents enough in other States to
know, that if rendering such men justice, and
justice alone, does not procure security, there
is no other plan but to teach violators of law,
that quick and prompt punishment, will GER
tainly follow repetition of such outrages.
In this case, the Governor showed at the out
Thy sending only fifty men to the scene of
the outrages in Clay county, that he was dis
posed to compromise. Such limited num-
Der never could have been expected to re-
dress past wrongs, or make the proper arrests,
nor by vigorous action, to be able to secure
in any manner security for the future -
These men would have done their duty under
any circumstances, or at any sacrifice, so far
as their power extended. But the sending
of SO limited a number, showed that the Gov
ernor had not the pluck to take the RESPONSE
bility of Vigorous action. Instead of going
East to attend to more pleasant duties, he
should have headed this expedition in per-
son, at the risking of losing the head for
which the mobocrats had offered liberal
reward, (more we think than the head il
really worth to any except the owner,) and
have taken with him enough men to main
tain the supremacy of the law, and to bring
the violators of that law to punishment.
We have carefully read Mr.. Hanna's de
fence of the Clay county Regulators. TIN
very best case he makes in any view, even
he makes that, is that the people of Cha,
county have had cause to find fault with tn
Canal Trustees. He does not prove, tina
the Reservoir has really been that injury t.
Clay county which citizens there preten
~ HAS Dc6H' DuL even IL he uluS ana ii n
proved that it was all the Governors an
Trustees fault these citizens had not bee
able to obtain justice by ldlU, and not fror
any injustice in their demands, there is n
excuse in this for the destruction of property
and the consequent damage to interests a
hundred fold more important than those
stake in Clay county, by a lawless mob
AS well might citizen excuse himself fl
burning down a neighbours house, becaus
he had been unable to obtain justice in cou
of this same neighbor. He would most Gel
tainly receive the punishment due the Grim
and 50 should these men receive til
punishment due their crimes. We have n
confidence that men who have acted in tn
villainous manner in which these Regulator
have done, and who have SO often alread
broken their promises, will keep their PR
mise of good conduct hereafter any long,
than it may subserve their own interests
do so. But again we say, if the Trustet
have done no more than justice in their pre-
ent arrangement with these Regulators
right. We shall congratulated hem, and Il
important business interests enlisted, on
gratifying result.
~ BY way of change, we were visit'
yesterday by heavy blow of wind, whit
for time shrouded everything in pail