Weekly Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1853-1861, 1855-06-21
The Portland Tragedy.

We extract from the Providence Post 6
calm and dispassionate commentary on the
recent homicide in Portland. Candorrequires
us to say that the conduct of Mayor Dow
has nothing to do with the merits OF demer-
its of the Prohibitory Law. The opponents ol
that law should not raise a hue and cry against
the Mayor in order to cast odium on Prohi-
bition; nor should its friends attempt, in Their
iniudicious zeal, to defend conduct which was
certainly hasty and perhaps criminal:
The events of last Saturday have an inter
est not confined to the people of Portland, in
whose midst they occurred Everywhere
they will be viewed with reget. 1t must be
considered peculiarly unfortunate that at q
time when efforts are being made in so many
places to enforce law violently opposed by
a large minority, it should have led to such
a result For it is not to be questioned that
this was Maine law riot The mob, if there
was a mob, gathered in consequence of what
they deemed violation of that law Its OBJ
ject, no doubt, was to destroy liquors believed
to be unlawfully kept This much appears
from the published accounts, although no
tence that any one acted as leader, or that
any attack was made which conld not be
easily repelled, while no actual violence was
committed beyond throwing few stones and
breaking a few windows. But the assemblage
was an illegal one, and the Mayor was justified
in his determination to disperse it and protect
his property until court should order its de-
struction Nobody denies that this was his
right and his duty 1t was equally his right
in case of necessity, to call for military aid,
and to shoot the rioters, if other means of de-
feating their object failed. The preservation
Of the public peace is ever of paramount iui-
portance. No punishment, however summa-
nv, can be too severe for those who seek To
disturb it.
For the sake of Mayor Dow, we could have
wished that the circumstances in which he
was placed were such as to render necessary
the measures he resorted to- Ii is better thai
lawless men should lose their lives than that
reverence for the law should in anv way be
diminished We have looked to all the re-
ports of his conduct in this fatal affair, with a
desire to find some justification for il, but
without success. The fact is plain that the
mob was not large, that it was not armed, that
it hesitated to attack building wholly un-
protected, and that no disposition was shown
TO do any act of personal violence. Not a
single spectator seems to entertain a doubt
that the crowd might at any moment have
been dispersed by small body of police,
acting with prudence and determination. 1t
does not appear that any obstacle was present
ed to the arrest of the rioters, or even that
any attempt was made to arrest them. The
Ii Al l.
by force, and to the military alone he accord
ingly looked. In the orders given to the
soldiers he was singularly indiscreet. The
company first ordered out was sufficient to
protect the property attacked. The mob did
not modest estthem-certainly did them no HARM
There was, therefore, no occasion for assail-
ing the rioters. Defeated in their design by
the presence Of guard, they would soon
have dispersed. A single charge of the bay
onet would have driven them from the spot,
if that was thought necessary.
The Mayor chose different course. He
meant that his authority should be felt, and
commanded the soldiers to fire. They refused,
to their honor be ii said. They felt that it
was cowardly and murderous thus to shoot
down their fellow-citzens. Dsplcased at
this disobedience, the Mayor dismisses them
and forcibly takes possession of their arms
and delivers them to another company which
proves more submissive to his will. During
all this time, the property was left unprotect-
Cd save By few policemen, and no demon
strations of attack made which might not
have been defeated by dozen resolute men.
The second military force then arrives, is
marched secretly into the building and al
most Immediately, without a word of warn
ing commences firing directly into the crowd.
In a very few minutes, the ground is cleared,
and police proceed to make the arrests which
might have been made with equal ease an
hour or two before, without violence or blood
shed.
1t is difficult TO conceive that an intelligent
magistrate, however jealous, however infu-
rated by the conduct of his opponents upon
the liquor question, could have so entirely
misconceived his obvious duty in such an
emergency. Patience and long forbearance
are virtues which in his position could not he
dispensed with. Neither public opinion, the
law, or, it might be hoped his own conscience
would justify him in shooting men who had
done nothing more criminal than throwing
stones or breaking windows. Still less would
they uphold him in any forcible demonstra-
ton whatever before resolute effort had been
made break up the mob and arrest his right
to shoot a criminal whom he thinks it would
be unsafe to arrest. No man vested with
power to quell mob, however violent OF
even bloodthirsty, would use the bullet IN
stead of the bayonet No magistrate fit to
govern American citizens, would dare to fire
upon them from an ambuscade without notice
and without aflording an opportunity for the
innocent to escape.
This Mayor Dow has done, and done i
solely for the protection of little rum. How
strange that he, of all men, should be so en-
gagged How could he feel that the destruc-
ton of such an article was a crime to be Wis
tied by instant death? Surely there mus
have come To him recollections of his many
denunciations of the poison, under all its dis
guises And to Others, if not to him, tn,
reflection will come that human life is o
more value than all the property he sought t
defend In Iced, it may be doubted if NOR
ignominious position could be found than tina
of an officer whose chief claim to public es
teem has been his adherence of the liquo
traffic, sacrificing the lives of his fellow citi
zens to protect liquors bought and kept b
him in open violation of the law he is so VIC
liant in enforcing against others.
MORE OF "THE wAY."-The BloOmingto
Qnd.) Nel0s Letter, few weeks ago, publisl
ed acomplete list of the Cayeames of Monrc
Countv in raf,,rn for which fbav oouao,apoa