Butte record., 1856-05-31


mttee had be- paraded out in the street
and publicly reviewed, and that they had
countsr-inarched to their rooms and
stacked their arms, the Ala says:
"Their mission is fu'flled. They
have undertaken and executed a eaod
work Thev have not abused the pow er
they took from the courts. Thy have
not done injustice. They have not
wronged They have not injured But
hey have done the duty good citi
zens, and the world viii approve their
course" J"
While the press of our State is found
thus to uphold and susia scenes Of vi
plence and 5iood. it is not strange that
our Stale should have a reputation
abroad that renders US reproach and
retards our progress 1t is equiva 'ent
to saying that onr system of govern
ment is failure. That the good citi-
ms of San Francisco, cannot find pro-
lection in duo process Of law. If this
be so it is simply because the ''good
citizens" c.tizcns Of San Francisco havi
not heretofo re done their duty, in sus-
tanning the worthy and legitimate eff
forts of the Courts TO suppress crime in
their midst. How many Of these ''most
respectable merchants" and "good cit
izens" who compo-cd the vigilance conn
mittee, would have consented to serve
as jurors had they been legally summon
ed by a COURT Let their former actions
answer. We have not been taught to
regard popular violence as the actions
of ''good ctiz ns.'' The same energy
and determination eyinced by the vigi-
lance committee, had it been expended d
in seconding the efforts Of the constituted
authorities and n giving 4 healthy tone
to society, would have accomplished a
revolution worthy of ''good ciIizens,' -
and one Of which the State mi ght have
ben justly proud. The vigilance com
mi tee had no more right to hang Cora
and Casey, than these base culprits had
to kill Richardson and King. Both
parties took the law into their own
hands and were guilty of murder. The
violent death of King, showed the fact
that there was an assassin in San Fran
cisco. The hanging of Casey without
authority of law, shows that there is u
whole community of men in San Fran
cisco. who like him, took the law into
their own hands, and that community
was composed of respectable mer-
chanis'' and good citizens" Alas
poor San Francisco,
Their mission is fulfilled"
Then they should at once throw them
selves into the Bay, for they have ac-
complished nothing worthy of our re-
membrance. Their action is stigma
and disgrace upon our State.
"They have undertaken and executed
good work"
But in doing it committed the same
crime that Casey and Cora did in shoot
ing down their victims. The law sho'd
execute al those who are guilty of cap
ital offences, and when it fails it is only
because ''good citizens" prefer taking
the law into their own hands to doing
their duty as '.citizens"
"They have not abused the power
they took from the courts"
They created their own courts, and
have seme as good judges as anv St,te
or city in tie Union can boast; but IN
te ad of Sc conding the courts in the dis
charge of their duties, they trample upon
all law, and set aside the sacred inst tu-
lions they have created as thau h the
blessings of our free government and the
rights guaranteed by the constitution
were naught No community or body
can exercise power they do not possess
without abusing that power
"They have not wronged. They
have not injured"
They have both wronged and injured
themselves, if not those VII IN they vim
lently and Illegally executed. Th V
t,ok the law into their own hands, and
without authority executed two admitted
felons, who had committed murder be-
cause they felt ihem~elves agrieved
The Vigiiace committee felt themselves
agrieved and they imbue their hands in
blood without the shadow OF authority
IF the vigilance committee have done no
wrong or inju y, in what consisted the
wrong of Casey and Cora' According
to the reasoning of the Alta, should
another committee arise and hang the
Vigilance Commit e, they W uld do no
wrong and commit no injury We
think the committee have wronged them
selves and injured the vital interests of
tbo Ctata Chor hove .o,,Lt H.