Litchfield enquirer. [volume] (Litchfield, Conn.) 1829-current, 1856-11-20

Sa{l IS r. 80 ~ sulsssr hon ~ freezing
wind. nnxt hnse consipced tie alaiIAniS TIT thsy
Ven doine exseution, md nesved theif salOt VIII
nee assurances Of their safety nom fesisance They
hsstened 10 lire smother heavy chargs, which COM
pleted the mischief, stil further egkravating the
feof Of the Invalid. bursting out one q the vim
1ow sashes. and doing other Injury TO the dwelling
over one hundred panes Of glass were broken By the
two explosions At this time, the servant began 70
en- for assistance upon which, the chivalrous lead
sers Of the gang, with Napoleonic rronptness q
decia0. reelected that.
:. He who fights and runs away,
May live to tight another day.
They accordingly ran.
We need not say, that there has been but one ex-
preston in the community regarding this act. tbs
that Of universal contempt for men that could be
capable Of it. Indeed, the act is SO loathsonaeiy
mean--an act OF such beastly cowardice-that il is
difficult to bring the mi1d to consider its inferna;
malisnity. and its acdacious assertion of mob-law
against the laws Of the State. the peace of commu
nifty the rchsof the citizen and the liberty Of the
press We would not suggest, by the remotest i'm
plicatcn that this outrage is countenanced by any
party among us. It is not. But we would call at
tention to that which no man can help seeing that
the act is only carrying out into practice Of those
principles 81 morality which have been publicly
taught among us Of late, by certain class Of po
aitcal speakers and presses 1t is only an importa
tion into Connecticut. Ct that law Of the bludgeon
hal Init ina,
the Senate Chamber and in Kansas, and sanctioned
by the open and tacit approval Of the leaders of tho
Democratic party. The men who have debaucted
the conscience and stimulated the evil passions Of
{ lose ''lewd fellows Of the iaser Sort by their un
pincipled harangues must share the guilt If conse
quent crime. Neither the Of character and
virtue, who have acted in uniform with
the bully and the border ruan. and whose persistent
silence has been taken for appreciation Of their
crimes shake themselves free from all responsibility.
The question now before our community is not,
What shall be the future course of this Journal p
That il question to te determined by its Editor
and we are glad that his absence gives the oppor
tunity to predict Of him--what none who know
him will Doubt that no amount of outrage or
threat, will move him t. bate one jot, or swerre
one hair breadth from the course which he believes
tU be right-that not even this pitifnl AIT of
gean,c on his sick mother will deter him from the
bold rebuke Of the public injustice which sanc;ions
it, nor from timely dcnunc. alton Of tho Infamous
rum Il attic which furnishes. its assassin courage.
Neither is the question Whether the past conduct
Of this paper is to BIZ approved us Uniformly unexcep
tio,nihle ia point of Judgment good taste. We
presume that no man with any warmth Of i'm
pulsc has ever taken an active part in exciting
contest Is that which has just closed without seeing
something in his course which he could have done
betters But the conduct VI this paper is not in
question.
The Question is land it is practical with cve-
~ man in the community whether the utteranccs
Of writer fur the ublic pr to be regulated
By the Judgment and conscience of the man, by the
wholesome and legitimate influence of public senti-
alent and BY the acton Of public laws whether
they shsll be held under and ssificd by fear of the
bully, Of the mob Of the secret conspiracy wheth-
er We are to speak every his convictions in
his own languageor whether are to measure
our words by the bludgeon, and to temper our wri-
tings to the despotic humor of secret mob In a
word the question is, whether arc to retain here
in New England our inheritance of freedom, or
whether We are to be - subdaed to the worse than
Turkish servitude of Virginia and Alabama This il
the question propounded by the mob of Friday
night, and it waits for answer from the public
sentiment Of this community