Richmond daily Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1842-1861, 1856-09-03
RICHMOND WING.



Hom fk< Le~do~ umss. Asg. Il.
The state Of thing. at San Francisco h phsnomenon
shich must surprise any member Of sssed community
and established order Of thnga Il IL sufficiently startling
sven 10 an Engsh mind, and No not unaecastomed
An political rvughness and Aud, II puzzles
Enelishnan how absolutely incxplicabis must be 10
foreigner unsccu.omed 10 the action OF even
diosry nbsrtyi n London In Westminster election
riddle 70 an Austrian Prussian, who cannot understand
how such scenes accord with State security and civil
order and who every shout Of excited mob expects
the BODY polite 70 collapse what must he think Of the
condition "A community In which self constituted
"Commss OF Vigilance yields the whole authority oil
the State maintains order executes the laws, Furnishes
criminals ell this In the place Of the regular s'ae
troops Of tho Federation Of which 10 ss member such
IA the picture which San Francisco now represents The
from the Federal Executive at Washington to the
State Militia San Francisco; the "leader OF the Vigsnt
boarding party" is then himself captured by the United
States Marshall the viglant Committee then retaates
by sending its own Martial to the out Of whose
custody the obnoxious originally seized lie
found surrounded by party OF his friends aud, among
Others by certain Judge Terry judge under the Tor
mer regime aud who does acknowledge his authority
DO got quite over Judge Terry defends his friend,
fred at and in return draws his boviekne aud despatch
CO the vigilsnts' Marshal The great Dell oil the
Vigilance Committee" then sounds the whole town
PUSHES out, merchants leave their stores ma
sons drop their trowels, drsymen with loaded
en-. vigilant Committees cavalry Judge Terry and his
party make psc~ VSo~Ptsd ~ Fsd-- .-Ar.. ani
raise barcaes; but in vain Animmense mob snrrounds
the building and post two large in front The
cannoneer sands by with the burning MATCH and Is min
time given for confederation. Terry, his friends
and the Federal troops surrender and disaraed and
the former now awaits his trial His friends in the jour
mails opposed the Committee argue his cause with
warmth aud ingenuity, and thrust the Committee Of Vg
lance into the deemma II they punish him. oil either put
ting death citizen for act doue In support OF esao
lished authority, Of killing prisoner OF war Judge
Terry they say acted in defence OF the Federal supre
macy, which yourselves bound 70 respect out
you do not allow this ground you any rate allow
that the Federal power claims the supremacy aud there
fore that the existing state OF things hight for that SUI
premacy-i. e. state of civil war in which case you
have no right Judge Terry hnt prisoner OF war;
The Committee Of vglancs however, il not very likely
90 listen to such an argument The existence OF Tree
press in which the Committees acts criticized and
csnsured which there Is apparent attempt TO put
down. is indeed curious feature o this confused state al
things But the Committee is evidently compelled by lie
position regard itself the supreme power in san
Francisco and therefore treat rebels all who oppose
This whole state Of things them in civil community
which processes be member OF the Federation OF the
United States is indeed surprising When We ca
anime, however, the principles which all government
in the United States s based aud what the republ
theory is shall be less surprised The statute law
OF the United States OF enions statute Law in
all States do that established authority lie TO be obey
ed When, then, Supreme Court, magistracy, aud a
regular Government have been with the sanction OF the
Federal centre set in of the United States,
American statute law Of enoins obedience To that
Government the part OF the citizens Of that State and
any Of those citizens oppose such Government and set
mp rival the law Of the Federation pronoun
those citizens be rebels and the Federal Executive
sends the Federal troops bring them back to obedience
But while Law necessarily this view OF the
case the republican theory takes another and di
ferent The republican theory Is thar the citizens OF
San Francisco erected Government in that State for their
security profit and advantage and that they Orig
na ereced fulfil those purposes they have the iu
right pull il down again when ceases in their opinion to
fulfil them and no longer answers the ends for which
designed. Aud IL the Federaist replies that they
have by joining the United States Federation entered n-
compact aud given up part OF their liberty single
free State to central authority, the answer is easythat
they acknowledge obedience to the Federal Govern
ment for Federal purposes but not to the control OF Their
own civil administration modification OF their iul
right OF seligovernment State. The existing order
Of things then, San Francisco s after all but the
tura development OF the republican theory and IL
the given OF its rise and the
which led to it. all an immoral unjust,
one. Ii would appear that the Government which the
Committee of Vigilance has superseded hardly did fulfil
the objects of civil government; that fatal disorder and
license reigned Mt San Francisco that fraud
checked and that murders committed IN the open
the muref 6pety state OF things went on I'LL atast
general estimation reused the indignation OF the peet
portion OF society. The respectable cizeus met armed
themselves, formed police, overthrow the existing Co
vernnent which gave its and favour the
criminal rather than to the aggeved person. and
ished COMMITTEE OF Vigilance" in its place. Such
operation OF the republican theory very from
favourable one showing, does how in the very worst
state OF things powerful element of good exists If can
be brought out and gain for The republican
theory In this particular instance exered itself on the good
SIDE and gave outlet, room, and OF to
the good Ingredient in the social mixture which DIES.
potc theory would not have done The despoc theory
would here have euchaned the good there San Fran
CISCO and never let the republican theory
come out and Quit gains the upper hand The FEEDER
al GOvenmenti obliged indeed by position to oppose
1t but this is the letter OF the institution coming COLI
aon with its spirit and statute law conflicting with
publican theory.