Daily Iowa State Democrat. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1856-1859, 1857-07-02

MOB Law.

MOB Law.
The chief danger to the peace and
order of people self governed, is their
efforts TO take the execution Of the law
into their own hands, from the author
ity legally constituted by them to per
form the duties Of preserving public
order, Furnishing crime and redressing
wrong. Republics are ever lowering
near this fearful breaker, and IN the
madness Of sudden rage, assemblies of
men often perpetrate wrongs a thouA
md times more grievous than those
which primarily drew them together as
avengers of violated law. When the
people Of community have elected
their Executive, Judicial, Legislative
and Ministerial officials, and endowed
them by the solemn sanction of constr
tutional law, with power to preserve
order, execute law, and promote the
general welfare, they are bound to obey
the power Of their own creation and
adoption, until by limitations fixed by
themselves the power has expired or
been surrendered back again to the
people. If that foul monster-the
Mob-is to be the agent of the people
Of a free government, the sooner such
freedom Is surrendered to monarch
or military despot, the better for the
peace Of society, and the lives and
property Of individuals. In a country
like our own, where the frequency of
elections, enables the people to depose
unworthy officials, and elect new ones,
there can be no necessity for resorting
to the frenzied and dangerous mob
spirit to secure the execution of law.
The example is debauching, and viii
finally prove destructive to political
liberty. Better, a thousand times bet
ter, is King Napoleon than King Mob.
A combination ofdesperadoes, impatient
OF the necessary delays Of the law In
the administration Of justice, and each
having some private spite and malice
to CRAFTY, are more fearful than band
of brutal Indians let loose upon Socic-
ty with recking knife and dripping
tomahawk. In its frenzy it confounds
innocence with guilt, takes suspicious
forproof and executes vengeance instead
Of justice upon the victims of its hate.
We have witnessed the doings of the
Jackson County Mob, with the most
painful reflections, and the defense of
that mob by respectable journals in
this and other places, with forebodings
Of evil TO follow. The news of another
mob butchery WAS published in our
paper of yesterday and SO audacious
has this mob become that from Jackson
County, it penctrates to within eight
miles Of Davenport, in pursuit of vic
TINS. Courts, Sheriffs, jails are scoffed
at as supernumeraries, and the forms
of law as tritlcs to be ignored, by this
band of self righteous and crime hating
criminals, and they are running riot in
the havoc they are making in the So
ciety which they Disgrace. We should
glory in seeing every man Of this gang
hung to the gallows, for the murders
they have committed in this district.
Every life they have taken was an act
Of cool murder for which they are
liable to indictment and capital pun
ishment under the laws of the State.
They have boldly published their
plans, threatened the officers of the
law with punishment, and treachery
Of any Of their own gang with death.
They are confederation Of assassins
bidding defiance to law, and trampling
upon the rights of society. Why the
people Of these three Counties have
not taken up arms to extcrminate the
gang, is more because they have con-
fined their deeds Of blood to the murder
Of disreputablc characters and those
laboring under SUSPECT, ms ofhigh crimes.
But ibis mob has had taste of gore,
and their next acts may be those Of foul
butchery Of the innocent, or the officers
Of the Law. Shall this mob be tolera-
ted to the Disgrace Of the State of
Iowa.