The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1859-08-26

rowdyism an institution of the country supplant-
ing and superseding the authority of the laws and
driving us back to barbarism. The politicians who
have obtained office through the fundamentally Of
the rowdes are under obligations to protect them
against the operation of the law. If they sit the
bench of justice they throw the shield of their own
ignorant corrupt Interpretation of the statute
the culprit, or, if they cannot do that, they
administer the mildest punishment it is in their
power to infict If the rascal is sent to the peni-
tertiary or to State prison the politicians will soon
get him out If one of these bulies is indicted for
murder, he enjoys the joke, and looks on the trial
good farce. He is certain that rowdyism is so
well organized, and is so identified with the polit
cal parties, that he never suffer the penalty of
his crime. Either by hocus -pocus the jury do not
agree, new trial is obtained on frivolous point
of lawn some way or other Justice is robbed of
its sacrifice. tn... ..,
1t is true that sometimes the rowdies here are
caught when they fall into the hands of Judge
Russell, or some judge like him; and sometimes
in Baltimore they dangle from the gallows, as
they did last March. But the general impunity
they obtain is sufficient encouragement for too
many of them to persevere in their crimes and to
hope for escape from the consequences that follow
in every well regulated society. sr ..
The result of this system, on the whole, will be
that the rowdies will virtually rule the country
And to such an alarming extent has this anomaly
already grown that the peaceful and orderly por-
ton ofthe citizens are beginning to consider wheth
er the community would not fare better-whether
there would not be security for property, and
life and limb-under a government like that of
France or Russia, than under the best and freest
government ever devised by the wisdom of man.
The place to strike mortal blow at rowdy-
ism is the primary elections, and every
good citizen ought to lay this to heart and act
accordingly. If that is not done, it seems to us
that there is other alternative than Vigilance
Committees. There is as much need of an organi.
cation of that kind in Baltimore and other cities as
there ever was in San Francisco. In the latter
city, owing to the rapid inf TX of population, tax
ing with it the dregs of society from all the States
rowdyism became so rampant and rapidly
reached its climax that the outraged people would
not stand it any longer. A large number of the
rascals have thus been driven back to the large
cities whence they came-a considerable proportion
of them to New York-where, in conjunction with
birds of the same feather they control the elections
as they did in California. Consid aring the apathy
OF our citizens as regards the primary elections
and considering the consolidated strength of the
roWdy element, there appears to be no other solu-
ton for the growing difficulty than the last resort
to Vigilance Committee. ..
..e From the Ne,o York Tribune
The question as to how far rowdyism and crime
are to govern this country, to shape its destinies
and determine its future should be met promptly
If democracy in large communities be failure, the
sooner we get some other form of governments the
better That it is present success in this capacity
will hardly be asserted. That it has succeeded and
does succeed in smaller communities will not be
questioned. But as people are densely amassed as
communities among US are extemporzed from the
uttermost ends of the earth, without the memories
of vrtuous homesteads, or the searching eve of
good neighborhoods, each man knowing his fellow
his antecedents, and his probable tendencies for
good or evil the difficulty of governing increases to
such an extent that the problem assumes serious
significance. We are moved to make these remarks
by observing the growing brutality of rutians in
every part OF the country, and the shocking official
expose of our Police Superintendent Take for ex-
ample the telegraphc reports of Wednesday.
In Baltimore, as We thence learn, there was bru-
tai, murderous assault, worthy the Feejee Islands;
no words, indeed, being competent to exaggerate
its infancy, and every in it deserving the hal
ter steamer left the town, freighted with
large company for camp-mectng on Choptank
River Apropos of nothing, bands of rowdies
aboard, organized under difere names, began an
indiscrimiuate assault upon men and women, knock
ing them down in every direction clubbing and
stabbing them as at an internal carnival. The
1i0ht- L.
robberies We're numerous; while one man was stab
bed, and his wife violated before his eyes! In Hea-
ven's name, what are we coming to? Where are
laws; where the guardians of justice? Where pub
lie and private security; when such things takes
place, not in holes and caverns, but on crowded
steamboat, and steamboat upon such mission
carrying Christians in so-called Christian COM
munity to place of wor ship? 1t adds nothing to
the supreme shame and vainy OF the recital, to
say that one man is reported to have died of his
wounds received ON the occasion.
Philadelphia too, on the same day, was equally
sisnaiized. During an excursion of certain Sun
day School to Tacony, with Rife Company, the
party was attacked by some OF the most diabocaI
rowdies who have cheated hemp of its due
The telegraph does not tell us that the Sunday
Schools carried the Church-Miitant with them;
but considering the rampant savagery of the attack
they were simply wise in so doing. Some twenty
persons were stabbed and otherwise wounded; and
the riot resumed upon the return Of the parties
to town.
Now, let US come to New York and take the
quarterly return of Deputy Superintendent Car
penter as a text. During the quarter ending July
81, there 1922 arrests. Crime and Yio
lence are thus shown to be on the increase At
this rate taking the quarters return as an average
for the year, there would be 77,049 arrests in New
York in twelve months. In France, in the fash
ionable Streets every well-dreSsed tenth man is
decoratedj and all over the Empire, more than
every tenth man lives at the public expense In
New York, as Offset for fine streets and shops
we have the heroic satisfaction of knowing that
every tenth person in the community is arrested for
murder, rape, arson, theft violence, drunkenness,
or breach of law decency of some sort And
this is the residuum of our civilization! This the
last hope of democracy This the ecstacy of liber-
ty, perched on our proud metropolis commanding
a worlds wealth, growing as city never grew be-
fore, prophesying grandeurs such as history has
not recorded! AS the sum of iniquty is constantly
swelling here, what are we to expect2 At the rate
we are now proceeding, it would take but few
years to make all the men land most of the women)
not in the Police Department, the subjects of ar
rest some time in the course of the year. This is
not hyperbole. 1t is fierce fact.
Of this morbid and terrible list it is hardly ne
cessary to say that the overwhelming majority are
lrish.s Victims of the present corner grocery
or the grog-shop in some form, of which alcoholic
bells there 1000 on this little island the poor
misguided men of Ireland, SO figure in the cata-
logue of violence and shame. Dupes of politicians,
who cry rum, freetrade and slavery, their pockets
are empted while their health is undermined and
destroyed, their wages reduced cut off, and their
status as laboring men degraded by the fact that
millions oflaborers are bought and sold in this So
called den ocratic country.
All who do not prefer party success to the safety
of society; who would sooner not triumph on cleo
ton day than see the city and country prosper under
the shield ofimmoralty; and who do believe "that
righteousness exalteth nation" will give heed to
these facts. ..- l.--fs-f ODD
i.-.E. ~ s.E