East Saginaw courier. (East Saginaw, Mich.) 1859-18??, 1861-11-05
pIsREspECT FOR LAW.

EN- Governor Horatio Seymour, OF
New York, was in Lansing, short
time since, and, at the urgent request OF
the citizens of the town, consented to
make short speech in the ii all of Rep
resentatyes of,the State Capitol, on the
current topics of the day Among other
reasons iol the war, he made prominent
n disrespoct for the law that for years
had been craving upon the people both
North and South.
In this assertion the Governor hit the
nail precisely on the head. For years
past disregard for the laws of the land,
both State and National has been
openly advocated, not only by indivdu.
alo, but by legislative bodies, political
conventions and religious assemblages,
and political parties have been built up,
u Fundamental al doctrine Of whose creed
it was to disregard and disobey certain
laws that were deemed obnoxious. 1t
has been so at the South, and it has
most assuredy been so at the North
And not only has it been SO, but it is
SO now. The South has rebclled against
the whole law of the land, and war is
now being waged to reduce them to
obedience and respect for lawful author
lty. AT the same time the skirts of the
North are not by any. means clean. The
seeds that have been sown for years
past by incendiary journals and lawless
men every whit as guilty as the armed
rebels except in the degree of their
crime, arenow blossoming and bearing
abundant fruit even in this day Of peril
to the country. The same spirit as ever
is manifested in abolition quarters to
turn the war into crusade against
slavery, Notwithstanding the guarantees
tho constitution has placed around it,;
the same hatred is shown to the fugi
tive slave law as ever; hundreds and
thousands of the laws upon our statute
books are dead letter, and have been
for years; and the mob spirit, the mean
est because the most cowardly of all,
was never so rife as it is at this time
We have seen its work in other States
during the summer, aud it is now creep.
ing into our own midst.
The evil of which we complain is not
of recent origin nor the result OF a mo.
mentary excitement, but has now be
come nationallzed, and must be driven
out, root and branch. Strict obedience
TO the laws is now the duty OF every
citizen. 1t has always been the boast
of the democratic party, and they have
been eSacting in requiring it OF their OPP
ponents when they have themselves
been in power. Now that the tables
are turned, and democrats are out of
power, they should be still more exact
ing in requiring of themselves what
they have demanded of others. And
upon republicans is the duty, if posi-
bic, still mere pressing for supporting
their own administration, national, State
and local, is strict and to tlieycry let
ter, obedience of the law. OF the dem.
oerats we have no fears; of the aboli.
tlonists in the republican party we do
have fears. They are the men who have
! preached dlsrespect tn the law, and they
arc the men who are now melting disc
bedience to it. tits the imperative duty
of the republican party, as the party
now in possession of all our administrs
tive and executive Offices, to arrest and
severely punish all these deprelators.-
The country demands this at then
hands, aud will iDsist upon it's strict full
fillment.