The Burlington weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington [Iowa]) 1860-1876, 1863-08-15

Nxw York JUDGE ON THE SECESSION
RIor-CuARo. OF RECORDER HOFfMAN.l
-Aftha opening of the Court Of General
s,ess;ons in New York on Tuesday, Recor-
der Holman charged the Grand Jury as
follows:
military critic, and sits in Judgment upon
the operations of our army and the plans
of campaign, so every one has become an
expounder of the Constitution and the
laws, and assumes to sit in judgment upon
the judicial tribunals Of the State and ma
ton.
The people have become accustomed to
look upon constitutions and laws ana au- |
thorities as less sacred than in earlier DAYS
they had been taught to believe they were.
The pulpit and press, the political platform
and senate chamber, the social circle, and
perhaps even sometimes the courts tnem-
selves, have been the schools in which these
pernicious lessons have been taught. 4
Ma4ifestations Of popular violence, some
times in one direction ana sometimes IN
another, sometimes against men Of one set
Of opinions and sometimes against those OF
another, have from time to time occurred
in this city and elsewhere. When applau-
ded they have been applanded loudly; when
condemned they have been condemned fee
bly,. Now one set of partisans and now an
Other have spoken Of them as 'just out
breAks Of popular indignation or 'patri-
otto uprisings Of the people"
Conservative and prudent men have
watched the growth of this evil with
alarm, and foreseen and dreaded the har-
vest. They saw that it was in violation
Of and in hostility to the flndamen-
tai principles upon which all govern
ment and all society rests. They nave
those having influence, that IT was their
solemn duty to inspire the people Wltn re-
spect for all law, by never deviat1ng from
it themselves; and to make the people uny
derstand that obedience to law was the frst
duty of the citizen. They have proclaimed
that, q there was no safety for the nauon
except in q faithful adherence to the Con-
stitutlon, so there was no security for the
people but in unbending respect for, ana
obedience to the laws and the authorities OF
the land. Warning the legislative power
Of the State and Nation against the enact
ment Of unconstitutional laws, they have
insisted and ever will insist that the courts
upon the cOnstitutionality OF an act, ana
that, until declared by the courts to be un-
constitutional, resistance to it by force and
violence is criminal.
THE RIOT.
These warning have not been needed. -
The evil teachings Of misguided and wick
ed men have not been without their effect
They have taken deep root in the popula,
mind. :.Infidelity to constitutional and lega
obligations has produced it's brood ofevils
This infidelity and the false TEACHINGS anC
examples of partisans of various sects anc
parties-aided as they have been by causes
and elements which are always actively
work in times Of war and civil CONFUSION
urged on by the spirit OF lawlessnes
which they have created, have recently
produced in this city an outbreak which re
suited in violence and enOrmities Withou
parallel in the history of the country
The immediate cause of this was opposl
ton to the enforcement of the conscrlptlol
law; but this cause would have been Who'll
" inadequate to the result, if the poison G
constitutional and loyal infidelity and
false teaching and pernicious example ha
not been infused into the popular mind. :.
The outbreak was fearful, the result
dreadful. Whatever may have been tn
causes and whoever may have been re
sponsible for the terrible consequences, on
thing is certain, the plea Of resistance
the draft affords no justification or excus
and it is the duty of every public office
and every private citizen to labor with a
| his strength to bring to justice and to judl
! ment the men who have violated the la'
outraged all decency and tranlPied upe
all rights.
It is very clear that the mob, originatiI
as it did with the single object of resistil
the draft, soon came under the control
ruffians and outlaws. Those who fir
participated in it probably did not conten
plate the results which followed. Yet the
were inevitable. The elements of ever
mob, no matter what may be its origin
object or design, are anarchy and ruin: al
the one which has so recently disgrace
this city, has given evidence of this by pu
ting in peril the lives and property Of inn
cent people, by burning orphan asylum
burning and plundering private residence
citizens upon the public streets, and cor
hitting murders too horrible to record.
Can the plea of resistance to the draft a
ford any excuse for. such enOrmities
these7 Do not those who entered upt
those scenes of violence, with no other Q
ject than to destroy enrollments and dels
the execution of law to the provisions
which they were opposed, shudder at Il
results which they have been instrument
in producing? Can one honest man
found in this community who, aft
the experience Of the last few week
does not in his heart condemn, this da
the whole theory of violent resistan
of New York-high or low, rich or poor
this day realize with ten times more for
than ever before, that his appeal should
to the courts, not TO violence; that there
no safety for the citizen or the State but
rigid obedience to the laws, in profou,
respect for the constituted authorities
the land, and in a determined maintenan
and preservation of order and publicpeat
at all times, under all circumstances, a,
at all hazards, aud that without these the
is no security for home or family, proper
or life?
DUTY OF THE AUTHORITIES.
You must pardon me, gentlemen, for
tanning You SO long. have made the
suggestions with definite object and pr
pose 4 trust they may not be who'll
without effect. Whatever we may be al
to do as individuals in allaying popul
irritation and in removing, or countera
ing as far as may be just and proper, t
causes which produce it, let us unite
doing it with the ability we possess. =
stand here, however, to-day, not as I'M
viduals, but as public officers charg
with grave responsibilities. Let US 7
shrink from them. Let us remember tt