Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1863-08-13
SPIRIT OF LAwLEssNEss REBUKED.

We have been particularly pleased Dy the admi'
rable charge of Recorder Hoffman, delivered to the
Grand Jury at the opening Of the Court of Gen
eral Sessions" in the city of New York on Tues
day last After alluding to the fact that for some
that city, offences against persons and offences
against property rivallng each other in frequency
and that beyond all this general spirit of lawless
ness has been spreading through the community,
which recently found expression in the barbarities
and depredations Of the New York rioters, he pro-
ceeded to ascertain the of these deplorable
phenomena, and to fix the responsibility for them
as follows:
One Of the worst signs of the times has been the pre-
vaent Of and want of respect for the laws aud
the lawfully constituted authorities. Dangerous Den-
dangerous because powerful and iLuentalhave, by
ample and precept taught the people to disregard and
dsobey constitutional and legal obligations and sometimes
upon one pretext aud sometimes upon another, have
cOuntenanced f they have not connseed) dsobedence
and resistance They have aimed their shafts not only
Legislative Jnacments and constitutional provisions but
at the officers Of the law the judges of the land and the
decisions of the courts.
"As in time of war every man becomes military critic
and sits in judgment the operations of army and
of the Constitution and the laws and to sit in
judgment upon the Judicial tribunals of the State and
nation.
The people have become accustomed to look upon
constitutions and laws and authorities less sacred than
in earlier days they had been taught believe they
The pulpit and press the political platform and Senate
chamber the social CIRCLE and perhaps even sometimes
courts Themselves have been the schools which these
perniciOus lessons have been taught
Manifestations of popular violence sometimes in one
direction and sometimes in another, sometimes against
of sect of opinions and sometimes against those
of another have from time to time occurred this city
and elsewhere. When applauded they have been ap-
pauded loudly; when condemned they have been con-
demned feeby Now set of partsans and another
have spoken of them just outbreaks of popular mdg
nation or patriotic uprisings of the people
Conservative and prudent men have watched the
growth OF this evil with alarm and fOreseen and dreaded
the harvest They that it violation of and in
hOstty to the fur damental principles upon which all 60
vernmen and all society rests They have sought to
mind those in authority and those having influence that it
for all law by deviang from Themselves and to
mske the people understand that obedience to law
the first duty Of the citizen They have proclaimed that
there safety for the nation except in faithful
adherence to the Constitution, there security
for the people but in unbendng respect and obedience
to the laws and the authorities of the land Warning the
legislative power of the State and Nation against the
actment of unconstituton laws, they have insisted and
ever will insist that the courts and not the people, to
sit in Judgment upon the consttutonaty of act and
that until declared by the courts to be unconstitutional
resistance to it by force aud violence is criminal
These warnings have not been needed. The evil
teachings of misguided and wicked haye not been
"ithout tueI eAeC inPy nave taken ueop Ioot III tno
popular mind In6delty to constitutional and legal obi.
cations has produced its brood Of evils This iDdehty and
the false teachings and examples of partisans of various
secs and partesaded they have been by and
elements which always actively at work in time of
and civil oonvusionsurged by the spirit of
which they have created have recently produced in this
city outbreak which resulted n violence and enorm
ties without parallel Ia the history Of the country The
immediate Of this oppotion to the enforcement
Of the consorpon law; but this would have been
wholly inadequate to the result the poison Of cpnsttu
tonal and loyal in6dey and Of false teachings and pern
cous exampe had not been infused into the popular mind