Muscatine weekly journal. [volume] (Muscatine, Iowa) 185?-1890, 1863-05-22
Mob Violence

Shall never find an advocate or defender in
us. Obedience to law is the safety and pros
perity of free people. If the law be obno1-
ious let us appeal to the intelligence of the
people, who will sooner or later right polite
al wrongs. When we look back period Of
thirty years and remember what violence,
what barbarities, what outrages have been
perpetrated in the name of free speech, upon
the honest and conscientious enemies of the
''sum" of all villainies-when we remember
through what tribulations men of philanthro-
pic impulses were compelled to passive
trust that in these particulars history may
not repeat itself. But, we must not ignore
the truth, standing out in bold relief, that the
present resorts to mob, violence and unlawful
force by the indignant friends of an outraged
Government are but repetition of Democratic
history. The time was when man with
sufficient moral courage to stand in the public
places of our cities and raise his voice in pro-
test against the institution that has involved
our land in the struggle for life, and deluged
its fair fields with the best blood Of the ma
ton, then was it that laws were openly defed
its officers nuzzled and bribed; and THEN
was it that the Democracy Of the nation in
augurated what Was then prophesied would
one day return and torment its inventors.
Have the Democratic mobs in old Fanuei
Hall been forgotten? Have the Democratic
riots in New York and Philadelphia passed
from the memory-has the murder Of Love
ioy-the destruction of Cassius M. Clay's
press-the desolations of Burleigh's property
the assault upon SumEer-aU, allperpetra
ted under the name of Democracy-have they
no place in history? Ask the wives ane
mothers of our two hundred misused anti
slavery men in Texas, who instituted mol
violence there! Ask the hundreds who hav
been driven from peaceful homes and pursuit
in the South, who inaugurated lawless fore
there?
The Democratic party must not complain
of mob force, for it is child Of their owl
creation. If that child shall rise and crust
the parent, blame not the child, but rathe
parental example. If convalescent soldiers
who we take it are as good as any soldiers
destroy printing presses whose issues are oh
noxious to loyal people, and subyersive q
the government, they but repeat the Demo
cratic history. If loyal people choose to eg
tory stump orators, let the Democracy stud
its past history. We dislike mob violence
We believe there is vitality enough in tn
government to punish its enemies in a legs
and proper manner. We prefer to trust tn
law than the passions ofmen. We know tn
provocation is great-the temptation to met
out speedy punishment great-but we mus
not forget the precedent we establish. W
may sometimes, be minority, obnoxious
the majority-let US have clean record,
enter upon that period. Men who woul
otherwise sink into forgetfulness, are ofte
made martyrs and heroes by lawless violence
Let not the tories among us rise into create
being by our acts. Let us not inaugural
rebellion against the constituted authorize.
lest we are crushed in the attempt. Tim
sets all things right. Our weapons are nj
passion and brute force. At all events Il
not the Administration party repeat the Den
ocratic history of mobs and riots.