Prescott journal. [volume] (Prescott, Wis.) 1861-1871, 1865-02-11
BY THE GOyERNOE.
A PROCLAMATION

Il am iBformed that rsls Of What IL comma,
known as aFarm Mortgage Land" IL sa-,,,,..,
sotake place at the city Of Berlin, In this s.s.s
the arss day Of February ns<s, and tha. ses,.'.--
entnrtaaned b. public officers and othsr prorn,.s-
citizens, that an attempt viii b made hy an j.
ganized body of man to interrupt By force ppt,,-
officer in the discharge Of his duty, pre7ss, 80
sale, and disturb the peace.
After the scenes which have been ensc.A5,
Governments during the last four years: as,,..-
attempt which has been made By deludss
overridei law and or der, and redress vh..
termed wrongs, By unlawful violence; and 80
our sons are still fighting, aud We ara 50 r.,
Sacrificing to enforce the executi on OF n. ~.
preserve order andyvindieste the aushor,tv,s.,'
Government, can hardly believe that spv ,o,as
cradle number Of men in this State VIII ~ So
get their duty to themselves and the Govs,nr,.s.
as to att emp By violence TO in terssre with ,h a.
| ninistTation of laws or disturb the peaca Is,h.
are any VIII passions have so far got eon,,or. =
their judgment as to contemplate so doing Ia, :.
entreat them to reconsider the step they are .ho.
to take, change their course, and avoid the cor..
| quences that must necessarily follow such acts
Governments are formed, laws enacted. and in.
dicial tribunals established for the protection =,
| the rights of the people, aud wbsp
ever men are allowed to set these at defiance or,
liberties are gone. If one man or body Of men
may set Law at defiance. Others may do 50 likewise
| and there is an end to Law and order.
Iknow little of the circumstances n this mar
ticular case, beyond the fact that it has b, en- aa
Indicated, and that If injustice has been done to
any party, there is peaceful remedy open to hin
Has the party whose property Is to be sold been
1 hu he OIL nd bs.L
| courts to which he may resort. But admitting
there is no remedy in this particulas case and thai
| fun jus.ic cannot be obtained, (Which at Isas
not probabIe) still is it not better to suffer sigh,
evils than to fly to those Of greater magnitude,
Would you throw away all the other rights tbs,
are guaranteed to you to preserve one of minor
Importance OF what value would this propertv
/ be q the morsgagor, even, it thrown outsid.
/ the protection of that Government your acts
| would tend to destroy? Would you DESTROY
the rights Of others and uproot the foundations
Government merely to rectify what you deem per
| sonal wrOngl Would you amputate the head n
cure pimple on the frgsri The interests Of the
whole State are concern ed in this matter, and as
the interests Of the many greater than the in
teres,s of the few, the interests of the gov
eminent paramount to the interested the indIvid-
ual, and must be first secured.
Grant, as before remarked, that party has
grievances. lie should bear in mind that perfec
mis- not of en- found that although our laws
may not fully protect every right, they are the
best that the wisdom of our people devise
Legislative wisdom perhaps never yet framed
perfect law neither have the people ever elected
perfect Judge. But are they not as perfect and
as likely to be right as the dictum Of the who
takes the law in his own hards, and, with self.
interest before his eyes, judges his cass Ia.
not the PARTY Who claims to be injured in this case
an equal opportunity with his fellow meni Has
he not equal protection with those upon the oppo
site side of the question Are not courts open 10
all alike and If courts unjust or laws imper.
feet, a=e there not peaceful remedies to which all
may resort
/ hesitate not to say that believe no class Of
men in this state have more fully the sympathy OF
the people than that class known g Farm Mort
gagors" They have doubtless, in many cases.
been deceived and deluded by designing men into
mortgagiug their all and placing it at the disposal
OF souIIess corporations. The people have mani.
tested this sympathy in many ways. The repre-
sentatives Of the people are now ir ing to devise
means for their relief. But If those who now en-
10Y this sympathy, whom the people are DESTROYS
by all proper means to aid shall by acts ofvolence
defy the authority of that Government from which
they seek aid aud protection and thus place thrIa
selves in The wrong, they viii necessarily to
extent lose that sympathy and forfeit that aid
they ~-ouId otherwise If they have wrong
! their remedy must be a peaceful one. In seeking
such, they will enlist the sympathy of the people
aud enjoy their aid and protection. Any Othst
course is in consistent with the duty Of good
| zen and subye rsiVa of social order,
Let me then as the Executive Of this noble State,
Of which we all feel justly proud, which has 50
nobly batted Tor the Union for the last four Yeas
whose sons are to day striving suppress lawless
ness and disorder and execute the laws, admonish
all who may cont mplate any disturbance Of the
peace, net to tarnish its fair fame by any acts Of
unlawful violence, not to violate those laws W.
| have sacrifced so much in defending Let ne also
admonish all executive and judicial officers, whose
duty it is to preserve the peace, that they should
take proper measures to put down all riots, and
prevent, so far possible, any disturbance of the
peace; aad If other means are not sufficient, they
should, in accordance with the statute, call upon
the military.
In the proper discharge of my oHicial duties /
sincerely hope it may not be necessary to go
force. But peace aud good order rnust and shall
be maintained. Ifthey cannot be preserved with
out force my duty is plain. 1t must be used, and
on the heads of those who violate the law must fall
the consequences. With all the soIemnities Of an
oath have pledged myself to support and sustain
this Government ana preserve the peace. shall
spdeayor to discharge that duty faithfully. IshsI
do SO peacefully il can, forcbly if must.
In testimony whereofI have hereunto subseIb-
ed my name and caused the Great
ISL Seal ofthe State of Wiseonsin to bs
affixed.
Done at Mad son this thirtieth day Of January,
in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hun.
dred and slxty-fVe.
By the Governor,
JAMES I. LEWIS,
ca. SPENCER, Asst Secretary of State.