Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1865-07-07
Affairs in Missouri.

Affairs in Missouri.
! There was an immense meeting of citi>
zens at st. Louis on the 18th inst to re-
monstrate against the conduct Of Governor
Fletcher in removing the Judges Of the
Supreme Court by military force The
conclusion Of their deliberations, in part
was THAT the most dangerous aud guiltiest
| Of criminals was the man who, intrustred
with power, abused that power .for pur
poses Of lawlessness and tyranny" That
man they said was Thomas G. Fletcher
who had abused the power placed iu his
hands by ordering military officer Ito re-
move, by force, Judges Dryden and Bay
from their seats upon the Supreme Bench.
Aud they solemnly declared that ''this out
rage npon the majesty of the law is not to
be pardoned' until those lawlessly placed
in power shall be, by lawful means. elected
frou, their places; and they pledged them
selves not to rest or slumber until, with
MI the eeremonials Of criminal Justice. sen
tence is passed upon = hese arch offenders. :"
Ex- Attorney General Bates who. it is
understood, withdrew from the lincoln Cab
met on account of mis- dissatisfaction with
the manner iu which military authority was
made to override that Of the law and courts,
is among the most determined Of those who
oppose the higbhanded course Of Governor
Fletcher. lu public letter written the
day the St. Louis meeting was held, he de.
clares that the Governor has committed IAN
improbable offence lis plainly guilty OF
usurping power" &C. He then proceeds ::
We are entitled to governmf Mt by law,
we have, within our own control, the legal
| means and machinery to maintain such a
government, and thus to secure our indi-
vidual rights; and if, with these lawful
means of resistance in our hands, we are
afraid to use them then | shall be forced to
confess, in sorrow and shame, that we are
poor, craven. subdued people, not worthy
of liberty by law, and only fit to be the sub
jects of any tyrant who chooses to reign
over US.
1t is the right of every citizen to resist
the usurpatian of Gov. Fletcher by the
means which | have pointed out, and by
any other legal mean within his reach :; and
it is the special duty of every officer in
whose person the law has been de6ed and
trampled down, to repel the aggressor and
drag the offender to the bar Of legal justice
Those officers are the chosen body guards
of the law, and if they fail to defend it
when assailed, they will have betrayed their
trust and shown themselves unworthy Of
public con6deuce
Confident in these views, my deliberate
advice and urgent wish is, that
/. Thomas G.. Fletcher, and all who
aided and Allotted him in the resent Outrage
upon the Supreme Court, be, without de
/ lay, indicted for that offence in the Clmi-
nal Court of the county st Louis.
2. Every man who has been injured, i'll
person, property, or regulations by the un-
lawful proceedings of Governor Fletcher,
and his accompliees, should, without delay
institute the appropriate actions at law, TO
recover damages for the wrong done him
3 Proceeding ''by Information in the ma
ture of DUO warranto' ought to be Instituted
without delay against Messrs. Wagner
Lovelace and Holmes, for ntrudng into and
uulawfully holding the Office of Judges Of
the Supreme Court.
| These proceedings. if promptly and pru-
IDENTIFY taken, viii, confidently believe, 60
far to restore the supremacy OF the Jaw
throughout the State.
All that we need is TIE WILL to uphold
the law and vindicate our rights. For ]
ain confident that these extraordinary pro
ceedings would no; have been attempted BY
men in office but for the belief. on their
part, that tho spirit Of the people was sub
dued into tame submission by long subjec
ton to arbitrary power. RID. Wig.